Sunday Kitchen: Nici Wickes + Butterflied spicy chicken recipe

Nici Wickes' butterfly chicken. Photo / A Quiet Kitchen

What does Sunday look like in your kitchen?

I love Sundays, especially the morning. I'm never frantic on a Sunday and a few cups of tea will be sipped from bed, followed by a swim then a decaf coffee at Sundays, our local coffee hut at the beach. Then it's home to make some brunch and then I'll likely spend the afternoon pottering about in my kitchen, making something that will possibly last a few meals, especially if I have a busy week ahead.

Why have you chosen this dish?

To me chicken is one of the best things to cook on a barbecue – it really loves the lick of the flame. I've chosen this recipe for two reasons: people often think it's difficult to butterfly a chicken yourself and it's not! And secondly, to impress upon home cooks how important it is to get HEAPS of flavour into your food - and marinades and rubs are perfect for that. I'll cook this up for myself and then use it over the week for a roti wrap, tacos, perhaps a pie filling, a sando with mayo or whatever. Perfect really!

Butterflied spiced chicken

Serves plenty or one person over a few days!

1 whole chicken (use Bostock Bro's organic – they're the very best)
2 Tbsp each ground turmeric, smoked paprika, ground coriander
2 tsp sea salt flakes (or 1 tsp if using regular salt)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon halved

1. To butterfly the chook: Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut through the backbone of the chicken from neck to tail. Flip the chicken over so it sits skin-side up and press down firmly to flatten it, cracking a few of the joints as you go – channel your inner chiropractor! Make some slashes in the thighs and the drumsticks – this ensures plenty of the spices are absorbed.

2. Mix the spices with the salt and olive oil and slather half of it over the chicken, rubbing into the skin, cuts and underside.

3. Grill, skin side down, over a medium-hot barbecue until the skin is blistered and browned – takes about 10-15 minutes. Flip it over, brush the remaining spice mix over the skin and either close the hood of the barbecue, turning the heat down a bit, and cook for a further 40-50 minutes or whack it in an 180C oven. It's cooked when the juices run clear or when you can easily tear off one of the drumsticks. Once chicken is cooked, rest it skin-side down for 10 minutes.

4. Grill the lemon on the barbecue until browned, hot and juicy.

5. To serve, chop up the chicken, squeeze over the grilled lemon and serve it all with a decent homemade slaw. Eat up!