Chicken Tray Bake with Potatoes, Peppers, Lemon and Sumac plus Bonus Recipe
Yes, I know I said we were going to do beetroot today. But come last night I still hadn't written anything and I happened to create a small dish of genius (actually two, but you know how I hate to boast).
Chicken Traybake
I don't know why I haven't done that many traybakes. They are simple and, with a little imagination, can be quite special. A couple of days ago we had pals coming round. I was going to do a dish with chicken thighs; thought I had too few; asked L to get some more when she was at the shops: then discovered I had bought two packs. Result - a surplus, some fillets, some bone in.
Two dishes therefore. The first a very lovely chasseur, a rich sauce with red wine, stock and mushrooms. It's a classic though I'm not sure I've ever posted the recipe. Until today that is - see bonus recipe below. Something else was needed for the other half. I got a few ideas online, and came up with this beauty. You can adapt it in so many ways. Winter root veg are traditional for a tray bake. I went for a variation with tatties and peppers.
Ingredients
For the marinade
About 4 or 5 tbsp olive oil; zest and juice of two lemons; 4 cloves of garlic crushed; 1 tbsp sumac; salt.
For the tray bake
6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on; 4 - 5 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks; 2 large onions, peeled and cut into large chunks; 2 peppers (any colour apart from green) deseeded and cut into 2cm chunks; 3 preserved lemons, pips removed and each cut into 8 pieces (I'm using the bottled ones which are about the size of a large pickled onion); 400ml chicken stock; 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme; 1 or 2 stalks of rosemary; sumac; olive oil; s & p.
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Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and chuck in the chicken, mixing well. Cover. If you have time you could leave overnight. I gave mine an hour and it was fine.
Set the oven for 200˚C/ Mark 5. Par boil the potatoes for 5 minutes then drain. While the tatties are cooking prepare the veg. The onions should be chopped coarsely. In a large roasting tin, layer the veg, lemons and potatoes. Season generously with s & p, and add a good sprinkling of sumac. Arrange the chicken thighs on top, skin side up. Spoon over any remaining marinade liquid. Cover with a generous glug of olive oil. Pour over the stock, making sure everything gets a wetting.
Bake for 60 minutes, Half way through give the veg a gentle stir. After the hour the dish will still be fairly liquid. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Increase the oven to 220˚C/Mark 7 and bake for a further 20 minutes or so until you have a nicely sticky consistency. You may need longer.
Voilà!
Bonus Recipe: Chicken Chasseur
Chicken Chasseur
Coming in on a cold night after a hard rehearsal, L tasted the chasseur and declared it delicious. High praise from my number one critic, let me tell you. While I've posted many chicken recipes - we eat a lot of the stuff - I don't seem to have included this. Let's have it as a bonus. It's also made with chicken thighs. I had boneless ones for this.
No idea about the name. Chasseur means hunter. I can see, indeed have seen, bloodthirsty Frenchmen in mounted packs seeking deer or wild boar. I have never ever countenanced them heading out in search of a poulet or two.
Ingredients
6 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless; 4 slices streaky bacon, quite finely chopped; 2 onions, thinly sliced; 1 stick of celery, very finely chopped (don't forget to string it); 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; good squeeze tomato purée; 375ml (half a bottle) red wine (I used a pretty ordinary Rioja. It doesn't much matter what you use provided (a) it's not too heavy and (b) you'd be prepared to drink it); 400ml rich beef stock; 1 bay leaf; sautéed mushrooms - see below; olive oil; s & p.
For the sautéed mushrooms
About 200g closed cap mushrooms, stalks removed, and peeled; glug of olive oil; about 30g butter; salt (but see below).
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An initial warning. We usually season at the beginning and then check before serving. Be sparing with the salt at the outset. Remember that you are using bacon and that at the end you will be reducing the liquid quite considerably. That will amplify the salt flavour, especially if you are using a stock pot or cube.
Trim any surplus fat from the chicken thighs and cut each one into two. In a large heavy pan fry the bacon in a little oil. You want it hot enough to release the fat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes until they have a bit of colour. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and bacon and set to one side. The idea is to retain the cooking fat, but you may have to add a little more oil. Emphasis on the word little. You don't want a greasy dish.
Gently fry the onion and celery with the garlic until soft. Season very lightly. Add the tomato purée and stir. Return the chicken and bacon to the pan. Add the wine. Increase the heat to bubble the wine and get rid of the alcohol. Add the stock and the bay leaf. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 15 - 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare the mushrooms. Cut into little cubes of about 1cm. No, don't measure them! About 9 pieces from a medium mushroom. In a frying pan heat the butter and oil until the butter begins to foam, then chuck in the mushrooms with a tiny bit of salt. Keep them moving in the pan. You'll note three stages. Firstly, they absorb the liquid; then they start to release it; then they begin to brown. Once they have a bit of colour, remove from the heat.
Back to the chicken. When it's cooked take it out of the pan and set to one side, keeping it warm. Increase the heat to reduce the liquid. Stir from time to time to make sure it doesn't stick. The idea is to get it to your desired consistency. For my own part I don't like runny sauces. Reduce the heat again and add the mushrooms and their juices and let them all get to know each other for a couple of minutes. Check the seasoning.
You could make this in advance. All you need to do is to return the chicken to the liquid and make sure it's heated through before serving.
I’m that you used beef stock and I wonder if that’s what made the dish extra good. Did you make it or is there a preferred brand you use? I generally always use chicken stock for all the stuff I do. Not so easy to come by now I do t have an Aga!
I use the Knorr rich beef stock pots. Plenty of flavour but beware of the salt. Now I know that purists will sniff, but have you ever been involved in making beef stock? Roast an ovenful of bones, then cook down for days. I was on a week long butchery course once. We started on the Monday and it was ready on the Friday. It’s one of the main advantages that pro kitchens have over us amateurs. In my defence I would say that we virtually always have home made chicken stock. I have made fish stock too, but Campbell at Eddy’s in Marchmont will sell you good fresh stuff
Looking forward to trying both of these Tom. I’ve been using thighs rather than breasts for most recipes for a few years now. So much more flavour.
Absolutely agree, and they don’t dry out. If it’s anything in a sauce, then always thigh meat. If it’s going to be the main event, breast can be great. Rolled around haggis or black pud, for example, or stuffed, Kiev style or with pesto. But otherwise, thigh it is. I was very happy with both recipes. Let me know how you get on.