Colm O'Gorman's Sunday Roast: Chicken with barbecue sauce and cornbread muffins

Chicken with barbecue sauce and cornbread muffins

Over the five weeks, I have been sharing a series of recipes that are a twist on the traditional Sunday roast. 

Using some of my favourite ingredients from Asia, India, Mexico, and the Middle East, I have created recipes for Roast Chicken with Gochujang, Roast Tandoori Lamb, Bharat Spiced Roast Beef, Roast Pork al Pastor, and even a vegan roast, a Roast Stuffed Celeriac. 

This week then is the sixth and final recipe in this short series, and given the warming weather, I thought some of you might be in a bit of a barbecue mood.

Here then is a barbecue-style roast chicken that you can make in an air fryer, and a recipe that serves two. 

We often imagine roast dinners to be meal for a crowd, that can take an age to cook, so this week I thought I would give you another recipe for two, that could be easily scaled up for a larger gathering, or even halved to create a lovely roast dinner just for one.

If you do not have an air fryer, you can cook this in an oven. Roast the chicken in an oven preheated to 180 Celsius. This will take a little longer than in an air fryer, about thirty minutes should do it, depending upon the size of the chicken portion you use. 

Check to see it is properly cooked using the same technique in the recipe below and you will get succulent, perfectly roasted, chicken with a lovely crispy skin.

Chicken with barbecue sauce and cornbread muffins

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

A barbecue-friendly take on a Sunday roast!

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• Spice rub:

• 2 tsp muscovado sugar

• ½ tsp onion salt

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp mustard powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves

• Fresh ground black pepper

• 2 bone-in chicken breast portions

• Barbecue sauce:

• 65 ml apple cider vinegar

• 85 ml tomato ketchup

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 35g muscovado sugar

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

• ½ tsp onion salt

• ½ tsp mustard powder

• 1 clove of garlic

• Cornbread muffins

• 50g melted butter

• 1 large egg

• 85 ml milk

• 65g yellow cornmeal (I got this in our local Polish supermarket)

• 115g plain flour

• 1½ tsp baking powder

• 30g caster sugar

• 60g grated vintage Irish cheddar

• ½ tsp of salt

• ½ fresh corn on the cob

Method

1. Thoroughly combine all the ingredients for the spice rub in a bowl. Rub the mix all over the chicken, working it into every nook and cranny. You can let the chicken sit in this spice rub for up to twelve hours in the fridge before cooking but do give it an hour at least if you can.

2. Make the barbecue sauce by combing all the ingredients in a pan and whisking them together. Cook over a high heat to melt the sugar and then reduce to a simmer. Let it bubble away for fifteen to twenty minutes until it has reduced down a little and has a nice consistency, then set it aside.

3. Time now to make up the batter for the cornbread muffins and get the in the oven. Pre-heat your oven to 180 Celsius. Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels away from the cob of corn and blanch them in a pan of boiling water for two to three minutes. Drain and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for the muffins. Lightly whisk the eggs and milk together and then add the melted butter. Combine with the dry ingredients and stir in the blanched corn and the grated cheese. Reserve a little of the cheese to scatter over the top of the muffins. Spoon the batter into a muffin tray. I use silicone muffin trats which do not require any lining or oiling, but if you are using metal ones, make sure to butter or line the cups to avoid your muffins sticking. Scatter the remaining grated cheddar over the top of the muffins. Pop them in the oven and bake for 18 minutes until they are firm to the touch and a little golden on top. To check if they are cooked, stick a clean skewer or cocktail stick into the middle of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it is ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool just a little on a wiring tray before serving. This recipe will yield about six cornbread muffins.

4. While the muffins are baking, roast the chicken. Place the chicken portions into the basket of your air fryer and cook them at 180 Celsius for twenty minutes. When they have five minutes left to go remove the basket and brush on some of the barbecue sauce. Cover the chicken portion all over, I use a pastry brush for this as it needs just a light coating of the sauce. If you add too much the chicken will lose its crispiness and the excess sauce will just burn off in the air fryer as it drips off the chicken. After twenty minutes use a probe thermometer to check when you think it is ready. Just slide the probe into the thickest part of the breast and when it hits 74 degrees Celsius it is perfectly cooked. If you do not have a probe thermometer, slide a skewer into the breast of chicken and if the juices run clear, it is ready.

5. Serve each portion chicken with two of the freshly backed cornbread muffins and spoon over more of the barbecue sauce. I love to serve this with corn on the bob that I have sauteed in a pan with butter and some finely chopped green chill and then sprinkled with a little grated parmesan cheese. You could also have it with a fresh coleslaw or salad or a side of your choosing.