Tikka Chicken Traybake

Tikka Chicken Traybake Recipe

It’s a new year and my quest for interesting things to do with a chicken continue. I love a chicken based Sunday roast but it happens to be my family’s least favourite choice. It’s cheap, delicious and rustic, but never raises a smile from the rest of the family. Curry, however, is always a strong choice and a huge crowd pleaser with the men in my life. With my rather large Christmas belly in mind too, Chicken is my meat of choice in January. Lean, low fat and cheap, not me, the chicken, that is. This Tikka Chicken Traybake is perfectly timed to suit everyone at this calorifically challenged time of the year.

January is a time for flavour but without the bulk. This dish meets this criteria on all counts. A wonderfully *eeek* moist roasted chicken slathered in tikka paste for spiced warmth sitting on a bed of veggies. This recipe is not tricky; January is also a time for effort free cooking for me. The chicken gets an initial burst in an oven tray then it gets to sit on a rack above the vegetables releasing the wonderfully spiced juices into the awaiting dish below. Potatoes and cauliflower add bulk but without being all about the stodge. Nothing else is really needed to finish this one pot special, just a sprinkling of coriander and maybe a spoonful of mango chutney to serve. We have Jamie Oliver to thank for this recipe, thank you, Jamie, you mockney genius.

The will to put down the wine and chocolates and to pick up the Weight Watchers cookery books is low in January. So at this stage, let’s just do the best we can. Curry spiced roast chicken with roasted vegetables seems like a rather delicious way to start back on the path to virtuousness.

Simple but wonderful. And look, I splashed out on fancy curry paste just for you. Any tikka curry paste would be good here, you are looking for warmth and flavour here. I didn’t bother to peel the potatoes for my dish, call it laziness or perhaps I wanted the additional vitamin C from the skin, you decide.

Make a start on this one pot January dish by lightly oiling a large roasting tin and pre heating your oven to 160 degrees fan assisted. Then pop your good sized chicken into the tin.

Massage in a couple of tablespoons of tikka curry paste into the chicken, making sure you get it into every crevice. Season with salt and pepper.

Pop this into your pre heated oven for half an hour to start the roasting process.

Now, separate your cauliflower into florets and cut your potatoes into good sized chunks. I didn’t bother to peel mine, but it’s your call. Chop the coriander stalks, reserving the leaves for garnish later. Put the whole lot into a large bowl.

Spoon on the oil and red wine vinegar and give it a good stir. Season well.

Once the initial 30 minutes is up, remove the chicken from the oven and place it onto a plate for the moment. Tip the coated vegetables into the roasting tray and stir well to coat in the chicken juices.

Put the tray of vegetables back into the oven, then carefully, so as not to burn your hands, place the part cooked chicken onto the rack above the cauliflower and potatoes.

Roast the whole lot for a further hour, maybe an hour and fifteen or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are crisp but soft. Give the potatoes and cauliflower a stir half way through the cooking time.

Place the chicken on top of the cooked vegetables and let it rest for 5 minutes before carving the chicken and serving with another green if you like and some mango chutney, because I love it. Garnish with your reserved coriander leaves.

Warming, simple and tasty. I am, frankly, rather fed up with cooking having had my apron on for what seems like a month now. It’s time to swerve the kerfuffle and opt for wholesome, easy food the family, and you, will be comforted by.

Lucy x

Tikka Chicken Traybake Recipe

Serves at least 4, dependent on the size of your chicken

You will need a good sturdy roasting tray, oiled

1 whole chicken, mine weighed around 1.6kg

2 tablespoons tikka curry paste

800g potatoes, no need to peel, roughly chopped into even sized pieces

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets

Small bunch coriander, separated into leaves and stalks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Fresh coriander leaves to garnish and an extra green vegetable if you like and I love it with mango chutney

Pre heat your oven to 160 degrees fan assisted and position your oven racks so you have one above the other. Oil a large roasting tray ready for your chicken.

Take your chicken and place in the oiled roasting tin. Spoon on 2 tablespoons of tikka curry paste and rub into the chicken, ensuring it gets into all the crevices. Season with salt and pepper then pop into your pre heated oven for 30 minutes.

Chop your potatoes into small roasties size and separate your cauliflower into florets. Roughly chop the coriander stalks and add to the vegetables. Place into a large bowl, season well and then spoon over the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Mix to combine.

Once the 30 minutes is up, remove the chicken from the oven and take out of the roasting tin. Place this onto a separate plate for the moment. Tip the potatoes and cauliflower into the roasting pan and stir to cover the veg in any pan juices. Place the tin of veggies back into the oven. Carefully, so as not to burn your hands, place the browned chicken on the rack above the vegetables, straight onto the rack. You want the chicken juices to drip onto the vegetables at they cook. Roast the whole lot for a further hour, to an hour and 15 minutes, stirring the vegetables half way through to ensure they roast evenly and are coated in the curried flavours from the chicken.

The finished chicken will be thoroughly cooked through, golden and the vegetables will be crisp and soft. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables to rest for 5 minutes. Serve the chicken sliced with the vegetables with some further greens if you like and maybe some mango chutney.