Buttermilk Chicken with Cauliflower and Black Barley Salad

Prep Time Overnight marination

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

200g cauliflower, steamed
90g black barley, soaked in water for 24 hours
30g pine nuts, toasted and chopped
1 tablespoon sliced chives
5 cloves of black fermented garlic (this can be sourced from a specialty grocer)
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp pomegranate or red wine vinegar
150ml olive oil
1.2kg whole free range La Ionica chicken
250ml buttermilk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tbsp Dijon mustard
4 sprigs thyme
50ml vegetable oil

Method

Begin this recipe 24 hours before you start cooking, by soaking the barley and marinating the chicken overnight.

Place the chicken on the chopping board and using a long cook’s knife, cut down through either side of spine, remove the spine. Grab the top of each breast and push down so the chicken lays flat. Using a small pointed knife, pierce the chicken all over, through the skin and down to the bone to allow the marinade to penetrate.

Combine buttermilk, lemon juice, cumin and coriander in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over the chicken and rub all over, place chicken in a tray and allow to sit in the fridge for 24 hours, or even 2 or 3 days.

Preheat oven to 150°C.

Rinse barley and cover with fresh water, place over high heat and cook until al dente, about 20 minutes. Drain water and rinse barley, keep at room temp.

Blend egg yolks, Dijon mustard and vinegar, add the garlic and blend again. Add 2 tablespoons water, then add the olive oil in a steady stream until oil is emulsified and mayonnaise is thick. Adjust acidity with vinegar and season to taste.

Preheat a griddle pan on high. Once smoking hot, place the chicken skin side down on grill and turn burner down low, cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn heat back up and turn the chicken over and cook for 5 minutes. Place into the oven at 150C for 15 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked using a temperature probe reading above 63 degrees, allow to rest 10 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, place a third of the cauliflower florets into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles couscous. Remove and repeat for remaining cauliflower. Then add to a bowl along with chives, barley, and pine nuts, and dress with the black garlic mayonnaise.

Spread the barley on the bottom of the plates, then carve the chicken on top. Serve!