Recipe: Lime chicken

Chicken is an all-time favourite in many homes. Marinating it with spices and other ingredients, helps enhance its flavour and in my opinion, the taste of almost every type of meat is greatly improved through marinating. Pork and goat meat however, can get off with just a little salt and generous sprinklings of sliced onions and chopped green bell pepper before popping them in the oven. In this recipe, the lime makes all the difference, but if you can’t get it, lemon is a good substitute. Soy sauce and Royco both contain salt, so there is really no need to add any more.

Method

1. If you are using chicken breasts, cut each into half.
2.Mix the Royco with the lime juice in a plastic bowl. Add the honey, soy sauce, lime rind, grated ginger, garlic and oil and mix thoroughly until well combined.
3. Put the chicken in another larger plastic bowl or container. Pour the lime juice mixture over it. Mix thoroughly, cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or over-night for all the flavours to develop fully.
4.Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for 15 mins. Reduce the heat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for 10 mins. If you don’t have an oven grill the chicken over a rack on a charcoal stove over medium heat. Wait until the charcoal has developed a fine white ash all over it, before grilling the chicken, to avoid burning it. If stove becomes too hot, remove a few coals or remove the chicken and sprinkle a little water to reduce the heat.
5.Remove the chicken from the marinade and save the marinade. Put the chicken in a baking dish and bake at 180C turning it occasionally and basting it with the left-over marinade, for about 40 mins. or until the chicken skin is crispy, golden-brown and the flesh tender. Serve hot or re-heat before serving.

Ingredients Serves 4

7.5ml (1½ tsp) grated lime rind 10ml (2 tsp) Royco
22.5ml (1½ tbsp) soy sauce 90ml (¼ cup) oil
180ml (¾ cup) lime juice 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
12. 5ml (2½ tsp) grated ginger 4 large chicken breasts
37.5 ml (2½ tbsp) honey or 8medium-size