We've seen a number of harissa roast chicken recipes online lately, and we can't lie, they're pretty good. Good quality, smoky harissa paste, extra virgin olive oil, lemon and sometimes some additional seasonings. What's not to love?
This recipe follows the same idea, but uses Shatta in place of harissa. It's a seemingly small change, but yields a delicious, very different result. We've written it two ways below: over the coals if you've got a barbecue going, or in the oven if you haven't. Same chicken, same marinade, same finish. The grill gets you char and smoke; the oven gets you there just as reliably without needing the weather to cooperate.
Harissa, originating from Tunisia, is made from fire-roasted peppers and dried chillies, along with an array of earthy spices such as cumin and caraway. It's a dark red and has a deep roasted flavour. Shatta, on the other hand, is made using an entirely different technique. Fresh chillies and peppers are salted and left to ferment. After fermentation, the brine is strained, and extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and/or lemon juice are added. The result is a bright, uplifting condiment ready to use on any meal. You lose the spice warmth and smokiness compared to harissa, but gain a fresher heat — one that cuts through char on the grill just as well as it lifts a Sunday roast from the oven.
There's a time and place for both harissa and Shatta. If you enjoy harissa but are after a fresher, brighter alternative, give this a go. It's paired here with charred new potatoes, but rice or simply fresh pita will work just as well as a side.
Recipe
Serves 4 · Prep 20 minutes · Cook 40–45 minutes, plus 10–15 minutes resting
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 1.6kg. Either spatchcocked for the grill (ask your butcher, or remove the backbone with kitchen scissors and press flat), or left whole if cooking in the oven. If you prefer individual pieces, see end for substitutions.
- 3 tbsp Fil Bird's Eye Shatta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly crushed
- 700g new potatoes, larger ones halved
- 1 red onion, cut into eight wedges
- Sea salt and black pepper
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley, to finish
Marinade (either method)
Mix 2 tbsp of the Bird's Eye Shatta with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Pat the chicken dry, then rub the mixture all over it, working some under the breast skin where you can get your fingers in without tearing it. Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours but for best results, at least 24 hours.
Method: on the grill
- Ask for the chicken spatchcocked, or do it yourself by removing the backbone with kitchen scissors and press the chicken flat.
- Light the barbecue and set it up for having two sections, one for direct and the other for indirect heat.
- Parboil the potatoes in salted water for 8 minutes, then drain. Toss with the onion wedges, a little oil, salt and pepper, and tip into a foil tray.
- Place the chicken skin-side down on the hot side of the grill and sear. Once crispy and charred, turn over so the chicken is skin-side up and move to the indirect side.
- Next, sit the tray of potatoes on the direct-heat side, moving them occasionally so they colour without burning. Once coloured, also move to the indirect side.
- Cook for around 40 to 45 minutes with the lid closed, basting once with any spare Shatta oil mixture halfway through. The skin should be deep red-brown and the juices should run clear when you cut between thigh and body. Tuck the garlic and lemon halves onto the grill for the last 15 minutes, so they char and soften.
- Rest the chicken on a board for 10 minutes. Keep the potatoes over direct heat a little longer if they need more colour.
- Squeeze the charred garlic from its skin and mash it into the pan juices from the foil tray, along with the last tablespoon of Bird's Eye Shatta and the lemon juice. Carve, spoon the juices over, and scatter with parsley.
Method: in the oven
- Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan. Take the chicken out of the fridge while it comes up to temperature. It can stay whole for this method.
- Put both lemon halves inside the cavity along with two of the garlic cloves.
- Toss the potatoes and onion with the remaining oil, remaining garlic, salt and pepper. Spread them in a roasting tin and sit the chicken on top.
- Roast for 1 hour, basting once at the 45-minute mark and shaking the potatoes at the same time. The skin should be deep red-brown and the juices should run clear when you cut between thigh and body.
- Lift the chicken onto a board and rest for at least 15 minutes. Return the potatoes to the oven while it rests if they need more colour.
- Stir the last tablespoon of Bird's Eye Shatta and the lemon juice through the pan juices, scraping the bottom of the tin. Carve, spoon the juices over, and scatter with parsley.
Notes
- Chicken thighs instead: 8 bone-in, skin-on thighs work for either method — on the direct-heat side of the grill, turning occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes; or at 200°C / 180°C fan in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
- The last spoonful of Shatta stirred through the juices at the end is the one that matters most, on either method. Shatta loses its brightness over heat, so this puts it back.
- Leftover chicken makes an excellent sandwich the next day, with more Bird's Eye Shatta and something crunchy.
Always worth a glance at the label if you're cooking for someone with dietary needs. We trust you've got that covered.
Liked this recipe? We recently posted another recipe of roasted chicken using Shatta, but for peri-peri chicken. Check it out here!
