Deciding what to make for dinner can be tricky, particularly as many recipes branded "quick and easy" frequently feature an extensive ingredients list and countless steps. That's why most new recipes I try from online sources tend to be traybakes or one-pot dishes.
They're an excellent way to feed the family as both the chicken and vegetables cook together in a single large tray in the oven.
I'm a big fan of chicken traybake recipes, and I've tried two that have really impressed me - they're quite similar, but they're from two different celebrity chefs: Rick Stein and Mary Berry.
I've prepared Rick Stein's chicken, lemon and garlic traybake and Mary Berry's Mediterranean all-in-one chicken. Since trying both, there's one I've rustled up three times in a month.
Mary Berry's Mediterranean All-in-One Chicken
When following Mary Berry's Mediterranean all-in-one chicken dish, I did make two adjustments. Mary Berry's recipe is a fuss-free recipe that combines tender chicken with colourful vegetables, all seasoned and coated for maximum flavour.
The recipe suggests one chicken thigh and one drumstick per person, though you can use less if appetites aren't quite so hearty.
While I largely stuck to the instructions quite closely, I did make two modifications. The first involved removing the green olives, as they're not really to my taste, and the second was extending the cooking time by an additional 10 minutes after adding the courgettes.
This traybake was absolutely delicious; although, when preparing it next time, I'd likely substitute the preserved lemons with a fresh lemon, as the saltwater coating the dish wasn't entirely to my liking.
Rick Stein's Chicken, Lemon and Garlic Traybake
Rick's recipe calls for fresh lemons, which gives a much better flavour to the chicken and veg. For Rick Stein's chicken traybake recipe, he suggests simply using chicken thighs arranged on a base of fennel, courgette slices, and baby potatoes.
Much like Mary Berry's version, the meal is enhanced with lemons; though, Rick's approach uses fresh lemons, which delivers a far superior taste to both the chicken and vegetables.
Since the chicken needed browning in a pan before oven-baking, the skin on the meat crisped up wonderfully and maintained the chicken's moisture brilliantly.
While Rick Stein's chicken traybake recipe demanded more preparation, the taste it delivers is considerably superior. I've prepared this three times in the past month.
I also appreciated the modest number of ingredients required for this traybake and the reduced expense compared to Mary Berry's pricier version.
