Peruvian Chicken With Aji Verde

2 kg whole chicken, innards removed & spatchcocked (see notes)
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp chilli powder
1½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cloves garlic (finely minced or pressed through garlic press)
½ tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
1 tbsp rice bran oil
1 tsp SIDS SALT & PEPPER, to taste
2 heads garlic (¼ of top sliced off to expose tops of cloves)
AJI VERDE (GREEN SAUCE):--
2 cups coriander
¼ cup Best Foods mayonnaise
¼ cup crumbled Cotija or Feta cheese
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp avocado oil
Juice of 1 lime
¼ tsp SIDS SALT & PEPPER

Prep and spatchcock whole chicken. (see notes for how-to prep and spatchcock chicken) Place on half baking tray.
In a small bowl, mix all marinade ingredients together until fully combined: brown sugar, chilli powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, pressed garlic, ground ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, rice bran oil, and SIDS SALT & PEPPER.
Using a marinade brush, brush whole surface of the chicken, ensuring to get the nooks and crannies. Place in refrigerator to marinate overnight for maximum flavour.
Preheat oven to 220°C.
You can roast the chicken on a sheet pan, but I prefer roasting in my cast iron pan to keep the heat even throughout the skillet. Take two heads of garlic and cut the top ¼ off to expose the bulbs. Tuck these cut side down next to the legs.
Roast chicken until thickest part of breast and leg reach 75°C. Depending on the size of your bird, should take about 45 minutes. If the skin begins charring too much for your liking, you can tent with foil.
While the chicken roasts, prepare the aji verde. (green sauce) Using a food processor or an immersion blender, blend coriander, peppers, lime juice, garlic, cotija cheese, mayo, and SIDS SALT & PEPPER. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
To remove the legs from the chicken, lift by the bone to expose where the leg meats the breast and cut through where thigh meets the breast. To separate leg from thigh, cut through joint. Slice breast down the middle and you can additionally cut into slices to serve. Rest of bones can be discarded in ziplock bag and frozen until trash day.
Serve with drizzling Aji Verde green sauce over the top or on the side as a dipping sauce and with roasted garlic cloves to spread on every bite.
Notes
Prepping the Chicken
When handling chicken, I like to wear gloves and also set up a sanitary station with a bowl, sheet pan, and a gallon ziplock bag for discard. To prep the chicken, first you need to remove the bag from the cavity and the pouch that is usually located on top of the neck. I typically place in a ziplock, then freeze until it’s garbage day.
I place colander inside of a bowl to catch all the juices while I dry the chicken with paper towels. You want the entire chicken dried, inside the cavity and out. (I add the paper towels to my discard ziplock, ensuring not to touch anything else without gloves or washing my hands)
How to Spatchcock a Chicken
step-by-step removing backbone of chicken to spatchcock and pressing breast bone down
Locate the back bone of the chicken.
Using sharp poultry shears, (or strong scissors) begin cutting to one side of the back bone. There are small bones you will be cutting though, so ensure the scissors are strong enough.
Repeat on the other side of the back bone and then place the back bone in the ziplock discard bag.
Next, locate the inside of the breast bone. Careful to not cut the skin, cut through the cartilage of the breast bone. This will assist you in flattening the breast, if you are strong enough, you can skip this step.
Flip the chicken over and place the heel of your hand in the middle of the breast. Press down hard until the breast is fully flattened.
Rotate the legs inward. You can also tuck the wings into the armpits, so the tips do not burn when roasting.
Thermometers
Thermometers are your best friend when roasting chicken, it ensures not only that the chicken is fully cooked through, but that you are not over cooking the chicken.
There are different types of thermometers you can use, my favourite is this oven safe probe so you do not have to keep removing from the oven to check the temperature.
Aji Verde (green sauce)
Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 4 days. If it begins to separate, re-blend or whisk. Great on steak and seafood as well.