Roast Chicken and Next Day Chicken Pilau
A golden roast chicken dinner with potatoes today, then the leftovers turn into a fragrant spiced pilau tomorrow.
- Time2 hr 15
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £1.50 a head
- Oven200°C (180°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- 717kcal
- 52.8gcarbs
- 4.4gof which sugars
- 21.4gfat
- 7.1gsaturates
- 75.6gprotein
- 4.5gfibre
- 1.2gsalt
A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Day one. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Put the lemon, half the garlic bulb and thyme in the cavity. Rub the skin with the olive oil and butter and season well.
- 2
Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the skin is golden and the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh. Toss the potatoes in the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and roast on a tray beside it for the last 50 minutes.
75 min - 3
Rest the chicken for 15 minutes. Carve the breast and legs for dinner with the potatoes and any veg or gravy you like. Aim to leave about 400 g of cooked meat for the pilau.
- 4
Cool the leftover chicken within 1 hour. Pull the meat off the bones, put it in a covered tub and chill. Eat within 2 days, or freeze it for 2 months.
- 5
Day two. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan and fry the onion for 8 minutes until golden. Add the garlic, ginger and whole spices and cook for 1 minute.
8 min - 6
Stir in the turmeric and the rice for 1 minute. Add the stock cube, hot water and salt, bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 10 minutes.
10 min - 7
Scatter the peas and shredded chicken over the rice, cover and leave off the heat for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. The chicken must be steaming hot all the way through. Fish out the whole spices.
- 8
Eat the pilau straight away. Cool any leftovers within 1 hour and eat within 24 hours, reheating until piping hot once only.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
