Prepare the marinade and marinate the chicken well in advance. This dish tastes great and looks even better.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 lemongrass stalks (there are only two in a Waitrose pack!)
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 pink grapefruit – zest and juice
- 1 tbsp nam pla
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 chicken legs or leg quarters (skin on)
- 300g tenderstem broccoli (cut thicker ones in half lengthways)
- 2 x 250g pouches of ready-cooked Thai black rice
- 8 spring onions or salad onions, finely chopped
- 25g pack coriander leaves, roughly chopped
METHOD:
- Blitz two of the lemongrass stalks (reserve the other two) together with the garlic, nam pla, soy sauce, maple syrup, grapefruit juice and sunflower oil. (Be generous with these liquid ingredients).
- Pour this marinade into a large baking dish (large enough to hold the chicken in one layer). Add the grapefruit zest.
- Deeply slash each chicken leg three times with a sharp knife and lay in the baking dish. Spoon over the marinade so that they are well coated. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably much longer.
- Preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly crush the two remaining lemongrass sticks with a rolling pin and add to the baking dish. Turn the chicken skin side up.
- Roast until cooked through and juices run clear (at least 45 minutes, perhaps 60 minutes, depending on size of the chicken pieces). Baste with the juices halfway through this time.
- Meanwhile, put the broccoli in a large bowl or saucepan. Pour over with freshly-boiled water from the kettle. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain.
- Lift the chicken from the roasting dish, rest on a plate and keep warm.
- Discard the whole lemongrass stalks. Stir the rice into the juices. Add the broccoli and return to the oven for 8 minutes until piping hot.
- Stir in the spring onion and coriander, then divide the rice between serving plates. Lay the chicken on top and arrange the broccoli artistically.