What
if you could get the tenderness of fried chicken without all the
deep-fried grease? Enter buttermilk roast chicken, adapted from a
Nigella Lawson recipe. Thighs and drumsticks (so much more flavoursome
than chicken breasts) get a long marinating in garlic, spices and a
dairy-free “buttermilk” – the result is chicken with burnished-gold skin
and succulent meat. No deep-frying required. The perfect accompaniments
have to be cornbread and slaw.
1 tbsp lemon juice
300ml almond milk
2 tsp plain soya yogurt
3 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp mustard powder
4 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed with the flat of a knife
2 tsp sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp maple syrup
1kg chicken thighs and drumsticks
Olive oil
Add the lemon juice to the almond milk, stir, leave to rest for 5 minutes, then stir in the soya yogurt.
To make the marinade, add the cayenne pepper, mustard powder, bashed
garlic cloves, salt, pepper and maple syrup to the almond buttermilk,
whisking briskly with a fork to combine.
Place the chicken thighs and drumsticks in a large, sealable freezer
bag. Pour in the marinade, seal and place flat in a baking dish in the
fridge, making sure the chicken is well coated. Marinate in the fridge
for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Remove the chicken from
the marinade and shake off any excess liquid. Space the chicken pieces
out in a roasting tin, drizzle with a little oil and roast for 30
minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is golden
brown with dark, burnished patches.
Red cabbage and sesame slaw
50ml lemon juice
50ml white wine vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 red cabbage, finely shredded
1 spring onion (white and green part), sliced
large handful of coriander leaves
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar and sugar. Pour this mixture over the shredded cabbage and stir to combine.
Add the spring onion, coriander and sesame seeds. Season and toss everything together well.
Dairy-free cornbread
340ml soya or almond milk
Juice of ½ lemon
200g polenta
40g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 large egg, beaten
30g dairy-free sunflower spread, melted and cooled
1 spring onion (white and green part), finely sliced
20 x 20cm square baking tin, greased and lined
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.
Mix together the soya or almond milk and lemon juice in a measuring jug and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, fold all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl with
a large metal spoon, until just combined. Pour in the almond milk and
lemon juice mixture, add the egg, melted spread and spring onion and
whisk together to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes, or
until golden on top. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, before
cutting into squares and turning out on to a wire rack to cool slightly.
Best served when still warm.
