Sometimes you come home, look in the fridge and think ‘I just can’t be bothered, let’s get a takeaway’. Or in my case, with no restaurants willing to deliver to the Suffolk outback, settle for beans on toast. Reader, this could be our salvation.
It doesn’t take any longer than twiddling your thumbs waiting for a delivery, it’s healthier (like any of us care at this point) and it’s cheaper. It does assume though that you have some chicken joints knocking around your fridge and an assortment of veg and spices. I cheated on the spices – I used a bought Lebanese Seven Spice mix. Sue me.
If you don’t have any or want to make your own, mix equal amounts of ground black pepper, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and fenugreek. I served the finished dish with freekeh, ready-made from a packet. What? It had been a long day.
Lebanese Seven Spice Chicken
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, on the bone
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp Lebanese Seven Spice powder
Salt and pepper
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
2-4 sweet (bell) peppers, de-seeded and quartered
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
A punnet of cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, 1/2 thinly sliced, the other half juiced
More oil, salt and pepper
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Drizzle the chicken with oil and rub with the spice mixture. Season with salt and pepper and if you have time, leave to one side to marinate.
Prepare the vegetables. Place the chicken in your biggest baking tray and put a sliver of garlic and a cherry tomato in each pepper quarter. Arrange around the chicken, scattering in the remaining tomatoes and the onions. Tuck the lemon slices up against the chicken pieces and squeeze over the remaining lemon half.
Season with more salt and pepper, drizzle with a little more oil and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through and the vegetables are beginning to char a bit at the edges.
Loved the recipe 🙂
Thanks, so pleased to hear it. 🙂
This sounds wonderful! No take-out delivery here on Beaver Island, either!
Thanks, Cindy. Thank heavens for store cupboards!
The hugest warm smile: have used Baharat for decades and most often reach for it when short of time but wanting long on flavour! You have managed to ‘make’ if even juicier than I . . . shall happily copy!!
Big warm smile right back at you! Thanks, Eha, it’s delicious, isn’t it?
Sounds delicious Linda. Every time I make a quick chicken and veg tray bake I’m disappointed by the chicken fattiness. I use organic chicken, tried skin on and skin off. Any suggestions short of cooking the chicken separately on a rack
It’s not a problem I have here, to be honest, maybe our chickens are skinnier! I do trim the visible excess fat from thighs before cooking. Other than that, can only suggest (which I’m sure you’ve thought of) briefly pre-roasting the chicken and pouring off any excess fat before adding the veg. As it’s barbecue season on your side of the globe, you could grill the chicken on one side and either roast the veg or cook in a pan on the other and combine towards the end? Lx
Just …… mmmmmm.
Thanks, Margaret. xxx
Oh yum~! This is one delicious representative of the “Feel Good Food” association – amazing aromas wafting through the kitchen while a delicious and healthy meal basically cooks itself.. perfect~! I’ll give this one a go the next time I’m able to hijack an oven 🙂
Only just saw this, sorry! Don’t know how your comment got past me for so long but thank you, as ever, for the kind words. Lx
Love the sound of this, Linda. On business trips to the Middle East (mostly Saudi) yrs ago they told me that much of their cuisine was Lebanese … just delicious! Will def give this a go. Thanks.
Thanks, Chris. Yes, Lebanese food was the default upmarket setting when I was travelling in the Middle East too. It’s a fantastic cuisine.
I think Seven-spice is an incredibly under-used spice mixture. Love the combination of veggies you’re using. Do you prepare a sauce with this, or just use pan drippings?
Thank you! I find it’s moist enough without preparing a separate sauce, so I just scoop it out and serve it with the veg and lemon.
That’s terrific. Thanks.
You’re welcome! The tomatoes add moisture too of course. Lx