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Baluchi-style chicken sajji

Name: Baluchi-style chicken sajji
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: Indian recipes
Ingredients: 1.5kg whole British free-range chicken; ½ tsp sea salt; ½ tsp ground black pepper; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp sajji masala (a special spice mix, see Know-how below); Juice of 1 lemon

By: Sumayya Usmani

Published: 7 Jun 16
Updated: 26 May 25

Why not try Sumayya Usmani‘s spicy masala whole chicken recipe as an alternative to a traditional Sunday lunch? Read on to discover how to make the special spice mix, which includes cumin, cardamom and black pepper.

Easy
May 2016

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 15 min, oven time 1 hour

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 243kcals
Fat: 8g (1.3g saturated)
Protein: 40.1g
Carbohydrates: 1.7g (0.2g sugars)
Fibre: 1.8g
Salt: 0.7g

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Ingredients

1.5kg whole British free-range chicken
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp sajji masala (a special spice mix, see Know-how below)
Juice of 1 lemon

Method

Rub the chicken all over with the salt, pepper and garlic. Heat a pan big enough to hold the chicken, then add the oil. When hot, add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until the bird is lightly browned all over. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Put the chicken in a roasting tin and loosely cover with foil. Roast for 1 hour, basting the chicken several times with the juices, until the top is golden and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the meat is pierced with a skewer. If you have a digital thermometer, push it into the thickest part of the meat to check it has reached 70°C.
Lift the chicken onto a board and let it rest for 15 minutes, then cut into quarters. Sprinkle over the sajji masala, squeeze over the lemon juice, then serve with steamed rice.

Recipe from May 2016 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 243kcals
Fat: 8g (1.3g saturated)
Protein: 40.1g
Carbohydrates: 1.7g (0.2g sugars)
Fibre: 1.8g
Salt: 0.7g

delicious. tips

You can use the chicken sajji carcass to make a stock base for a great soup. Put it in a large pan with enough cold water to cover, then add 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, a 5cm piece fresh ginger and some fresh coriander stalks. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 2 hours. Discard the carcass, strain the stock through a sieve, then reheat in a pan. Serve topped with shredded leftover chicken, a sprinkle of chaat masala (an Indian spice mix that’s widely available) and a squeeze of lime juice.
If you want to make your own Sajji masala, here’s how:
In a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, grind 3 tbsp cumin seeds, 2 tbsp black peppercorns, the seeds from 6 green cardamom pods, 3 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp fennel seeds and 1 tbsp amchoor/amchur (dried green mango) powder – from Asian shops and theasiancookshop.co.uk.