Low cost, low waste: Roast Chicken with Chimichurri for under 5£
Did you know that you can make a lunch meal for two at M&S for under £5?
Roast chicken is a staple meal in most households, but we’re going to jazz it up for a deviation from your standard weeknight meal! We’ll show you how to make a roast chicken marinade that is bursting with flavour from fresh ingredients, as well as a vibrant chimichurri to top your roast chicken and veggies, all from scratch.
This recipe from start to finish takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, not including the additional time needed to marinate. In a pinch, I’d recommend making the marinade first, and allowing your chicken to soak in this mixture while you finish the rest of your prep, which will take between 15-20 minutes.
For this recipe, we’re going to go to M&S to take advantage of their PriceLock deal currently available, featuring 3 chicken legs for £1.50.
You can use the veggies of your choice to roast (we used carrots and potatoes to keep it simple), and you can purchase them at any market. You’ll also need a few herbs and spices for the marinade and chimichurri. We were able to find all of them at our local M&S, but we’ll include a few subs below in case you can’t find them. At Southstainable, we’re all about using what you have and making the most of it!
Ingredients:
½ white onion
1 ½ shallot
3 green onions
½ red pepper
½ green pepper
4 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
Vinegar (red wine or apple cider)
Basil
Thyme
Oregano
Cilantro (coriander)
3 chicken legs
3-4 potatoes
3-4 carrots
You can substitute:
red wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar
olive oil for butter, avocado oil, or vegetable oil
shallot for red onions
red pepper for jalapeno, or red pepper flakes
coriander for parsley
Most of these ingredients will be affordable and plastic-free, however the chicken, despite being sustainable financially, does unfortunately come in plastic, however we can repurpose them in a number of ways, as containers for future marinades, fridge organizers, and even containers to purchase meat in to avoid future use of plastic. Remember that our goal at Southstainable is not to deliver restrictive life advice, but to encourage saying yes more often to alternative methods of conservation!
Roast Chicken Prep (optional):
Step 1. Pat your chicken dry and poke a few holes in it with a knife or fork.
Step 2. Prepare your chicken with a few squeezes of lime salt and a generous pinch of salt.
Step 3. Allow this to sit while you prepare your marinade.
Recipe for Marinade
Step 1. Cut ½ of a green pepper, ½ of a white onion, and the ends of 2 green onions.
Step 2. Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and ½ bunch of cilantro.
Step 3. Add your chopped vegetables as well as ¼ cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 pinch of salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and thyme, into a blender. Blend until smooth.
*Only half of this will be needed for today’s recipe, you can store the rest for a future marinade!*
Roast Veggies:
Step 1. Peel and chop your veggies into evenly sized pieces.
Step 2. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
Step 3. Spread evenly on a baking tray and bake at 180 for 1 hour.
Roast Chicken:
Step 1. Pat chicken dry.
Step 2. Coat chicken with a generous amount of marinade and massage into the chicken, as well as under the skin.
Step 3. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Step 4. Place chicken on an oven tray and place in the oven. Turn your stove to 180 for 45-55 minutes.
Chimichurri Recipe:
Step 1. Dice 1½ shallot, 1 green onion, 1 red pepper or jalalpeño (optional). Finely mince 2 cloves of garlic and 1 bunch of parsley. Add these to a small bowl.
Step 2. Add 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and 1 pinch each of salt, pepper, and basil.
Step 4. Stir thoroughly, and enjoy over your chicken and veggies!
