Rachel Allen’s recipes for juicy spatchcock chicken and vibrant beetroot dip with flatbreads are the perfect summer lunch

Whether you are grilling over hot coals alfresco or using the oven, a spatchcock chicken is always a winner. All you have to do is cut down the back bone of the chicken, slash the legs with a sharp knife and off you go. When spatchcocked, the chicken is flatter so cooks faster than when whole, and can be marinated with olive oil and some herbs or spices for a fabulous result. Add to that some finely grated lemon zest or pomegranate molasses — when it comes to utilising different flavours, the world is your oyster.

This recipe here uses olive oil, garlic, lemon and rosemary — a classic combination — but switch up the rosemary for crushed cumin and coriander or sumac for an Asian or Middle Eastern theme.

I love to serve this bulgur wheat salad with the chicken on a summer’s day. It does a great job of soaking up the chicken juices, and the ruby-like pomegranate seeds bring their gorgeous sweet-sour flavour. Add to that a beetroot, sumac and pomegranate puree and some great grilled flatbreads, and you have the makings of a super bank holiday.

If you have some vegetarians at home, some grilled or fried halloumi slices will go brilliantly with this meal. Have a lovely weekend!

Beetroot, sumac and pomegranate puree

Serves 6

You will need:

• 500g whole raw beetroot — see Rachel recommends
• 125ml natural yoghurt
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1-2 teaspoons sumac
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To serve you will need:

• Some edible flowers — optional
• Grilled flatbreads (see below)

​1 Wash the beetroot and place it, unpeeled, in a saucepan, covered with cold water, then bring up to the boil with the lid on, and cook over a medium heat for approximately 35-45 minutes, until the beetroot is tender in the centre.

2 Drain the beets, then set aside to cool. Once cool, peel the beetroot with your hands and place in a food processor. Add in the garlic, the pomegranate molasses, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the honey. Add in 1 teaspoon of the sumac and some salt and pepper. Blend well, then taste for seasoning. It might need a little more honey, sumac and salt and pepper.

3 Once you’re happy with the flavour, tip it into a serving bowl and cover it until you’re ready to serve. Place it in the fridge if you want but make sure to take it out at least 20 minutes before serving so that it comes back to room temperature. Scatter with the edible flowers if using, and serve with the grilled flatbreads.

Rachel recommends: If you can’t get your hands on any raw, whole beetroot for the beetroot puree, you can use the vac-packed cooked beetroot available in supermarkets.

Grilled flatbreads

Serves 6

You will need:

• 175g self-raising flour
• Half teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 175g natural yoghurt

​1 Sift the flour and the baking powder into a mixing bowl then mix in the salt.

2 Add in all of the natural yoghurt then mix well to form a dough. Tip out onto a clean work surface and knead the dough for just 2-3 minutes until smooth and a little springy to the touch.

3 Set the dough aside to rest on a floured work surface, covered with an upturned bowl, for 10 minutes.

4 When the dough has finished resting (it can sit like this for an hour, or in the fridge for a few hours if you wish) cut it into six pieces, placing five back under the bowl.

5 With the first piece of dough, place it on the work surface and make it into a ball by rolling the palm of your hand over it until it’s nice and even. Now dust the work surface with some flour and roll the ball of dough into a round. It will be approximately 3mm thick and 18cm in diameter.

6 Repeat with all the pieces of dough, setting them aside on a floured work surface, not stacked on top of each other as they may stick to each other.

7 Place a grill pan or a frying pan, whichever you’re using, on a medium to high heat and allow to get hot.

8 Place a flatbread on the pan and cook for a couple of minutes until the underside has deep brown lines from the grill pan, or spots from the frying pan, whichever you’re using. Flip over and cook on the second side in the same way.

9 When each flatbread is ready, either serve them straight away or stack them on top of each other and then serve all at once. Stacking them straight off the pan keeps them lovely and soft rather than going crisp.

10 Serve whole or cut into wedges.

Top tip: The flatbreads are delicious with crushed garlic and chopped coriander added into the flour mix at the start.

Spatchcock chicken with bulgur wheat salad

Serves 4-6

You will need:

• 1 whole chicken
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary

For the bulgur salad you will need:

• 200g bulgur wheat
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 pomegranate, seeds and any juices (see below re extracting the seeds)
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 To spatchcock the chicken, use a sharp chopping knife or strong, sharp scissors and cut through all the way down from top to bottom of the backbone. Place the chicken, breast side up, on your worktop and using the palm of your hands, flatten the chicken down. Using a sharp knife, make a few slashes in the legs of the chicken — both thighs and drumsticks.

2 Next, make the marinade. In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, the garlic and the finely chopped rosemary. Place the chicken in a wide dish and pour the marinade over it, rubbing it into every little crevice and slash, then cover and place in the fridge for at least two hours or even overnight.

3 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas mark 7.

4 Place the chicken onto a baking sheet with every bit of marinade poured over it and cook, skin side up, for 55 to 75 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

5 Meanwhile, make the bulgur salad. Cover the bulgur wheat in boiling water and allow to soak for 10-15 minutes until just soft but still retaining a little chew. Drain well.

6 Mix the lemon juice and zest, the pomegranate seeds and any juice, the chopped mint and parsley, and the olive oil. Stir through the bulgur wheat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

7 When the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and cut into pieces, then serve with the bulgur salad.

How to extract the seeds from a pomegranate: There is a smart trick to quickly removing the seeds of a pomegranate without removing much pith and avoiding any fiddly peeling. Cut the pomegranate in half, crosswise rather than from top to bottom, then hold it in the cupped palm of your hand, cut side down over a large bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to hit the pomegranate and let the seeds fall through your slightly open fingers. Keep hitting the back of the pomegranate and you’ll soon have a bowl full of pomegranate seeds. Remove any small bits of pith that fell in with the seeds, then repeat with the other half. The seeds can be kept in a covered tub in the fridge for up to five days.