What Laura Loves Today: Tuesday Tasties No.20

Evening all, it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't roasted a chicken in an incredibly long time. Not being one to stick with tradition, I decided I'd do something a little different. As there is only Ad and I, obviously there were enough left overs for another main meal plus cold cuts for lunch. The chicken itself was dirt cheap from Tesco, given it made enough for 3 meals I'm confident to say this is another budget busting option.

BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Chips

If you're not a fan of sweet potato, then of course you can just make your own wedges with a variety of tattie which you prefer. As a quick heads up, the chicken skin will blacken, don't panic about this, it all adds to the smokey flavour. For this recipe you'll need:

125ml ketchup

1 tsp of smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsp of cider vinegar

25g of soft brown sugar

1 finely chopped garlic clove

2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 mustard powder

One whole chicken

3 or 4 sweet potatoes cut into wedges

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Chilli flakes

As per usual, pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees and grab two oven proof trays out and line them both with foil.

Next, mix together the ketchup, paprika, vinegar, sugar, mustard powder, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder and set to one side.

Next, prepare your sweet potatoes, I peel some and leave the skins on others. I have no idea why, I just do. I tend to pop a little olive oil and salt & pepper in the bottom of the pan before popping the sweet potatoes on top and giving everything a good mix together with my hands. For a bit of chilli heat, I like to add in some chilli flakes for oomph. These won't need to go in the oven for a wee while yet.

Next, it's time to get the chicken ready to go. HANDY TIP:- I POP A SLICED ONION ON THE BOTTOM OF MY CHICKEN PAN TO STOP THE CHICKEN GETTING A SOGGY BASE!

Baste your chicken with around 1/3 of the BBQ sauce mixture, be sure to get into the nooks and crannies. Then stick it in the oven for 30 minutes before removing the chicken and basting it with another third of the BBQ mixture. Repeat the above so your chicken has had around 1 hour and 30 minutes in the oven (for a 1.3kg chicken, please allow more time if you need it!)

I love the fact that the chicken skin has crisped up so much it's split!

Anywho, when your chicken has 30 minutes to go, it's time to stick the sweet potato chips in the oven, as I've said above, if you know they need more time, then please allow for this.

I serve up the breast meat with the sweet potatoes on the side and bung on any left over sauce. I then tear apart the carcass to get the left over meat and use this in other meals. Voila, another nice and easy meal.