Name: Sydney Charcoal Chicken with Toum (home recipe)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 1 whole free-range chicken (1.6-1.8 kg), butterflied; Marinade: 4 tbsp olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, 4 garlic cloves crushed, 1 tbsp sumac, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika; Toum: 1 cup peeled garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cups neutral oil; To serve: 4 Lebanese flat breads, 8 thin-cut chips, pickled turnip, fresh parsley

History

Lebanese immigration to Sydney from the 1970s built the country's charcoal chicken culture. El Jannah on South Street, Granville (founded 1998) defined the modern Sydney format: whole chicken cooked over charcoal, served with house garlic toum (a fluffy whipped garlic-and-oil emulsion), thin chips and pickled turnip. The format spread across western Sydney and into the eastern suburbs through Charcoal Charlies, Charcoal Chicken Co and dozens of family-run shops. The whole bird with a tub of toum is now the canonical Sydney family takeaway.

Common allergens: Dairy (some toum recipes)

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

1 whole free-range chicken (1.6-1.8 kg), butterflied
Marinade: 4 tbsp olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, 4 garlic cloves crushed, 1 tbsp sumac, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika
Toum: 1 cup peeled garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cups neutral oil
To serve: 4 Lebanese flat breads, 8 thin-cut chips, pickled turnip, fresh parsley

Method

Whisk all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Rub the butterflied chicken all over with the marinade and rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Make the toum: pulse the garlic and salt in a food processor until pasty. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil very slowly in a thin stream, alternating with teaspoons of lemon juice, until the mixture is light, fluffy and white (about 12 minutes total).
Heat a charcoal barbecue (or oven grill at 220 degrees Celsius). Place the chicken skin-side down over the charcoal (or under the grill) and cook for 25-30 minutes, turning halfway, until the skin is deeply charred and the meat is cooked through (internal 75 degrees Celsius).
Rest the chicken for 10 minutes.
Carve into quarters; serve with a tub of toum, Lebanese bread, thin chips and pickled turnip.
Eat: tear the bread, pile chicken, drizzle toum, top with parsley, eat with hands.

Tip from the editors. Toum needs patience: drizzle oil slowly to whip up; rescue a split toum by beating in 1 tsp cold water.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.