Deciding on dinner can be a headache, but Mary Berry’s one-pot Mediterranean chicken bake is the ideal summer recipe to whip up on a weeknight. Mary Berry’s scrumptious Mediterranean chicken bake combines succulent chicken, golden roasted potatoes, crispy bacon, olives, and a medley of veggies, all seasoned with a dash of paprika for that extra zing.
This recipe is an absolute doddle, taking less than 10 minutes to chop the ingredients and pop them into a roasting tin before you let the oven work its magic for an hour. Mary said: “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. 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.”
So, if you need some inspiration for dinner tonight, try Mary’s recipe below.
How to make Mary Berry’s one-pot Mediterranean chicken dinner
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 said: “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.
“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.”
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C (200 gan or gas seven).
Firstly, tackle the prep. Peel and chop the potatoes into two-inch chunks, slice the onion into wedges, bash the garlic cloves, quarter the lemons, thickly slice the courgettes and snip the bacon into one-centimetre pieces.
Chuck the potato chunks into a sizeable roasting tin with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Give them a good toss in the tin, then throw in the onion, garlic, bacon, and chicken pieces.
Ensure not to cram the tin – it’s crucial for the ingredients to be in a single layer for even cooking. If necessary, use two roasting tins.
Pop the lemons into the tin, season the ensemble with salt and pepper, and dust with paprika, then put it in the oven for a 40-minute bake.
Whilst that’s bubbling away, toss the courgettes in a bowl with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. When the timer goes, add the courgette chunks to the mix and sprinkle the olives on top.
Return the dish to the oven for an additional 20 minutes or until both the chicken and veggies are golden and tender. Once out of the oven, your Mediterranean-inspired supper is ready to be served up.
Dining and Cooking