Fast Roast Rosemary Chicken & Veg

Fast Roast Rosemary Chicken & Veg

Tray bakes like this are brilliant for family dinners because you just pop everything in the oven and let dinner practically cook itself. Especially great on those evenings where there are a lot of demands on the cook’s attention! They’re also great because you can load up the plates of any little (or large) carb-lovers in the house and save the other parts for the low-carb fans.

6-8 new potatoes
450g (1lb) chicken thigh fillets
2-4 sprigs rosemary or thyme
2 handfuls snowpeas (mangetout), sliced
mayo, pesto or hummus to serve

1. Preheat your oven to 250C (480F). Scrub and halve potatoes and pop in a pan of water. Simmer until just cooked, about 15 minutes.

2. Drain spuds and place in a roasting pan with the chicken and rosemary / thyme. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle over some salt. Roast spuds and chicken for 15 minutes.

3. Add snow peas and cook until everything is well browned and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Serve in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves with your sauce of choice on the side.

Variations

lower carb – replace spuds with 1-2 heads broccoli or 1/2 cauliflower chopped into florettes (no need to boil first).

lemony – halve a lemon and roast with the chicken and veg. Squeeze over the lemony juices before serving.

vegetarian – replace chicken with a truckload of veggies! I’m thinking mushrooms, eggplant (aubergine), capsicum (bell peppers), zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower. Just make sure they’re chopped small enough so they’ll cook quickly. I’d serve with some roast almonds or other nuts for extra protein.

garlicky – pop a few unpeeled cloves of garlic in with the chicken.

carb-lovers / more substantial – increase the spuds or serve with crusty bread and butter.

different meat – also brilliant with good quality sausages.

short on time – pan fry chicken instead and serve with boiled spuds.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

new potatoes – keeps in a dark pantry for months.

chicken thigh fillets – freeze them.

rosemary or thyme – keeps for ages in a plastic bag in the fridge or even longer in the freezer.

snow peas – can be frozen but best to use for another meal.

mayonnaise – unopened keep in pantry or will keep for months in fridge once opened.

Prepare Ahead

You could roast the veg up to a week ahead but I think the chicken is best when freshly cooked. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1 week or can be frozen.