Italian spicy devilled chicken

Method

1. To spatchcock the chicken, untie the bird and remove any giblets from the cavity (freeze for making stock at a later date along with the trimmings, below). Put the chicken on a board, breast-side down, then cut along each side of the backbone with kitchen scissors or poultry shears to remove it. Cut off the ends of each drumstick and the wing tips (save with the giblets for stock). Open out the chicken, turn it over and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten.
2. Coarsely crush the black peppercorns with a pestle and mortar. Add the dried chillies and crush a little more, but not too finely.
3. Make a marinade by mixing the olive oil, lemon juice, minced chilli, garlic, chopped rosemary and sea salt. Put the chicken in a shallow dish, pour over half the marinade, and turn the bird once or twice to coat. Turn it skin-side up and sprinkle with three quarters of the pepper and chilli mixture. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour (see make ahead).
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4. Heat the grill to medium-high. Stir the remaining pepper and chilli mix into the reserved marinade and keep for basting. Put the chicken on a board (discard the marinade in the dish) and sprinkle salt on both sides.
5. Put the chicken in an oiled roasting tin, skin-side down on the sprigs of rosemary, and cook at least 15cm below the grill for 25-30 minutes, basting it with the pepper/chilli mixture from time to time. (If using a barbecue keep it 15cm away from the coals over indirect heat.) Turn the bird over and cook for 25-30 minutes on the other side, basting now and then, until it’s cooked through with brown, crispy skin.
6. Lift the bird onto a board, cut it into pieces and serve with lemon wedges.