Mediterranean-style chicken traybake with halloumi
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
Creating its own delicious sauce as the chicken and vegetables cook with the white wine and herbs, this family friendly recipe is simple and quick to assemble. This dish goes really well with roast potatoes, plain rice or a warm crusty baguette.
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz whole cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 medium aubergine, washed, trimmed and sliced into 1cm/½in thick rounds
- 1 red pepper, cut into 1cm/½in thick rings, seeds decarded
- 1 courgette, washed, trimmed and cut into 1cm/½in thick rounds
- 4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half
- 8 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 20 basil leaves
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
- 150ml/¼ pint dry white wine
- 200g/7oz halloumi, cut into 8 slices
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and line a flat oven tray or a large shallow roasting tin with baking paper.
Pile the cherry tomatoes, onion, aubergine, pepper, courgette, garlic, chicken, thyme and 10 of the basil leaves in the centre of the oven tray. Season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle over the olive oil then thoroughly mix everything together.
Spread everything out across the tray so it forms a single, but snug, layer making sure to turn the chicken pieces skin-side up. Pour the white wine into a corner of the tray then gently tip to spread.
Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 35 minutes, then remove the tray and turn the heat up to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Stir the veggies, place the halloumi slices on top and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Return the tray to near the top of the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and the halloumi golden. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
To serve, divide the hot chicken, vegetables, halloumi and sauce onto your plates, top with the remaining fresh basil and place a lemon wedge on the side which can be squeezed over just before eating.
