Empire Chicken – Celebrating the No Vote

Empire Chicken is my Jamie Oliver inspired spiced poussin recipe — a yoghurt-marinated bird roasted hot and fast, deeply flavoured, and on the table in under an hour.

On 18 September 2014, Scotland voted 'No' to independence. I celebrated with two of Britain's greatest culinary love affairs rolled into one: roast chicken and curry. It felt entirely appropriate.

This is my slant on a Jamie Oliver recipe – a small Picantón (that's a poussin, if you're outside Spain) rubbed inside and out with a spiced yoghurt marinade, left to sit overnight, then roasted hot and fast. The result is deeply flavoured, tender, and just spicy enough to remind you why Britain and India have been sharing a table for the best part of three centuries.

Empire Chicken — a Picantón roasted with a curry marinade – The Flexible Chef

The marinade takes about ten minutes to put together. After that, the fridge does the work.

What You Need

Serves 2

• 1 Picantón (poussin) — around 400–500g
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Thumb of fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tomato, grated
• Zest and juice of ½ small lemon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp homemade aromatic garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• Seeds of 1 cardamom pod, toasted and ground
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt

Jamie Oliver Inspired Empire Chicken — The Recipe

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Rub it generously over the outside of the bird and work it inside the cavity too – gloves are advisable here. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for a minimum of 6 hours if time is short.

When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C | 180°C fan | 400°F | Gas 6.

Place the bird on a rack inside a roasting tin and push the remaining lemon half into the cavity. Roast for 35–40 minutes depending on the size of your bird, until the skin is caramelised and the juices run clear.

Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

A Note Added in 2016

I supported No in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum because we were told that staying in the UK meant remaining in the EU. Just two years later, the UK voted for Brexit — against Scotland's clear wishes — and I can't help but feel that Scots were cheated. They were promised a future that was taken away almost immediately.

This recipe is part of the Curry Recipes hub — a complete collection of curry recipes from The Flexible Chef. Explore the full collection.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef