Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 whole chicken
- Mexican spice blend
- Salt, to taste
- Olive oil
For the rice and beans:
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup red sauce (see below)
- 1 can mixed beans, drained
For the red sauce:
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic
- Handful of fresh parsley
- 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Mexican spice blend
- 1 cup water
For the salsa salad:
- Lettuce
- 1 purple onion
- 1 avocado
- 2 spring onions
- Chargrilled corn
- 1 cucumber
- Fresh coriander
- Sour cream
- Lime, cheese and corn chips for serving
Method
Step 1: Prepare the red sauce
Blend the onion, garlic, parsley, tomatoes, salt and Mexican spice with water until smooth. Set aside.
Step 2: Cook the chicken
Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan force). Rub the whole chicken with olive oil, then season generously with Mexican spice and salt. Place in a large baking dish and roast for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Add rice and beans
Remove the chicken from the oven. Combine the rice, water, red sauce and drained beans in the baking dish around the chicken, stirring gently to combine. Return the chicken to sit on top of the rice mixture.
Step 4: Final cooking
Return to the oven and cook for a further 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear when pierced at the thickest part of the thigh and the rice is tender.
Step 5: Prepare the salsa salad
While the chicken cooks, combine the lettuce, purple onion, avocado, spring onions, corn, cucumber and coriander in a bowl. Dress with sour cream just before serving.
To serve:
Transfer the chicken and rice to a serving platter. Serve alongside the salsa salad with lime wedges, grated cheese and corn chips on the side.