A SUMMER CHICKEN

golden chicken, browned butter, glossy corn and jammy tomatoes

There is nothing I love more than a roast chicken, truly. The answer to most of my problems is roast chicken. Just moved house? Christen the house with a roast chicken. Realising you’re falling in love and want to nourish your boo with a meal? It’s a roast chook. Spending a rainy Sunday at home feeling a little under the weather? Get that bird in the oven. Given the many moments that a roast chicken caters to, it is still often thought of as a wintery cold weather meal by many. I, on the other hand, feel that a hot summers day is one of the most appropriate times to roast a chicken. Yes, you have to turn the oven on, but once you’ve dressed your chicken up in all it’s glad rags and whacked it in the oven, you can really walk away and just wait for the magic to happen. The real reason I feel it’s a stunner for summer is that chicken pairs SO well with the vegetables that are at their peak this time of year, and by that I mean corn and tomatoes. Something about the acidity of the tomatoes, the sweetness of the corn and the fat from the chicken makes for a magical bite. It’s all working, flavours singing, melding together, barely any effort involved.

This is the kind of recipe I would whip up on a weekend, cooking slowly through the afternoon, letting it cool to room temp, inviting a few friends round and casually serving it up for dinner. It feels impressive, fancy and like you’ve been at it in the kitchen for a while, but in reality it’s a chill endeavour that yields delicious results.

This is a spatchcocked chicken recipe and it’s intentionally so for a few reasons, for one it cooks quicker, making it even less hassle, the other is that it cooks more evenly and I think you get a juicier breast / leg / thigh situation AND crispier skin as there is more surface area exposed directly to the heat - and who can argue with more crispy skin, maybe the best part of a roast chicken?! If spatchcocking a chicken scares you or feels too high maintenance, do what I do, get your chicken from a butcher and ask them to do it for you, just make sure to keep the spine and giblets for stock. If you want to do it yourself, it’s really very simple and satisfying, full directions in the recipe below.

After crispy chicken skin, the next best part is the leftovers. Next week I will be sharing a delicious & speedy recipe for your leftover chicken, so stay tuned for that.

I’ve been very busy recently gearing up for the US tour for In for Dinner. The book comes out in the US on August 19th and I have some really exciting things lined up for the weeks while I’m there. If you missed it, I’ll be coming to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. You can book tickets to all events here!

I cannot wait for the book shop events, to be able to meet you and chat In for Dinner in real life is such a treat. I’m also absolutely buzzing for our supper club in LA, working with the incredible Chloe Walsh to bring you a five course dinner, exclusively made up of recipes from In for Dinner. There are a few tickets left for the supper and you can book them directly through Chloe via direct message in Instagram.

I hope you’re all having a restful and delicious August.

Sending love, Rosie x

PAPRIKA LEMON BUTTER CHICKEN, GOLDEN CORN & JAMMY TOMATOES