Cider-Can Roast Chicken with Glazed Carrots and Pickle Aioli
By OcadoLife
Published on 26 June 2022
Chef Liam Barker loves to come up with new ways to use ingredients that are usually discarded, and with this Cider-Can Roast Chicken with Glazed Carrots and Pickle Aioli, he uses the juice from a jar of gherkins, along with cider, to brine chicken for a next-level roast. Even the can gets used! Brining is a centuries-old way of adding flavour and succulence, and here it brings a hint of apple to the chicken. To cut down on waste further, you could use the tops from the carrots to make Liam’s Carrot-Top Pesto Bruschetta.Time and servings
1 hr 55 minsTotal time
4Servings
10 minsPrep time
1 hr 45 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 350 g of jar gherkins in brine
- 2 tbsp of light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp of whole black peppercorns
- 6 garlic cloves, skin-on
- 440 ml of apple cider
- 1.5 kg of whole chicken
- 50 g of unsalted butter
- 5 tbsp of mayonnaise
- 400 g of leafy carrots, tops removed, any larger carrots halved lengthways
Method
Step 1
Reserve the gherkins and 2tbsp of the pickle juice for later, then empty the rest of the juice into a deep dish or bowl that’s big enough to comfortably hold the whole chicken.Step 2
To make a brine, put the sugar, 1 tbsp salt, peppercorns, 3 whole garlic cloves and 150ml of the cider into the dish or bowl. Top it up with 500ml water and give it a good stir with a large spoon.Step 3
Place the whole chicken, breast-side down, in the liquid, topping up with more water if needed to cover the chicken (don’t worry if it floats a little). Carefully transfer to the fridge to brine, ideally overnight or for at least 3 hrs.Step 4
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. The chicken will be cooked upright, so arrange a rack on the lowest level with plenty of height above.Step 5
Remove the chicken from the brine; drain and discard the liquid but reserve the garlic cloves, halving one.Step 6
Make two small holes in the chicken skin between the legs and breast and insert 1½ reserved garlic cloves into each.Step 7
Place the semi-full cider can in the middle of a large roasting tin and sit the chicken upright on the can so it sits inside the cavity. Transfer to the oven and roast for 1 hr 15 mins or until cooked through; the steam from the cider in the can will permeate the chicken, resulting in succulent meat with a hint of apple flavour. To test if it’s cooked, poke the thick part of the thigh with a knife to see if the juices run clear.Step 8
Remove the chicken to a plate to rest, loosely covered with foil and a tea towel. Pour the remaining cider into the roasting tin (recycling the can). Place the carrots, butter and remaining garlic cloves in the tin; roast for 30 mins. Glaze the carrots with the liquid every 10 mins.Step 9
Meanwhile, make a pickle aioli. Finely chop half the gherkins and stir them into the mayo, along with the reserved 2tbsp pickle juice. When the carrots are cooked, remove the garlic and squeeze the flesh into the aioli; mix well.Step 10
Bring the chicken to the table in the roasting tin with the glazed carrots and spoon over the juices from the tin. Serve with the pickle aioli and remaining whole gherkins. The aioli will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.