Smothered in an American style homemade barbecue sauce, our smoky barbecued butterfly chicken can be roasted to perfection in either the oven or barbecue. Don’t forget Ritchies have already done the hard work for you and butterflied your chicken.

ALL the ingredients for this recipe are now available at your local Ritchies supermarket. Find your local VIC, NSW or QLD store.

smoky barbecued butterfly chicken

1 Ritchies butterflied chicken

for the marinade

• 2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• zest from 1 lemon, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

for the smoky barbecue sauce

• 1 rasher smoked rind less bacon, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups tomato ketchup
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

to serve

• coriander leaves (optional)

smoky barbecued butterfly chicken method

Mix all the marinade ingredients for the chicken together in a large bowl. Skewer the chicken’s legs with a soaked wooden skewer to hold the bird in shape. Place the chicken in the marinade and turn it to coat thoroughly. Cover it with cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. Preheat oven to 190^oC or covered barbecue to medium high. Place the marinated chicken on a oven proof roasting dish and either roast in the oven or a covered barbecue for about ¾ hour or until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest covered in foil a warm place for about 10 minutes before serving. While the chicken cooks make the smoky barbecue sauce.In a medium sized saucepan add the olive oil, diced onion and bacon, sauté stirring occasionally on a low to medium heat until both onion and bacon are starting to lightly colour (about 5-6 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another minute stirring all the time until it starts to smell great. Add the mustard powder and paprika. Pour in the vinegar and sugar and stir until the sugar has melted and becomes slightly syrupy. Add the ketchup and stir well. Check the seasoning and keep warm until you’re ready to serve. Scattered with coriander leaves then serve the roast chicken with the homemade smoky barbecue sauce, hot shoestring chips and salad.

Serves 4. Preparation time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 1 hour.