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Spatchcocked chicken with gaka(horned melon) dressing

Princess Tafadzwa

Its summer, finally!Nice and hot! I never thought I would appreciate the heat this much but this year I am. It took forever to warm up. Please remind me of this post in August, lol!

I like to eat a lot of salads in the summer because it cools me down some. I also like to grill meat more, preferably outside but inside works too. I made this spatchcocked chicken in the oven but you could make it out on the grill too.

To spatchcock a chicken you need to remove the backbone using some shears and making it lay flat. To season the chicken I put the spice mixture between the skin and the chicken and then seasoned it all over with salt.

I grilled it in the oven for an hour basting it with the spice mixture and pan juices which makes the chicken juicy.

I had a gaka(horned melon), my cousin brought for me from Zimbabwe. When you can find them here in Bermuda they are like $5 each and I refuse to pay that kind of money. Even if I wait three years to have one, I will wait! So I decided to use it as dressing for the salad I was having with the chicken and it so yum!

Here is the recipe I used for the chicken and dressing.

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Spatchcocked chicken with gaka(horned melon) dressing

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 whole chicken

For Dressing

  • 1 gaka horned melon, peeled
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 1 heaping tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat to 400°F.
  2. Mix garlic, cumin, oil, paprika, pepper, oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt, and finely grated zest from 1 lemon in a medium bowl. Cut the lemon and squeeze juice from it and stir into spice mixture.
  3. With chicken on board breastside, cut the backbone with shears to splay the chicken open. Turn it and press it down flat. Rub the chicken with what is left of the lemon.
  4. Carefully separate the skin from the chicken and spread about two tablespoons of the spice mixture and season all over with salt.. Transfer chicken, spread flat and skin side up, to a roasting pan or large skillet.
  5. Roast chicken 20 minutes, then brush with spice mixture and pan juices. Continue roasting, basting with spice mixture and pan juices every 20 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a fork or an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165ºF, 50-60 minutes total.
  6. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes, reserving pan juices.

Dressing

  1. Place all the ingredients is a blender and blend until smooth.

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