Van Der Hum Roast Chicken

Van Der Hum is a South African liquor made from Brandy and flavoured with the essence of tangerines (called Naartjies in South Africa) and herbs. If you are not able to get Van Der Hum or any other tangerine liquor you can substitute with Triple Sec or Cointreau. Citrus works very well with chicken and also combines well with most herbs.

INGREDIENTS

for the gravy:

• 1½ onions chopped into large chunks.
• 4 small carrots peeled.
• 2 celery sticks about 10 cm long.
• 4 cloves of garlic.
• 1 cup chicken stock.
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice.
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• zest of half a lemon.
• 6 peppercorns, crushed.
• approximately 12 sprigs of Thyme.
• ¼ cup Van Der Hum.
• ¼ cup cream.

for the rub:

• 1 teaspoon of paprika.
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
• pinch of black pepper.
• pinch of ground cloves.
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

METHOD

• Mix all the ingredients for the rub and massage well all over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken all over with garlic salt.
• Put the other ingredients into a roasting pan and place a rack on the pan. Put the chicken on the rack.

• Roast for about an hour, depending on the size of the chicken, at 180°C.

• Keep the carrots, garlic cloves and the onions to one side to serve with the chicken and discard the celery sticks and thyme sprigs.
• Keep the chicken warm and covered in a separate dish and place the roasting pan on a hot plate.
• Reduce the gravy in the roasting pan for about 10 minutes.
• Add the Van der Hum and reduce down for about 10 minutes more.
• Add the cream and simmer until you get the desired consistency.

• Add a knob of butter and simmer for about 10 minutes stirring all the time.
• Joint the chicken and serve, with the gravy in a separate bowl or boat.