Ingredients

• 1 x 1.6kg/3½lb whole chicken
• 15g/½oz butter
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 350ml/12fl oz chicken stock
• 4 tbsp rum
• 50g/1¾oz butter
• ½ onion
• finely chopped
• 2 spring onions
• trimmed
• chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• finely chopped
• large pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 slices white bread
• crusts removed
• made into breadcrumbs
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• leaves only
• 1 lime
• zest and juice
• 2 tbsp rum
• 2 tsp soft light brown or demerara sugar
• 15g/½oz butter
• 2 very ripe plantains
• peeled and sliced
• 2 ripe plum tomatoes
• cut into quarters
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 550ml/1 pint cold water
• 400g/14oz pumpkin flesh
• chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 450g/1lb basmati rice
• rinsed and drained twice to remove excess starch
• 15g/½oz butter

Directions

• Gently ease the skin around the neck and breast of the chicken away from the meat using your fingers
• reaching as far down the legs as possible. Set aside.
• For the bread stuffing
• heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes
• or until softened.
• Add the spring onions and garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes
• or until softened.
• Add the nutmeg and breadcrumbs and continue to fry until the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden-brown.
• Add the thyme leaves
• lime zest and juice
• rum and sugar and stir well until combined. When the ingredients have warmed through and the sugar has dissolved
• remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• When the bread stuffing mixture is cool enough to handle
• push small handfuls of it under the loosened skin of the chicken
• until all of the bread stuffing mixture has been used up. Tuck any loose neck skin into the cavity of the bird. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
• Meanwhile
• for the tomato and plantain stuffing
• melt the butter in a separate frying pan over a medium heat. Add the plantain and fry for 4-5 minutes
• or until tender.
• Add the tomatoes and continue to fry for 4-5 minutes
• or until the tomatoes start to break down and the sauce has thickened. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the tomato and plantain stuffing. (Alternatively
• cook the tomato and plantain stuffing in a small roasting tray for 25-30 minutes while the chicken is cooking.)
• For the roast chicken
• smear the butter over the skin of the stuffed chicken and sprinkle over the cayenne pepper. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Place the chicken into a large roasting tin
• then transfer to the oven and roast for 1½-1¾ hours
• or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the chicken where the thigh meets the body.
• Meanwhile
• for the pumpkin rice
• bring the water
• pumpkin
• two sprigs of thyme and salt to the boil in a large
• covered pan
• then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering and simmer for 8-10 minutes
• or until the pumpkin is tender.
• Remove and discard the thyme sprigs
• then mash the pumpkin and cooking liquid together using a potato masher
• until the pumpkin breaks down. (NB: The mixture does not have to be mashed until smooth.)
• Add the rice to the pan with the pumpkin mixture in it and stir. The liquid should cover the rice by 2-2½cm/1-1¼in
• so add more water as necessary.
• Add the butter and stir until melted
• then cover the pan with the lid and return the mixture to the boil. When the mixture is boiling
• immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 18-20 minutes
• without removing the lid
• until the bottom of the rice has browned slightly and all of the rice is tender.
• When the rice is cooked
• add the remaining sprig of thyme
• then turn off the heat and leave the pan on the residual heat for a further 3-4 minutes.
• When the chicken has cooked through
• transfer it to a warm plate and cover with aluminium foil.
• For the gravy
• add the chicken stock to the juices that collected in the roasting tray and bring to the boil
• scraping up any browned bits up from the bottom of the tray using a wooden spoon. Simmer the gravy until it has thickened
• then sieve
• reserving the liquid.
• Heat the rum in a frying pan over a high heat
• then remove from the heat and set alight using a match. Allow the flames to flare up
• then die down. (NB: keep flammable objects away from the flame.) Pour the rum over the roast chicken.
• To serve
• carve the roast chicken and divide it among six serving plates. Place a portion of the tomato and plantain stuffing on top of each serving. Spoon the pumpkin rice alongside. Drizzle over the gravy.