Mary Berry's one-pot chicken recipe, featuring a whole spatchcock chicken with Mediterranean-style vegetables, has been praised by home cooks as "amazing" and "easy to follow". The dish is cooked in a single vessel, described as a "simple one-pot recipe" from her Mary Makes It Easy series.
A hearty all-in-one dish for families
The recipe notes explain: "A whole spatchcock chicken with Mediterranean-style vegetables, this is a healthy and hearty all-in-one dish made in a casserole or deep saucepan. Removing the backbone of the chicken makes it a spatchcock, and it is easier to arrange in the pot and to carve or joint."
The dish serves four people, but the description adds: "Double up for eight people, if you wish, and arrange two chickens in a large roasting tin, covered in foil."
Home cooks share glowing feedback
Domestic cooks who have tried the recipe have left positive comments. One individual said: "Easy recipe to follow and so nice to do it every few weeks, easy to do so much flavour."
Another said: "It has been a long time since I tried a first-time recipe and enjoyed it so much." An additional reviewer said: "This recipe was amazing - so tasty and I'm definitely making this again- thank you, Mary."
A fourth added: "Loved it. Full of flavour. Easy to make. The whole family loved it and wants me to make it again. It will become a regular dinner for us."
Ingredients and method
The ingredients include two tablespoons of olive oil, one large onion thinly sliced, one large fennel bulb thinly sliced, one red pepper deseeded and diced, three large garlic cloves finely grated, 100ml white wine, a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, two tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste, two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, one small whole chicken, five bay leaves, a lemon thinly sliced, one teaspoon of paprika and one tablespoon of runny honey.
To make the dish, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Heat the oil in a deep, lidded casserole or a large, lidded, ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add the onion, fennel and pepper and fry for about three to four minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and boil to reduce by half.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, seasoning with salt and black pepper. Put the chicken upside down on a board and remove the backbone by cutting either side of the bone with scissors. Turn it over and press down on the breastbone to flatten it.
Arrange the lemon and bay leaves over the chicken, then place it breast side up on top of the vegetables in the casserole or frying pan. Season and bring to the boil. Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven for around 35 minutes.
Remove the lid, sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with honey. Return to the oven, uncovered, for about 30 minutes to brown and finish cooking. Serve by spooning the vegetables onto a hot platter, then joint or carve the chicken before arranging it on top.
The vegetables can be prepared ahead of time, with the note to bring them back to the boil before adding the chicken and placing in the oven.
