Marinade
1½ cups Chelsea Honey Maple Flavoured Syrup
2 star anise
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp five spice powder
3 Tbsp rice cooking wine
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

Chicken
1 whole free-range chicken, butterflied down the spine (ask your butcher to do this for you)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 red chilli, sliced diagonally
1 spring onion, finely julienned and placed in ice water

To Serve
2 cups white rice
1 tsp black sesame seeds
2 spring onions, quartered lengthwise (do not remove roots)

Preheat oven to 180°C bake. 

Mix marinade ingredients together in a bowl and stir well. Pour into a flat dish and marinade chicken, skin-side down, for 45 minutes.

Line a roasting dish with baking paper. Transfer chicken to the roasting dish, reserving the marinade. Cook, covered with tin foil, for 20-25 minutes. Remove tin foil, using a little to wrap the ends of the wings or any other sections that look brown. Continue cooking chicken, uncovered, for another 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and rest, covered, for 10 minutes. (Check chicken is cooked through by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the breast – liquid should come out clear.)

Meanwhile, heat remaining marinade (including star anise) until boiling. Taking care it doesn’t boil over, reduce marinade until it is sticky and dark.

Pour a little oil into a griddle pan. Sear spring onions, pressing to get a good char. Turn until all sides are charred.

To serve, pour a little of the marinade over the chicken and transfer the remainder into a jug or bowl. Decorate chicken with toasted sesame seeds, chopped spring onion and chilli. Serve with rice sprinkled with black sesame seeds and charred spring onions.