Taste Magazine
Login/Register
Menu
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Starters
    • Mains
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • View all
  • Ingredients
    • Asparagus
    • Avocado
    • Beetroot
    • Berries
    • Cheese
    • Chicken
    • Mielies
    • Potatoes
    • Spinach
    • View all
  • Dishes
    • Chakalaka
    • Braai
    • Fridge desserts
    • Mediterranean
    • Sandwiches
    • Plant-based
    • Potjies
    • View all
  • Occasions
    • Birthdays
    • Ramadan
    • Eid
    • Easter
    • Pesach
    • Diwali
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year’s Eve
  • Popular
    • South African
    • Air fryer
    • Braai
    • Five-ingredients or less
    • 30 minutes or less
    • Great Value
  • Win
    • Competitions
    • Competition Winners
  • Culture
    • Articles
    • How To
    • Columns
    • Glossary
  • WList™ great value hub
  • WCellar
  • Login
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter sign up
Editor’s picks
Herby slow-cooked lamb shoulder with preserved lemon
Easter recipes

Herby slow-cooked lamb shoulder with preserved lemon

3–4 hours
Cornflake marshmallow treats
Snack recipes

Cornflake marshmallow treats

10 minutes
Fried cauliflower
Cauliflower recipes

Fried cauliflower

10 minutes per batch
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Dairy free
Red cabbage pickle
Leftovers recipes

Red cabbage pickle

15 minutes
Zanzibar fish curry
Curry recipes

Zanzibar fish curry

20 minutes
Naartjie-glazed gammon with blueberries and star anise
Christmas recipes

Naartjie-glazed gammon with blueberries and star anise

2 ½ hours
Prawn, fennel and avocado risotto
Prawns and

Prawn, fennel and avocado risotto

30 minutes
Poached trout bowl
Seafood recipes

Poached trout bowl

15 minutes
Orange-sesame duck and butternut noodles
Asian recipes

Orange-sesame duck and butternut noodles

15 minutes
Teriyaki pork and mushrooms on spinach noodles
Asian recipes

Teriyaki pork and mushrooms on spinach noodles

10 minutes
Carrots baked in coals
Braai recipes

Carrots baked in coals

30 - 45 minutes
Parusha Naidoo’s “gut-healing” guacamole
Avocado recipes

Parusha Naidoo’s “gut-healing” guacamole

Coconut seafood and Asian greens stir-fry
Asian recipes

Coconut seafood and Asian greens stir-fry

10 minutes
Sticky chilli smoked snoek
Chilli recipes

Sticky chilli smoked snoek

8 minutes
Chicken cooked in ciabatta
Braai recipes

Chicken cooked in ciabatta

1 1⁄4 hours
  • 54 of 166
  • Taste Magazine
  • shop online at woolworths. Shop Now
© 2026 Woolworths holdings limited. All rights strictly reserved.
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Media24
Please login or register to favourite a recipe.
Login/Register

Chicken cooked in ciabatta

By Abigail Donnelly
6
Medium
12 hours, plus 3 weeks' fermenting time
1 1⁄4 hours

Ingredients

    For the fermented soya paste:

  • 500 g soya beans
  • 1 litre water
  • 5 red chillies, sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 g sea salt
  • For the marinade, blend:

  • 200 g soya paste
  • 10 thyme sprigs
  • 8 rosemary sprigs
  • 1⁄2 t fennel seeds
  • 1⁄2 t black pepper
  • 1 t flaked salt
  • 1⁄4 t fenugeek
  • For the ciabatta dough:

    For the poolish:

  • 255 g white bread flour
  • 1⁄4 t yeast
  • 1 cup water
  • For the final dough:

  • 2 t yeast
  • 3⁄4 cup lukewarm water, plus 2 T
  • 225 g white bread flour
  • 1 T salt
  • 510 g poolish
  • For the chicken:

  • 1 free-range whole chicken, deboned (without breaking the skin)
  • Flavoured olive oil, for basting
  • Fresh mixed herbs
  • Sea salt, to taste

Method

To make the fermented soya paste, soak the soya beans in the water for 12 hours. Rinse the beans and steam in the oven or over a saucepan for 45 minutes, then cool.

Place the beans in a sterilized jar, then add the remaining ingredients. Cover and allow to ferment for 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks, strain the beans, reserving some of the liquid. Blend using the liquid to make a paste. Return to a clean, sterilized jar and ferment for another week.

Tie the chicken up in a ball, ensuring the skin is intact. Rub with the marinade, then marinate for 3 hours.

To make the ciabatta dough, mix the poolish ingredients and allow to rise in a warm place for 12 hours.

To make the final dough, dissolve the yeast in the water, then add the final dough ingredients and the yeast mixture.

Knead the dough (it will be quite sticky), then set aside to prove for 1 hour in a warm place.

When ready, separate the dough into 2 pieces and place each piece in an oiled container, using the oil on your hands to avoid stretching the dough. Set aside for 30 minutes to prove.

Meanwhile, grill the chicken on the braai until charred and almost cooked.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place one piece of dough in a 25 cm cake ring on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, then place the chicken in the middle (remove the string). Cover the chicken with the remaining piece of dough. Top the dough with olive oil, herbs and sea salt. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the bread has risen and is golden.

Cook's tip: To make a quick version of this recipe, marinate the chicken using Woolworths’ Korean BBQ marinade instead of making the fermented soya bean paste.

Discover more recipes featuring chicken here.