One-tray briny chicken

This Mediterranean inspired one-tray chicken bake is the recipe that sparked Elizabeth Hewson's love of one-dish cooking. Whole cherry tomatoes roast until sweet and juicy, olive brine adds instant sour-savoury depth and the lemon softens into a jammy, bitter-tangy burst of flavour. Finished with plenty of oregano oil, it's a simple one-tray meal you'll be sure to return to time and time again.

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Ingredients

• 500 g kipfler potatoes, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 500 g cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup (50-60g) green olives in brine, pitted, halved
• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive brine
• ¼ cup capers in vinegar, drained
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ lemon, halved, then thinly sliced (skin, flesh and all)
• 6 chicken thigh cutlets, bone-in, skin-on
• ½ cup oregano leaves
• Sea salt flakes, black pepper
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Crusty bread, to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan-forced). Tn a large baking dish, add potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives and brine, capers, garlic and lemon. Lay the chicken pieces on top.
2. In a mortar and pestle (or small food processor), crush or blitz the oregano leaves with a generous pinch of salt to a chunky paste. Stir through the olive oil and vinegar.
3. Drizzle the oregano mixture over the tray bake, massaging it into the chicken pieces. Snuggle the chicken, skin-side up on top of everything. Season with extra salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden, bubbling, and the chicken and potatoes are cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving with crusty bread.

Note

You can prepare this tray bake up to 24 hours in advance – bring to room temperature before cooking. Leftovers will keep in fridge for 3 days. Reheat in 200˚C (180˚C fan-forced) oven until warmed through.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.