Dairy-free one-pan Mediterranean chicken recipe with red peppers and olives

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).

Step 2

Place the chicken pieces on a tray, skin side up, and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of the dried Italian herbs.

Step 3

Heat an ovenproof saucepan or large casserole dish over medium heat. Add a little olive oil to the pan and fry the chicken thighs, skin side down first, in batches for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove and set aside.

Step 4

Using the same pan, add a little more olive oil, if needed, and cook the onion for 3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant.

Step 5

Add the eggplant and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of Italian herbs, the diced tomatoes, and the roasted red pepper strips. Mix well to combine.

Step 6

Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the vegetable and tomato mixture, skin side up. Cover the pan with a lid or aluminium foil and bake for 45-55 minutes. For crisper skin, remove the cover during the final 10-15 minutes of cooking and increase the oven temperature slightly.

Step 7

Once cooked, remove from the oven. Scatter on the olives, season generously with sea salt and cracked black pepper, and add fresh basil leaves, if using.

Step 8

Serve hot with toasted sourdough or rice, and a simple green salad.