Got plans for the weekend? Nope? Great! Whip up your own BBQ sauce, baste a spatchcock chicken and throw it on the braai. This recipe comes courtesy of TV’s Katlego Mlambo, so it’s going to be one to remember!

SERVES 4

Ingredients
For the BBQ spatchcock chicken
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 cm ginger, peeled and grated
1 cup tomato sauce
100 ml red wine vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp crushed chillies
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
1 free-range chicken
Parsley, to garnish
Crusty bread, to serve
For the bean salad
300g green beans, chopped
410g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup mint, torn into little pieces
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Zest and juice of 2 naartjies
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

METHOD
For the BBQ spatchcock chicken
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat and gently fry the onion, garlic and ginger.
3. Once the onion is soft, add the rest of the ingredients, except the chicken, parsley and bread.
4. Bring the barbecue sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove the sauce from the heat and leave to cool.
6. To spatchcock the chicken, place it breast-side down on a cutting board. Use scissors to cut along either side of the backbone and remove it. Flip the chicken over and press down hard on the breastbone to flatten.
7. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tray and spread the sauce all over it, reserving some for basting.
8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once, and basting every 10 minutes.
For the bean salad
1. Cook the green beans in a pot of salted boiling water for three minutes. Drain and then rinse the beans under cold running water.
2. Put the green beans in a large bowl along with the butter beans, torn mint and slivered almonds.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the naartjie zest and juice, and olive oil. Season. Pour over the bean salad.
4. Garnish the barbecue chicken with parsley and serve with the bean salad and crusty bread.