Smoked chicken with roasted butternut pesto

Whole chicken smoked over hickory wood chips acquires a perfectly tanned skin and succulent pinkish flesh. The butternut squash roasts alongside it, wrapped in foil, and is later transformed into a delicious pesto. The chicken also tastes great cold so, if your barbecue is large enough, try smoking two at once, for a delicious meal the next day.

Prepare the barbecue. Cut away any excess fat from the opening to the chicken cavity, season the inside and stuff with lemon quarters, bay leaves and sprigs from one rosemary branch. Tie the legs together with kitchen string (twine) and rub the bird all over with the oil. Season the skin lightly.

Prepare the butternut squash for the pesto. Cut it into eight pieces and lay them on a piece of double foil. Season well and scatter with the garlic and thyme leaves. Drizzle over 15ml/1 tbsp of the olive oil and a sprinkling of water. Bring the sides of the foil up to completely enclose the squash and secure the parcel.

Once the flames have died down, rake the hot coals to one side and insert a drip tray beside them. Fill the drip tray with water. Position a lightly oiled grill rack over the coals to heat. When the coals are hot, or covered with a light coating of ash, place the chicken on the grill rack above the drip tray, with the squash next to it, over the coals. Cover with a lid or tented heavy-duty foil. Cook the squash for 35 minutes, or until tender.

Drain the hickory chips and carefully add a handful to the coals, and replace the lid. Cook the chicken for 1-1% hours more, adding a handful of hickory chips every 15 minutes. Add the remaining rosemary to the coals with the last batch of hickory chips. When the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate, cover with tented foil and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Unwrap the butternut squash. Leaving the thyme stalk behind, scoop the flesh and the garlic into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a thick puree. Add the Parmesan, then the remaining oil, pulsing to ensure it is well combined. Spoon into a bowl and serve with the hot chicken. If the chicken is to be eaten cold, cover it once it has cooled.

Serves 4-6
1.3kg/3lb roasting chicken
1 lemon, quartered
8-10 fresh bay leaves
3 branches fresh rosemary
15ml/1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
Kitchen string (twine)
4 handfuls hickory wood
Chips soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes
For the pesto
1 butternut squash,
About 675g/1 ½ lb, halved and seeded
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 fresh thyme sprigs
45ml/3 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz/1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese