Roast chicken and quinoa salad with a harissa yoghurt dressing

Step into summer with this simple roast chicken, served on a bed of roasted squash and smoky peppers, tossed through quinoa with a sprinkle of pomegranate for a pop of sweetness.  Finish with a drizzle of lemon and harissa yoghurt, marrying all the flavours of the dish together. We love this recipe as it can be enjoyed by everyone- it is gluten free and can be modified to be dairy free too, by swapping out the greek yoghurt for coconut yoghurt. And the hands on time is only 30 minutes!

Roast chicken and quinoa salad with a harissa yoghurt dressing

• Serves 6

• GF

• Hands-on time 30 mins

• Total time 2 hrs 10 mins

INGREDIENTS

• Whole Sutton Hoo chicken (approx 2kg)

• Extra virgin olive oil

• 3 lemons

• 1 whole garlic, cut in half horizontally

• 1 large butternut squash, deseeded and cut into 1cm half moons

• 4 Romano peppers, deseeded and cut into 5cm wide strips  

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar

• 2 tbsp rose harissa

• 400g cooked quinoa

• 40g flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• 200g pomegranate seeds

• 200g natural Greek yoghurt

 METHOD

1.     Remove the chicken from the fridge 45 mins before you’re ready to roast.

2.     Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.

3.     Place the chicken on a large roasting tray, remove the giblets (freeze to use in gravy) and truss the legs with string. Rub all over with olive oil.  Season the skin and cavity with sea salt, then stuff with 1 lemon and the garlic. 

4.     Roast for 20 mins, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6 and cook for a further 1 hr 10-20 mins, until the chicken is evenly golden and the juices run clear when a knife is inserted into the thickest part of the bird.  Set aside to rest for 20 mins then shred the meat into large chunks.

5.     On a separate roasting tray, toss the butternut squash and peppers in the cumin, coriander seeds, a drizzle of oil and 1 tbsp rose harissa until evenly coated.  Roast in the oven alongside the chicken for 45-50 mins, tossing occasionally, until the squash is soft and the pepper is lightly charred.

6.     In a large bowl, toss the cooked quinoa, the zest and juice 1 lemon, a generous drizzle of oil, the parsley and pomegranate (saving a little of each to garnish) together until well combined.  Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Toss through the roasted squash and pepper.

7.     Mix the yoghurt, the zest and juice ½ lemon, 1 tbsp harissa and a pinch sea salt together until well combined.

8.     Spoon the quinoa and roasted vegetables onto a platter and top with the shredded chicken.  Squeeze over the juice ½ lemon and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Drizzle over the yoghurt and garnish with the remaining parsley and pomegranate to serve. 

9.     Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.     

Tip To make this recipe dairy free, swap the Greek yoghurt for a plain, unsweetened vegan coconut yoghurt.