Five Easy Winter Dinners Starting With a $14 Supermarket Find

I have a confession to make. I am a devoted fan of the Coles hot roast chicken. I know I’m not alone in this — Australians bought more than 20 million of them last year, which tells you everything you need to know about how deeply this humble deli staple has embedded itself into our weeknight routines. In our house it has saved dinner more times than I care to admit, and I will not be apologising for that.

So when I spotted the new limited-edition Butter Chicken Hot Roast in the deli on my last Coles run, I did not hesitate. Into the basket it went.

At $14 it’s the same price as the original, and the smell alone when you open the bag is enough to make everyone in the kitchen suddenly very interested in what’s for dinner. The familiar warmth of butter chicken spices — cumin, coriander, a gentle heat — works beautifully on a roast chicken, and it has all the richness and comfort you’d want from a takeaway on a cold winter night, without the wait or the delivery fee.

Here’s how I’ve been using it this week:

This barely counts as cooking, which is precisely why I love it. Portion the chicken onto plates alongside microwaved basmati rice and warmed garlic naan, add a spoonful of natural yoghurt or a quick raita made with cucumber, mint, and lemon, and dinner is done. It looks like you’ve made an effort. You have not. This is the beauty of it.

Pull the leftover chicken apart and pile it over steamed rice with whatever vegetables you have on hand — roasted cauliflower works beautifully, as do chickpeas or even just a handful of baby spinach wilted through. A drizzle of mango chutney and some fresh coriander and you have a lunch or dinner that feels considerably more considered than the effort involved.

Warm your naan in a dry pan, fill with shredded chicken, sliced red onion, cucumber, spinach, and a generous spoonful of yoghurt, and wrap the whole thing up. This is the dinner my family requests most, and I understand why. It’s quick, satisfying, and just a little bit fun in a way that a regular Tuesday night dinner rarely is.

Bear with me on this one, because I know it sounds unlikely. Spread a good butter chicken simmer sauce over a store-bought pizza base, top with shredded chicken, red onion, baby spinach, and mozzarella, and bake until golden and bubbling. Finish with a drizzle of yoghurt and fresh coriander. It is genuinely delicious and has become an unexpected favourite in our rotation.

Microwave large potatoes until tender, split them open, and pile on the shredded chicken with yoghurt, coriander, and a squeeze of lime. Deeply warming, completely effortless, and the kind of dinner that costs almost nothing when the chicken is already done. On a cold winter night this is hard to beat.

The butter chicken version is limited edition, so it won’t be on the deli counter forever. If you spot one on your next Coles run, grab it. At $14 it’s one of those small finds that makes the week feel just a little bit easier — and right now, that counts for a lot.