A recent taste test has pitted two celebrity chef chicken traybake recipes against each other, with one emerging as the clear winner for flavour and simplicity. Mary Berry's Mediterranean all-in-one chicken and Rick Stein's chicken, lemon and garlic traybake were both put to the test by a food writer.
Mary Berry's version uses chicken thighs and drumsticks, along with vegetables, olives and preserved lemons. While described as straightforward, the recipe was noted for its longer ingredient list and higher cost. The writer found the preserved lemons' salty brine slightly overpowering and opted to replace them with a standard lemon in future.
Rick Stein's traybake, by contrast, requires only chicken thighs, fennel, courgette slices and baby potatoes, with fresh lemons for flavouring. The chicken is pan-seared before roasting, resulting in crispier skin and moister meat. The writer praised its superior taste and affordability, noting they had made it three times in one month.
Both recipes offer a convenient one-pan approach, but Stein's version won out for its balance of flavour and ease. The writer concluded that while Mary Berry's traybake was enjoyable, Rick Stein's delivered more rewarding results with fewer ingredients.
