Roasting the chicken over the vegetables gives them extra flavour as they mingle with the roasting juices, but you can cook a separate portion in a foil parcel or separate tray, if needed for vegetarians. The spice rub makes some extra, so keep this to use on barbecued meats and vegetables, stored in a sealed jar at room temperature, for up to 1 month.
Step 1Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the spice rub with 1½tsp fine salt. Put the potatoes in a medium-large roasting tin and toss through 1tbsp oil and 2tsp of the spice rub. Spread into a single layer.
Step 2Put the chicken breast-side down on a board. Using sturdy kitchen scissors, cut along each side of the backbone and discard. Turn chicken over and press down hard on the breast to flatten it (you should hear it crack). Pat dry with kitchen paper.
Step 3Stir ½ the remaining spice rub into the melted butter and brush all over the chicken. Arrange breast-side up on a sturdy metal/cooling rack (that fits above the potato roasting tin) and position on top of the tin.
Step 4Roast for 35min. Remove chicken and potatoes from oven, add tomatoes and lemon wedges to the tin and drizzle over remaining ½tbsp oil. Position chicken above the tin again and return to the oven for 10-15min, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.
Step 5Remove from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for 10min. Transfer chicken to a board and the potatoes, tomatoes and lemon wedges to a serving dish. Serve.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
