Make this chicken alla diavola, then use the leftovers for a Vietnamese salad, a spinach curry and a shawarma pitta. Plus inspiration for five more dishes

My most typed Google inquiry? Roast chicken recipes. As irresistible as a golden-hued, crisp-skinned roast chicken is, I often feel like I should occasionally break away from its perfect clutches. The recipe opposite is the one I go to. Its three types of chilli heat conspire to create a warmth that tingles rather than blows your head off and makes a rich, chickeny, spicy shallot sauce. And it gifts you the most brilliant leftovers as the meat is already infused with so much character.

When I’ve had a long week and can’t think what to cook, I find leftover chicken waiting in the fridge is what saves me. I’ll buy the biggest bird I can find, and always the highest possible quality I can afford. I’ll roast it at the weekend (ideally having bathed it in a 5% brine with a few herbs such as thyme or rosemary for at least 24 hours beforehand), share it with friends if I have to, then use its leftovers throughout the week in different ways. A curry is mandatory, as is a fresh, punchy, crunchy, herby salad. And as I get to the end of the bounty, I’ll make a sandwich. It feels a bit too obvious to cover it in mayo, so I often make a shawarma-style pitta as I always have the store-cupboard ingredients to hand.