Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the chicken on a roasting tray. Pour the marinade all over the chicken, massaging it into the skin, and stuffing the ginger pieces and chilli into the cavity of the chicken. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.
Once the marinating time is up, preheat the oven to 190C/ 170C fan/ gas 5. Then use a needle and thread, carefully sew up the skin around the base cavity of the chicken, (blanket stitch is ideal for this), as tightly sealed as possible. Pour off the marinade into a jug.
Give the roasting tray a wash, and then lay the spring onions in a line to act as a trivet for the chicken. Next, pour the marinade back into the cavity of the chicken through the neck end. Gently place on top of the spring onions being careful not to lose any juices. Finally, sew the skin of the neck cavity up to contain all of the marinade within the chicken.
Drizzle the groundnut oil over the chicken, and season liberally with salt. Put in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, depending on the size of the bird.
Allow the chicken to rest for 20 minutes before serving. To serve; cut through the part of the chicken that’s been sewn together and pour out the juices. Carve the chicken either British or Chinese style and serve.
PREP: 10 MINS, MARINATE: 1-24 HRS, COOK: 1 HR 10M
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