Can I Make Italian Roast Chicken With A Smaller Or Larger Bird?

Our answer

Nigella's Italian Roast Chicken With Peppers And Olives (from NIGELLISSIMA) is a one-pan meal that just needs some good bread to mop up the cooking juices and maybe a few green salad leaves on the side.

If your chicken is larger than 1.5kg (3 pounds) then you can cook the chicken for longer, but you may need to roast the chicken and vegetables for 1 1/4 hours then remove the vegetables from the pan (or transfer the chicken to another pan) and roast the chicken for an extra 30-50 minutes, or until it is cooked thorugh. An alternative could be to cut the chicken into 8 pieces (or ask your butcher to do this) and cook the chicken pieces on the vegetables for about an hour. Another alternative, which would give more flexibility if you want only to cook for two, is to use skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs. You will need 1-2 thighs per person (depending on size) and they will take around one hour to cook. Even if you are cooking a smaller amount of chicken, it is worth cooking the full amount of vegetables as the leftover vegetables will keep for 3 days in the fridge and can be used in salads or tossed through cooked pasta. Always check that the chicken is cooked through before serving - the juices should run clear if the thickest part of the chicken is pierced with a knife or the internal temperature should be at least 75c/165F.