1. Tray-baked chicken with vegetables

If you want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time outside, joint your chicken before cooking it to cut down on roasting time. By cooking all the vegetables together with the meat, you can save on a washing up to boot! Try Rachel Allen’s one-tray wonder - the chicken pieces are cooked with new potatoes, red onions, carrots, garlic and leek, creating a colourful dish that's perfect for informal entertaining.
Recipe: Quick Roast Chicken with Fresh Veggies

2. Spiced Mediterranean chicken

Spices can impart a Mediterranean feel to roast meats. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the breast and rub in coriander, cumin or smoked paprika along with a little oil or butter and herbs like oregano, marjoram, thyme or rosemary. Try Tonia Buxton’s recipe with a herby rocket salad and cumin potatoes. You can make the cumin potatoes by roasting new potatoes that have been coated in olive and a teaspoon of cumin seeds.
Recipe: Cypriot Oregano and Cinnamon Roast Chicken with Village Salad

3. Fragrant chicken with noodles or rice

Thai curry paste, along with other curry pastes and harissa can be tucked under chicken skin that has been loosened on the breast. This will help to keep the meat moist and infuse it with a delicious spiced flavour. Serve with noodles or basmati rice for a completely different type of roast dinner. James Tanner combines creamed coconut, chilli, garlic, lemongrass and lime, accompanying it with hot, sesame-drenched noodles.
Recipe: Thai Roast Chicken with Sesame Noodles

4. Roast chicken salads

A salad of warm or cold roast chicken makes for a fantastic lunch. In Rick Stein’s recipe, he uses a freshly roasted chicken, combining it with potatoes, eggs, tomatoes, spring onions and other seasonal goodies. Roast chicken also works well in a pasta salad, mixed with capers, olives, garlic and lemon vinaigrette.
Recipe: Warm Roast Chicken Salad with a Creamy Tarragon Dressing

5. Citrus roasts with rice pilaf

A simple roast chicken with lemon, garlic and olive oil can be given a tasty Middle-Eastern makeover with spiced rice pilaf. Frying a little onion and a pinch of spice, before coating and cooking white basmati rice, imparts a mouthwatering flavour to an otherwise simple dish. If you’re feeling brave, you can pour away the fat from the chicken about half an hour before the end of the roasting time and spoon the rice mixture around the edges. Top up the roasting tray with stock and allow the rice to cook alongside the chicken until both are thoroughly done.
Recipes: Citrus Roast Chicken with Spiced Pilaf



By Caroline Hire