Recipe // POLLO ALLA DIAVOLA WITH CHARRED CHILLI, ROAST POTATO, ROSEMARY AND LEMON
“At home, nature and the traditions of food were always respected. Food didn’t come to us on a truck or in a packet. The seasons changed, we ate what we grew, and always cooked over fire.”
— Nicola Coccia.
Fire up the wood grill! Summer barbecues just got a whole lot more smokey and delicious!
SERVES 4
1x 1.5kg free range chicken
1kg chat potatoes
4 long red chillies
4 sprigs rosemary
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
Marinade
2 tbsp dry Italian herbs
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp chilli powder
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
Note: While grilling the chicken for this recipe, ensure you keep it covered with a large steel bowl or pot. This keeps the heat inside and prevents it from burning. If you don’t have a wood grill, you can roast the potatoes in an oven and cook the chicken on a hot barbeque.
Prepare a wood grill to very hot embers. Clean the chicken well and rinse under cold running water, then dry with paper towel. In a bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients together. To butterfly the chicken, using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut the chicken down the centre of its breast and open it out flat. Coat the chicken with the marinade, massaging it into the flesh. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
To cook the chicken – place skin side down onto the grill and cover with a large steel bowl or pot. Cook for 15 minutes, rotate 90 degrees, and cook for a further 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over and repeat on the other side. To test if the chicken is cooked, wiggle one of the legs. If the meat begins to loosen from the bone, the chicken is ready. Remove from the heat and allow to rest under the bowl for 15 minutes.
For the potatoes – coat with olive oil and sea salt, place onto a large sheet of foil, and wrap into a package. Place directly onto the coals and roast for 1 hour.
To serve – coat the chillies and rosemary with olive oil and char on the grill for 3-5 minutes. Arrange the potatoes, rosemary, and chillies onto a serving platter. Place the chicken on top and finish with sea salt and wedges of fresh lemon.
Recipe from Farm to Flame reprinted with permission from Quicksand Publishing