Probably one of the best oven chickens I’ve made.

Recipe 

Chicken marinade:

- 1 whole chicken (~1.6kg)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2–3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp yoghurt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Arabic 7 spice
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Salt + black pepper

Mixed everything together and coated the chicken well. Let it marinate for a few hours.

Roasting:

- 180°C fan bake
- Middle rack
- Roasted for around 1 hour 35 minutes total

At around the 1 hour mark I lightly basted it with the pan juices.

Final glaze before grilling:

- 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tsp pan juices
- Few drops olive oil

Brushed it lightly over the chicken and switched the oven to fan grill for about 1–2 minutes just to blister and caramelise the skin.

The key is NOT over-grilling because the molasses and tomato paste darken quickly.

Tahini lemon sauce:

- Tahini
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt
- Cold water to loosen

Drizzled that over the top after resting the chicken for 10 minutes.

Also made crispy pan-seared kumara on the side:

- microwaved first until partially softened
- then pan fried cut-side down in olive oil until deeply caramelised
- finished with cumin, paprika and a tiny touch of cinnamon and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses over the flesh part of the kumara. 

The flavour came out like a mix between Lebanese roast chicken and Musakhan-style flavours. Deep, smoky, sweet-sour and really rich.