Caribbean Style Roast Chicken

Taking it to the Caribbean Island with this Caribbean Style Roast Chicken, the flavours of curry, thyme, garlic, spring onion and pimento berries will be sure to tantalise your taste buds! It is easy and simple to make and is guaranteed to please your guests.

Ingredients

Extra Large Whole Chicken
Carrots
Onions
Spring Onions
Fresh Thyme
Scotch Bonnet Pepper
Pimento Berries
Whole cloves of garlic
2 chicken stock cubes

Seasonings:

Curry powder
All purpose seasoning
All Spice
Paprika
Ground Cumin
Onion granules
Garlic powder
Dried Thyme
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Wash chicken with lemon or vinegar.
Make a paste using all the ingredients listed in the seasonings. Rub all over the chicken, making sure to get under the skin.
Wash/peel/chop the garnishes (garlic cloves, carrots, onions, spring onions, scotch bonnet pepper and fresh sprigs of thyme). Place all of them, including the pimento berries, in the roasting tin around the side of the chicken and also in the cavity.
Cover with cling film and allow to marinate for a minimum of 2 hours before cooking. You can also leave it overnight in the fridge which gives it even more time for all of those lovely seasonings to infuse the chicken.
Place the chicken in the oven, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius fan or Gas Mark 6.
Half way through, baste the chicken with a mixture of 1 chicken stock cube, 1tbsp olive oil and 2tbsp boiled kettle water. Brush the mixture over the chicken with a pastry brush and add 2tbsp of boiled water to the roasting tin in order to create steam and keep the pan moist. Place back in the oven for the remainder of time or until the chicken is golden brown and has formed a crispy skin.
You will notice the chicken has released a lot of its own juices by now. Carefully remove the chicken from the roasting tin, ensuring all of the juices from the chicken has been drained into the tin and place the chicken on a plate.
To make the jus, place the roasting tin on the stove and turn up the heat to low-medium.
Discard the sprigs of thyme and pimento berries, leaving behind all of the vegetables. Crumble in 1 chicken stock cube and add in 1 cup of boiled kettle water. Taste the gravy and add any extra seasonings at this point. I added some extra salt, pepper, ground all spice and curry powder.
Allow the gravy to simmer until it thickens and the seasonings have all cooked through.
Lastly, using a blender, blend all of the contents of the roasting tin. You may want to transfer the mixture into a deep cylinder or a deep bowl for this process as it can splash. If needed, add a little more boiled water to reach your desired consistency.