The Crown’s Marinated Chicken, Flatbread and Coleslaw
TESS SWAN
This dish is currently being served on the Crown’s seasonal menu and was created by sous chef JODY MORTON, who has been part of their team for nine years and has a passion for barbecue. The pub’s version involves a few more technical stages such as slow-cooking the chicken legs in a water bath and smoking the carrots in a smoker. The version presented here is simplified for home cooking using store cupboard essentials, but still tastes great.
At the pub the bone is taken out of a whole chicken leg, leaving just the knuckle – the meat is then butterflied. A butcher can help you to do that if you are not confident, but if you want a quicker version, you can use skin on chicken breasts (slightly flattened with a rolling pin) or chicken thighs. We suggest that you purchase the best quality free-range chicken possible, preferably from one of Hastings’ great independent butchers like Beak & Tail, P.A Fishers, Appleyard or Kings Butchers.
The recipe below serves four or five people, so you will require either 4/5 breasts, thighs or legs.
Chicken Marinade Spice Rub
- 90g salt
- 21g sugar
- 21g ground cumin
- 21g coarse ground black pepper
- 16g garlic powder
- 16g onion powder
- ½ tbsp chilli powder
- ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tbsp dried oregano
- ¼ tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
Mix all ingredients together and rub thoroughly into the chicken.
Marinate for a minimum of 30 mins,but overnight in the fridge is ideal. The salt content seems high, but don’t worry, it doesn’t transfer into the finished dish. The salt draws out excess water from the meat for a firmer texture and intensified flavour.
When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove the meat from its marinating juices and pat dry. This dish is best cooked on a barbeque. Place the marinated chicken skin side down onto a hot grill, turning occasionally. You can check the meat is cooked by using a food thermometer (recommended internal temperature of 74C), or by cutting into the meat and checking it is not pink and the juices run clear. Rest the chicken off the heat for a few minutes to let the meat relax for a better texture.
Chicken Glaze
- 200g honey
- 65g treacle
- 2 limes, juiced
- pinch ground ginger
- knob of butter
Mix all ingredients together and heat in a pan for 2 mins until well combined. Take the glaze off the heat and add a knob of butter – mix thoroughly.
Pour over the resting chicken. The glaze will keep in the fridge for several weeks so can be used again throughout the barbecue season if you have leftovers.
Pickled apple and carrot slaw
- 200ml white wine or cider vinegar
- 200g caster sugar
- 1 large carrot per person
- 1 apple per person (a crisp sour apple such as Granny Smith is best)
- mayonnaise – volume depends on personal preference
- 2 tsps of smoked paprika
At the pub we make our own mayonnaise and we smoke the julienned carrots in a smoker. For a quicker result, you can use pre-made mayonnaise with added smoked paprika to give the required smokey flavour.
If you have a food processor or Japanese mandolin, julienne the peeled carrot and apple. Alternatively, use a peeler to shave thin slices of apple and carrot. Stack the slices on top of each other and cut them into matchsticks using a sharp knife. Season with a pinch of salt, mix and set aside.
Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil until the sugar is dissolved. Once cooled, pour the pickle over the apple and marinate for a few hours or (ideally) overnight.
Once the apples are pickled, drain them from the liquid (retain for future use) and add the rest of the ingredients. Add enough mayo to bind the coleslaw together.
Note: if you are pressed for time, you can skip the pickled apple stage and just use fresh apples instead – perhaps add a little lemon juice to the slaw for more tang.
Flatbread (makes 2)
- 240g plain flour
- 2g fresh yeast or 1g dried yeast
- 4g salt
Combine the yeast with 100ml warm water. Add the flour and salt and mix thoroughly. Knead for a few minutes (by hand or in an electric mixer) until the dough comes together.It should be quite sticky.
Let the dough relax for 10 minutes and fold the dough a few more times, stretching the gluten as you go. Cover and prove for an hour in a warm place.
Divide the dough in half (120g per flatbread). You will need to flour your hands and work surface to prevent sticking. Flatten the dough into a rough circle using your fingertips. Try to get the dough as thin as possible, but do not use a rolling pin. You are aiming to retain as much air as you can. It should look like a mini pizza base, with bumps and bubbles, thicker in some areas than others – the more rustic the better.
Cook on the barbeque, either directly on the grill or on a preheated tray or cast-iron pan. The breads will swell and blister but take them off the heat before they gain too much colour and dry out – you are looking for a soft, fluffy, rollable texture. Alternatively, you can preheat your oven to 250C and bake on a floured tray for 3 minutes each side.
Serve with a homemade salad of your choice – we recommend thinly sliced red onion, lettuce and cucumber dressed in rapeseed or olive oil.
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