John Torode's one tray family feast
It's the solution for any busy house, just a few ingredients, one tray and the oven does the work.
John's followed the formula and has come up with a delicious feast for the family with his flavour-packed Mediterranean chicken bake.
Mediterranean chicken tray bake
Serves 4
Ingredients
200g small potatoes
8 boned chicken thighs (skin on)
A little olive oil
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Some thyme or rosemary
5 large plum tomatoes
1 large red pepper or 2 long red peppers
2 long red chillies
2 big handful large green olives (pitted)
1 lemon cut into four thick slices
3 banana shallots peeled and halved
30ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Big handful or flat leaf parsley
Big handful of watercress plus some extra
1 lemon to squeeze over
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200c
2. Put the potatoes in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover and place on the stove to cook for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, take a large baking tray and line with a sheet of baking paper, then lay on the paper rosemary or the thyme.
4. In a mixing bowl put the oil and salt and pepper and the paprika, stir together and now rub the mix all over the boned chicken thighs.
5. Reshape the chicken thighs so they are rolled up and plump and place on the tray on top of the herbs.
6. Using a small sharp knife, repeatedly pierce the skin of all the chicken thighs.
7. Make sure there is a good separation between each rolled thigh and cook for 35 minutes.
8. As they cook, prepare the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, spread them out over the baking dish with the shallots.
9. Split the peppers and remove the seeds and cut into quarters.
10. Split the chillis down the centre and remove the seeds, add the olives and a little oil and mix all the vegetables with a good amount of salt and pepper.
11. Now drain the potatoes and using a small knife, split them in half and mix with the seasoned oiled vegetables.
12. Slide the tray into the hot oven and leave it to roast for 25 minutes.
13. Now the chicken and the vegetables should now come from the oven at the same time.
14. Take the vegetable tray and place on the table topped with the chicken and garnish with fresh parsley and watercress.
Serving suggestions -
Using a fork sort of squash, the tomatoes a little, so they are a chunky sauce before mixing the herbs into the sauce.
Serving with a chunky Riata.
Have with big hunks of garlic bread and mayonnaise.