Nigel Slater’s recipes for roast chicken with vegetables, and salad (2024)

The herbs are growing faster than I can chop. Thyme – green, silver and variegated; mint (the herb garden bully); coriander that forever threatens to bolt into a fluff of fairy parasols. There is a Vietnamese basil bush whose spikes of purple flowers are too beautiful to drown in a bowl of pho, and wide leaves of Italian basil that fall into a faint if you so much as raise your voice. The latter must be used immediately.

Preserved in oil, the more fragile leaves lose much of their magic. Frozen, they emerge stripped of their aromatic powers. So the green bounty of scented leaves I am growing in pots is something to use with abandon. Basil has been torn over plates of peaches and burrata all summer long. Thyme is stirred into bean soups and coriander is hidden in a tangle of grated courgette fritters. Basil is a favourite for pounding to a verdant paste with mauve-skinned summer garlic, while tarragon is regularly mashed into a mayonnaise to become a shimmering chartreuse paste. No one can say this kitchen isn’t fragrant.

This week, I mashed a fistful of parsley, thyme and dill into a slab of softened butter and used it to season a roast chicken, teasing the freckled fat under the skin with two fingers. It’s a delicate job, even with the thick skin of an outdoor reared bird. But if you can get the paste to sit, sandwiched between skin and flesh, it will calmly baste the roasting meat from the inside. Sliced, the chicken will have a nut brown skin and a stripe of still vivid green herb paste framing the white breast meat. The juices in the tin smell of high summer and provide somewhere to toss spinach leaves, radishes, cooked flageolet beans or tiny turnips.

Roast chicken with herb butter and summer vegetables

Take care not to tear the skin as you push the butter between it and the flesh of the bird. It isn’t the end of the world if it tears, it will simply escape into the roasting tin. Serves 4

dried flageolet or cannellini beans 150g
dill 10g
parsley leaves 10g
thyme leaves 2 tbsp
garlic 3 cloves
butter 175g
chicken 1, medium
turnips 6, small
olive oil 3 tbsp
radishes 20

Soak the beans in deep, cold water overnight.

Make the herb butter by finely chopping the dill, parsley and thyme leaves and putting them into a small bowl. Peel the garlic and then grate or crush it, then add to the herbs. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix with the herbs, creaming them together with a wooden spoon. Season lightly with salt.

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Put the chicken in a roasting tin. Carefully work two or three fingers between the skin and flesh of the breast to create a large pocket under the skin. (They should part quite naturally.) Push the herb butter between the flesh and skin, spreading it evenly by massaging the skin. Put any remaining butter in the chest cavity.

Trim and wipe the turnips, then cut them in half. Trickle the olive oil over the chicken skin, then add the turnips to the pan and roast for 25 minutes. Add the radishes to the pan, turn them in the roasting juices, and return to the oven for a further 25 minutes.

To cook the beans, first drain and place them in deep, boiling water for approximately 25-35 minutes until tender. Add salt for the final 10 minutes. (It is always worth checking the beans’ progress regularly. Some batches will take longer than others, depending on their age.) Drain the beans and set aside.

To serve the chicken, remove the roasting tin from the oven and place the chicken on a warm serving plate. Stir the drained beans into the radishes, turnips and roasting juices, and return to the switched off oven to keep warm.

Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes then carve and serve with the beans and vegetables.

Roast chicken, watermelon and herb salad

Nigel Slater’s recipes for roast chicken with vegetables, and salad (1)

You could measure my summer in chicken salads, but each one is very different from the other. This week I tossed roast chicken with chunks of watermelon and a dressing of mint, coriander and pungent fish sauce. Serves 3-4

chicken 500g
olive oil a little
ginger 1 x 35g piece
spring onions 3
watermelon 300g
canteloupe 150g
mint leaves 20, small
coriander leaves a large handful
pak choi 1 head
Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce 2 tsp
lime juice of 1, large

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Place the chicken in a roasting tin, rub with a little olive oil and season lightly. Finely grate the ginger then, after the chicken has been roasting for 40 minutes, stir it into the roasting juices.

Thinly slice the spring onions. Cut the watermelon into large pieces, removing the skin and seeds as you go, and put the flesh into a large bowl with the spring onions. Repeat with the cantaloupe and add the mint and coriander leaves. Slice the pak choi into thin strips and shred the roast chicken and its skin and add to the melon, then stir in the fish sauce and lime juice and serve.

Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater

Nigel Slater’s recipes for roast chicken with vegetables, and salad (2024)

FAQs

How do you marinate chicken Nigel Slater? ›

Chicken, purple sprouting and dark soy sauce

In a mixing bowl, stir together the soy sauce, mirin, toasted sesame oil, lemon juice and shichimi togarashi seasoning. Push the chicken down into the marinade. Set aside for an hour or more. (I leave them overnight sometimes.)

How long does it take to roast chicken Delia? ›

Roast in the centre of a pre-heated oven, gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C), for 20 minutes per lb (450 g) plus 10-20 minutes extra – this will be 1 hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours for a 5 lb (2.25 kg) bird. Baste three times during the cooking time.

Should chicken be submerged in marinade? ›

Add the chicken pieces and submerge them in the marinade. To ensure that the flavor gets into the meat, you could slash the meat a few times with your knife beforehand, but it's not essential. Close the container and transfer it to the refrigerator to marinate for a maximum of 24 hours.

What tenderizes chicken the best? ›

Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.

Is it better to bake a whole chicken at 350 or 400? ›

You can roast or bake anywhere between 325 and 450 degrees F. When roasting a whole chicken, a nice rule of them is to start at 400 to 425 degrees F and then turn the oven down to 350 after 15 minutes and cook until the internal temp of the chicken is 165 – 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.

What is the difference between baked chicken and roast chicken? ›

A Difference in Temperature

Both roasting and baking involve cooking with dry, ambient heat, usually in an oven. Roasting temperatures are typically above 400 degrees Fahrenheit while baking temperatures are about 375 degrees and below.

Why is my roast chicken not crispy? ›

Chicken skin needs to be dry in order for it to crisp when cooked. Whether or not you rinse the chicken before prepping, you need to make sure the skin is as dry as possible. After removing the chicken from the package (and washing it, if that is your preferred method) pat each piece dry with paper towels.

Do you have to put water in roasting pan when roasting a chicken? ›

However, if you do notice during roasting that all of the drippings in the bottom of the pan have evaporated, a splash of water can prevent the pan from scorching and preserve the tasty drippings.

Should you cover roast chicken with tin foil? ›

Season with salt and pepper. Pour water into the bottom of the roasting tin, filling it about 1-2cm deep. Cover the chicken with foil and roast for 1 hr. Remove the foil and continue to roast the chicken for a further 20-30 mins until the skin is golden, the chicken is cooked and all the juices run clear.

What is the best temperature to roast a chicken? ›

For tender, fall-off-the-bone meat and soft skin, roast whole chicken at 325°F (162°C) for 1 ½ to 2 hours, depending on the weight. For firm, juicy meat and crisp, golden-brown skin, roast whole chicken 425°F (218°C) oven for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on size.

Should I cover my roast chicken? ›

Chicken tends to dry out more quickly when exposed to direct heat. Covering the chicken creates a barrier that prevents the top surface from drying out, resulting in tender meat. Enhanced flavor infusion.

How to roast a chicken Nigella Lawson? ›

Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.

How are you supposed to marinate chicken? ›

To make a marinade for chicken, combine your preferred spices and herbs in a one-to-one ratio, plus one-half part salt. Then, add enough liquid to cover the herbs and spices. You can use one liquid, or mix and match in a one-to-one ratio.

How long should you marinate chicken? ›

You can marinate chicken anywhere from 2 hours up to 24 hours, though marinating chicken for even 15 to 30 minutes can impart flavor and moisture into smaller pieces of meat. Generally, bone-in cuts of chicken, such as wings, drumsticks and breasts, will require a longer marinade time than their boneless counterparts.

What is the formula for chicken marinade? ›

Marinades are an easy way to add extra flavour to your chicken, but a good marinade will help prevent the meat from drying out. Making a chicken marinade at home is fast and simple. Marinades are usually 2 parts oil to 1 part acid (something like wine, lemon juice or vinegar), and some salt.

What is the best amount of time to marinate chicken? ›

As a rule of thumb, you can marinate chicken anywhere from 15 minutes to 12 hours for bone-in chicken or 2 hours for boneless. Past 12 hours, you risk the ingredients of the marinade (such as sugar, acid, and salt) breaking down the muscle fibers in the meat, causing it to go overly soft or mushy.

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