I love how black and crispy the skin gets with this recipe, the molasses caramelises and makes so much flavour. I rubbed the chicken with a mixture of harissa, pomegranate molasses, rose jam and yogurt and then sprinkled on some spices. I served it with pearl cous cous salad with walnut dukka roasted beets. I love the idea of using rose it savoury dishes so I took inspiration from some middle eastern recipes. if you don’t like the idea of the chicken being too crispy you can keep the tin foil on for longer. it was really packed with flavour. this recipe is part of a rose recipe series I am doing with anthropologie eu

 

For the chicken

• 2 heaped tbsp. rose harissa paste
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 4 tbsp greek yogurt
• ½ tsp Fennel seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp pink pepper corns
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• Half a lemon
• 16kg chicken

Preheat the oven to 180c, mix the yogurt, harissa and pomegranate molasses together then rub on to the chicken, then mix the spices and sprinkle on to the chicken, place on a baking tray and place the lemon just inside the neck, cover with tin foil then cook for half an hour then remove the foil and cook for another hour. During the last hour of cooking spoon over the juices in the tray to baste the chicken.

Let rest on a plate for 20 minutes.

Roasted beets

• 6 beetroot
• ½ tsp Fennel seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp pink pepper corns
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp rose petals
• Handful of chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt

Peel the beets and chop into segments and toss in the oil and spices and petals and nuts then place on baking tray and cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. (time it so you can cook It at the same time as the chicken)

For the couscous

• 1 packet of Giant couscous 300g
• 5 tbsp Feta broken up
• Pomegranate seeds from ¼ of a pomegranate
• Bunch of small vine tomatoes
• Olives
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Add the couscous in a pan and cover with water then cook while stirring until the water has been absorbed and the couscous had become translucent.

Chop the tomatoes and olives and stir through the couscous with the chopped parsley and feta. The sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds.

For the rose vinegar (make the day before)

Place rose petals in a jar (use organic roses that have a lot of fragrance) fill up the jar with white vinegar and 2 tsp honey and ½ tsp salt and leave over night to pickle) then keep in the fridge for future use. Sprinkle 2 tbsp onto the couscous then place the roasted beets on top and sprinkle come coriander leaves and place the chicken in the middle.