Rotisserie chicken with garlic toum

Cook it at home: Brined roast chicken with toum, pickled turnips and flatbread

Brine the chicken overnight so it stays juicy, roast it hot until the skin crackles, and serve it with a fluffy garlic sauce and sharp pickles.

Pans and tools

• Roasting pan with a rack
• Food processor
• Instant-read thermometer
• Jar for pickling

You’ll need

• 1 whole chicken, 4 lb (1.8 kg)
• For the brine: 4 cups (950 ml) water, 1/4 cup (60 g) kosher salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 4 crushed garlic cloves, 1 lemon in slices
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• For the toum: 1 head garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp ice water
• For the turnips: 2 medium turnips, cut in sticks, 1 small beet slice, 1 cup (240 ml) water, 1/2 cup (120 ml) white vinegar, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp sugar
• 4 flatbreads or pitas
• Chopped parsley and lemon wedges, to serve

Steps

1. The day before, whisk the brine ingredients until the salt dissolves. Submerge the chicken, cover and chill for 8 to 12 hours.
2. Pickle the turnips the same day: pack the sticks and beet slice in a jar, shake the water, vinegar, salt and sugar until dissolved, pour over, and chill at least 12 hours until the turnips are pink.
3. Next day, take the chicken out, pat very dry and rest it uncovered at room temperature for 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 450F (230C).
4. Rub the chicken with the oil, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and pepper. Truss the legs and set it breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan.
5. Roast 20 minutes at 450F, then lower the oven to 375F (190C) and roast 40 to 50 minutes more, until the skin is deep gold and a thermometer in the thigh reads 165F (74C).
6. While it roasts, make the toum: blitz the garlic with the salt in a food processor to a fine paste, scraping down twice, about 2 minutes.
7. With the machine running, add the oil in a very thin stream, drop by drop at first, pausing to alternate with the lemon juice and ice water, until it turns white and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Chill.
8. Rest the chicken 15 minutes under loose foil. Warm the flatbreads in the turned-off oven for 2 minutes.
9. Carve, scatter parsley and serve with the toum, drained turnips, lemon and warm flatbread.

Contains: ['gluten'].

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