Sticky chicken tray bake
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Egg-freePregnancy-friendly
The one tray barbecue-style chicken with baked potato wedges makes an easy midweek meal. Minimal washing-up, maximum flavour.
Shop bought barbecue sauce normally has a long list of ingredients you wouldn't see in a kitchen, but it's not difficult to get the same flavour from more familiar ingredients.
Ingredients
- 6–8 boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets (around 600g–800g/1lb 5oz–1lb 12oz),
- 2 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (around 650g/1lb 7oz), cut into wedges (see tip)
- 4 fresh sweetcorn knoblets (see tip)
- homemade soured cream and chive dip (see tip), and a crunchy mixed salad, to serve (optional)
- lime or lemon wedges, for squeezing
For the glaze
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1½ tbsp naturally brewed dark soy sauce (see tip)
- 1 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- pinch dried chilli flakes
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 6.
Put the sweet potatoes and corn on the cob in a large bowl, add the oil, a little salt and lots of ground black pepper and toss together. Place the potatoes on a baking tray, skin-side down. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the glaze ingredients in a large bowl and add a little ground black pepper. Add the chicken and turn to thickly coat.
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Arrange the chicken on the paper smooth-side up and opening out rather than keeping in neat shapes (this will help the chicken cook more quickly). Brush or spread with any glaze left in the bowl.
Add the corn on the cob to the tray with the potatoes after they have been cooking for 10 minutes and bake for 20 minutes more, or until all the vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
Place the chicken tray on a shelf above the vegetables and bake for 18–20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes and corn are tender and lightly browned.
Serve with a crunchy mixed salad and home-made soured cream and chive dip if you like. Spoon any cooking juices over the chicken and add a squeeze of lime or lemon too.
Recipe tips
To make a quick soured cream and chive dip, mix 150g/5½oz soured cream with 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh chives. Season with a little salt and pepper and stand for around 30 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle before serving.
Chicken thigh fillets can vary a lot in size, but around 600–800g/1lb 5oz–1lb 12oz should feed four. Aim for 2–3 per person, depending on appetite.
Choose sweet potatoes with smooth, unblemished skins. Wash well and dry with a clean tea towel. To make into wedges, put the potatoes on a board and cut in half lengthways. Cut in half lengthways again. Cut each quarter into 2–3 wedges.
Sweetcorn knoblets are fresh corn on the cob sold in short lengths. If using full-sized corn on the cob, cut in half before roasting. If you can’t get hold of fresh corn, choose frozen sweetcorn instead as it is minimally processed. Reheat according to the pack instructions.
Cold-pressed rapeseed oil is made with minimal processing and has a milder flavour than extra virgin olive oil.
Naturally brewed dark soy sauce is widely available, including reduced-salt versions. Check on labels for soy sauce made using minimal processing. It should only contain water, soybeans, flour and salt.
