Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1/3 cup sambal asli
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon honey
1 lemon
1small bunch lemongrass
Canola oil (or any other vegetable oil)
Sea salt
Directions
1. Mix sambal asli, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, parsley, honey, and the juice from the lemon (keep the lemon halves) in a small bowl until thoroughly blended. Set a couple of tablespoons of this aside for basting.
2. Put a few spoonfuls of the sambal mix into the cavity of the chicken and rub throughout the cavity. Stuff the cavity with the lemongrass and the leftover lemon halves. Rub the whole outside of the chicken with the sambal mix generously, getting some in between the skin. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
3. Place the chicken on a rack in a baking pan. Pour some water onto the base of the pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the chicken. Cover the whole thing with foil and place in a pre-heated 400F oven.
4. Roast the chicken for 40 minutes covered. Remove the foil and baste the chicken with your reserved sambal mix and a little canola oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Roast for 40 minutes to 1 hour more, or until chicken is cooked (when the juices run clear when pierced in the meatiest part), basting with the sambal mix a few more times in between.
5. When the chicken is done, let it rest about 10 minutes before carving.