Early October at Casa Adora — warm enough to eat outside, but something about the evening called for comfort. A whole chicken, a jar of chickpeas, whatever vegetables were in the fridge. The spice mix goes over the bird and into the tray; the chickpeas soak up the roasting juices, and forty-five minutes later there is dinner for one with leftovers for tomorrow. This roast chicken with chickpeas is a one-pan supper that needs nothing alongside — the pan is the meal.

THE SPICE MIX

Toast the coriander and cumin seeds first — it takes two minutes and makes a real difference to the depth of flavour.

• 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 2 tsp paprika picante
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp celery seeds
• ½ tsp salt
• A few twists of black pepper
• Olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon

Mix all the spices together, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and stir to a paste.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole free-range chicken
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed, plus extra for the cavity
• ½ lemon for the cavity, plus 1 lemon thinly sliced for the tray
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 red onions, cut into chunks
• 1 courgette, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1 small red pepper, diced
• 400g jar chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Flat leaf parsley, chopped, to serve

How to Make Roast Chicken with Chickpeas

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Make the spice paste as above.
3. Stuff the chicken cavity with crushed garlic, half a lemon and the bay leaves. Brush the bird all over with the spice paste.
4. Place the garlic, onions, courgette, carrot, peppers, chickpeas and sliced lemon in a roasting tray. Drizzle with the remaining spice paste and stir to coat everything well.
5. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and chickpeas.
6. Roast for 45 minutes or more depending on the size of the bird, shaking the pan after 30 minutes.
7. Check the chicken is cooked through — juices should run clear.
8. Scatter over chopped flat leaf parsley and serve straight from the tray.

A NOTE ON THE VEGETABLES

This was what I had to hand — courgette, peppers, carrot, red onion. The chickpeas are the constant. Everything else is flexible — butternut squash, sweet potato, turnip, fennel all work well. Buy the best chicken you can stretch to. Free-range makes a real difference to both texture and flavour.

The chickpeas are the revelation here — they absorb the spiced roasting juices and the rendered chicken fat and become something considerably better than they started as. Leftovers are excellent the next day, cold or reheated. If you enjoy one-pan roast chicken, try the herbed faux-tisserie roast chicken — a different spice approach, same unhurried spirit.

FOOTNOTE

This roast chicken with chickpeas recipe is part of the Chicken Recipes hub — a complete collection of chicken and poultry recipes from Casa Adora and the road. It also features in my Gut Health Recipes collection — real food from a rural Andalucían kitchen, built around fermented foods, high-fibre pulses, wholegrains and prebiotic-rich ingredients.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef