As much as I look forward to summer, when it comes to choosing what to eat in the warmer weather, I always find it tricky making the transition between seasons. While a Sunday roast is a staple for many Brits regardless of the weather, I can't think of anything worse than standing by the oven for hours on a hot day. That being said, roasting a chicken is an easy Sunday meal and often makes enough to be used throughout the week.

Wanting to make the most of the good weather instead of spending my Sunday indoors cooking, I found a low-fuss Nigella Lawson recipe that's ideal for when you don't feel like doing much. While it still provides a whole roast chicken to tuck into, instead of having to peel and roast veggies, and make your own gravy and cauliflower cheese to go with it, Nigella simply adds some orzo into the pot at the end that makes for a fresh and comforting evening meal in the summer.

The recipe also only requires using one pot, meaning you can make the most of an afternoon or evening spent in the garden, without having to face a pile of washing up afterwards.

There's plenty of room to experiment and make adjustments with the recipe too. I swapped out leeks for fennel as it's peak season for the root veg, while leeks are generally at their prime between October and March.

Once everything is in the oven, it doesn't require a thought until it comes to adding in the orzo. Nigella also recommends shredding the chicken in the pot with the orzo so you don't miss out on any of the best bits of the meat.

I removed the chicken and carved it, then added it back into the pot for people to pick out which bits they preferred, and served it with a delicious green salad on the side. In my opinion, no summer recipe is complete without lemon and parsley either, which this recipe uses plenty of.

Ingredients

• One whole chicken weighing between 1.5 and 1.7kg
• Two medium carrots
• Two medium leeks (or preferred vegetable)
• Three gloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• Zest and juice of two lemons
• 1.5 litres cold water
• 300 grams orzo
• Two teaspoons sea salt
• Two teaspoons dried tarragon
• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
• One tablespoon olive oil
• Bunch of flatleaf parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan and prepare your vegetables. Peel and cut the carrots into batons and cut the leeks into rounds. If you're using a different vegetable, cut it into even pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole or Dutch oven with a tightly fitting lid. The chicken should fit neatly, with enough space to fit in the veggies.

Once hot, add the chicken skin side down and leave for around three minutes until golden. Turn the chicken over, lower the heat and place the pan to the side.

Add the lemon zest and minced garlic to the space around the chicken and stir into the oil. Scatter in the veggies around the chicken and season with salt, chilli flakes and dried tarragon.

Gradually pour the water into the dish, leaving some of the breast uncovered and add the lemon juice.

Place it back on the heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the lid and put into the oven for an hour and 15 minutes, or slightly longer depending on the size of the chicken.

Once done, remove from the oven and add the orzo to the sides, before placing it back in for another 15 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked through and the liquid absorbed.

Take it out of the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes. Serve as you like, with the chicken in the pot for guests to shred, or carved, and add the parsley to finish. Leave a small dish on the side for any additional bones.