Ingredients

  • 2 whole poussins
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 red chillies
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 fresh lime, or rice salad, mixed leaves etc

Method

  1. Firstly you need to prepare the marinade and spatchcock the poussin.
  2. Pre heat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6.
  3. Cut the red pepper in half, remove the seeds and place in a roasting tray. Pour over a tablespoon olive oil, lightly season and place in the oven for 30 mins. Remove and cover with cling film. Turn off the oven While the pepper is cooking prepare the poussin.
  4. Place the poussin on a chopping board, breast side down with the cavity facing you. Using a sharp pair of scissors cut along either side of the backbone. Discard the bone. Turn the poussin over and now push down with your hand or the back of a large knife to flatten the bird.
  5. Prepare the marinade.
  6. Peel the skin off the pepper, roughly chop the pepper and place in to a blender along with the chillies, garlic, oregano, paprika, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz.
  7. Place the poussins in a plastic container and rub the marinade all over the birds using 3/4 of the marinade. Save the rest for serving. Leave in marinade for at least a couple of hours.
  8. 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas Mark 6. Take the poussins out of the container and scrape off the marinade. Season the birds with salt and pepper and place into a roasting tray. Pour and scrape all of the marinade from the container evenly over the birds.
  9. Place in the oven and cook for 30mins. Baste with its juices at the 20 minute mark.
  10. Remove from the oven. Rest for 5 mins. Add any juices for the roasting tray to the saved marinade from earlier, check for seasoning and adjust. Serve the poussin with this and some fresh lime wedges.
  11. This dish can go well with several accompaniments - fries, bread, roasted vegetables, rice or rice salad, mixed leaves etc