This Mediterranean-inspired dish is packed full of flavour with tender chicken, roasted potatoes, crispy bacon, olives and an array of vegetables all seasoned with paprika.Lifestyle
Katherine McPhillips and Katherine McPhillips
12:40, 08 Jul 2024Updated 12:45, 08 Jul 2024
Struggling to decide what’s for dinner?
Look no further than Mary Berry’s one-pot wonder that’s perfect for a summer evening.
This Mediterranean chicken bake is a scrumptious mix of juicy chicken, golden potatoes, crispy bacon, olives, and a medley of veggies, all seasoned with a dash of paprika.
Whipping up this dish is a breeze; it takes less than 10 minutes to prep the ingredients and get them into the roasting tin. Then, just let the oven do its magic for about an hour.
Mary Berry herself praises the dish’s simplicity: “This is a great way to feed the family as the chicken and veg are all cooked in one very large tray in the oven.”
She adds: “It takes only minutes to put everything together then it sits in the oven for under an hour with no fussy finishing off to do and only one pan to wash up,” reports the Express.
READ MORE: Traditional champ recipe from an Irish granny is a ‘lip-smacking alternative to mashed potatoes’
This quick and easy dinner dish is perfect to make during the week.
Ready to give it a go?
Here’s how to make Mary Berry’s one-pot Mediterranean chicken dinner that serves six.
Ingredients (serves six)1kg of potatoes (cut into two-centimetre chunks)Six chicken thighsSix chicken drumsticksSix rashers of bacon (snip into one-centimeter pieces)Five preserved lemons (Cut into quarters)One large onion (Cut into wedges)Two garlic cloves (crushed)Three courgettes (thickly sliced)One and a half tablespoons of paprikaOne can of green olives (drained)Three tablespoons of olive oilSalt and pepper
Mary advises on portions: “The recipe allows one chicken thigh and one drumstick per person, but use less if you are not such big eaters. I love stuffed olives, but use plain green or black ones if you prefer.”
She also recommends a special ingredient for an extra zing: “The preserved lemons really gives a lovely citrus tang to the dish and are well worth using but if you can’t find them use one sliced lemon instead.”
This Mediterranean-inspired chicken dinner can be prepared in only 10 minutes READ MORE: Jamie Oliver shares ‘classic’ carbonara recipe with unique additionRecipe:
To start, preheat your oven to 220C (200 Fan or Gas 7).
Firstly, get your ingredients ready. Peel and chop the potatoes into two-inch pieces, slice the onion into wedges, crush the garlic cloves, quarter the lemons, cut the courgettes into thick slices and snip the bacon into one-centimetre bits.
Next, put the potato chunks in a large roasting tin with two tablespoons of olive oil. Give them a good toss in the tin, then add the onion, garlic, bacon and chicken pieces.
Remember not to pack the tin too tightly – everything should be in a single layer so it cooks evenly. If you need more space, use two roasting tins.
Now, add the lemons to the tin, season everything with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the paprika, then pop it in the oven for 40 minutes.
While that’s cooking, put the courgettes in a bowl and drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When the time’s up, add the courgette pieces to the tin and scatter the olives on top.
Put everything back in the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the chicken and vegetables are golden and tender.
Finally, take it out of the oven and your tasty Mediterranean-inspired dinner is ready to serve.