What to serve with roast chicken in the summer?

[JudithOfThePiece]

That's it really. The MIL is round on Sunday and I want to do a roast chicken, but what will go well with it in this heat?

Avocado salad of some sort
Crusty bread

Mediterranean veg medley? Peppers, half red onions, lovely vine tomatoes sloshed in olive oil?

Or a big leafy salad with all the trimmings and a potato salad might be nice.

New potatoes and salad

Buy some dry rub for the chicken serve with roasted veg cous cous

Caesar salad

Cous cous and roasted Med veg.

Roast Mediterranean veg/salad/couscous/new potatoes/crusty bread

Any or all of the above require very little prep or cooking.

Salad.

Crusty bread.
Cous cous.

Cubes of potatoes roasted with garlic or rosemary or parmesan

Greek salad

big green salad

Green salad.
Tomato salad.
Rice.

Raspberries and cream.

Rocket and babyleaf with green olives, goats cheese and cherry tomatoes.
Bruschetta and salad.
Buttered new potatoes with garlic and rosemary/thyme
Coleslaw
Asparagus fried in balsamic with some shaved Parmesan on top.
Green beans (boiled) mixed with black olives, cherry tomatoes and basil with anchovies laid on top and baked for 20 mins.
Sweet potato mash.

I love cous cous, but MIL isn't very adventurous, so will be probably for new potatoes. I like the idea of a Greek salad with it, as well as a plainer green salad. A bit of variety so there's something for everyone. Hmmm. Will continue to think - thanks everyone!

Oooh. Asparagus. Is there still British about?

Boiled rice, spiced roasted veggies and chilled white wine.

A buffet of mezze/tapas style dishes of mild tomato salsa (hot or cold tomato salad), olives, mushrooms in a light garlic sauce, dips, cheese board, grapes and other fruits, crudites & toasted pitta bread (cut into strips to dip), a chilled baguette and fresh green salad with fresh herbs. Maybe some cold, boiled eggs and beetroot, and a chilled pasta salad if your MIL is into more traditional English fare. (My MIL loves this type of meal, it's her favourite).

Serve with warmed tortillas and an extensive salad, dressings and other fillings for each person to build their own wraps. Plenty of fresh fruit juices to drink. (Or this can go with the option above, to keep the children occupied through the meal!)

We did this last Sunday, was yum
Very herby, lemony chicken
New potatoes, plain boiled
Roasted peppers and vine tomatoes with garlic and basil
Peas, broad beans, mint and little cubes of goats cheese
Very low stress too!

TwelveLegged, talk me through your veg/salady bits there - did you serve the peppers hot or cold and were the peas/beans cooked or raw? Sounds lovely, I've got family coming for dinner on Friday and the more I can pre-prepare the better!

waldorf salad. serve separately if chicken is still hot/warm.

Everything was warm, but the chicken came out to rest for a bit so it was juicy but not piping. No heated serving bowls
Peppers were cooked until just blackening at the edges with loads of olive oil and crispy
Potatoes had some butter and black pepper on them straight after draining
Peas and beans were boiled, normally I'd shell the beans but I couldn't be arsed they were lovely and fresh so fine with shells on. Goats cheese cubed up and stirred in with the mint, squirt of lemon and oil.
Nice french white burgundy on special offer! Yum yum.

Ignore 'and crispy' I don't know what that refers to!

Sounds divine, I may imitate it all and take all the credit

Well, we had a beautiful chicken, roasted with streaky bacon on the top most of which I ate when serving up served with buttered new potatoes, coleslaw, green salad and asparagus.

It was delicious, but I think Tzatiki or Waldorf salad would have been better. DH adores coleslaw so I really got it for him! I also think some Parmesan shavings on the asparagus might have added some interest.

Sounds good though! Unrequited how did yours go?