Deciding on dinner can be a tough choice, especially when many seemingly “quick and easy” recipes turn out to be complex with a long list of ingredients and multiple steps. That’s why I often opt for traybakes or one-pot meals when trying out new recipes online.
Traybakes are a convenient way to cook for the whole family, as they allow you to prepare chicken and vegetables together in a single large tray in the oven.
Among the chicken traybake recipes I’ve tried, two have particularly impressed me – both are quite similar but come from different celebrity chefs, Rick Stein and Mary Berry.
I’ve tested Rick Stein’s chicken, lemon, and garlic traybake as well as Mary Berry’s Mediterranean all-in-one chicken. Of the two, I’ve cooked one of them three times in just one month.
Mary Berry’s Mediterranean all-in-one chicken is a simple yet flavorful recipe that combines juicy chicken with colorful vegetables, all seasoned and cooked to perfection.
While the recipe suggests one chicken thigh and one drumstick per person, adjustments can be made for smaller portions if needed. I personally omitted the green olives and extended the roasting time by 10 minutes after adding the courgettes.
Although delicious, if I were to make this traybake again, I might substitute preserved lemons with regular lemons, as the salty brine was not entirely to my liking.
For Rick Stein’s chicken traybake, the recipe calls for chicken thighs placed on a bed of fennel, courgette slices, and baby potatoes. Similar to Mary Berry’s version, fresh lemons are used for flavoring, resulting in a tastier outcome for both the chicken and vegetables.
The chicken in Rick Stein’s recipe is pan-seared before baking, resulting in crispy skin and tender meat. Despite requiring a bit more preparation, the flavor payoff is worth it, making this dish a favorite that I’ve cooked multiple times recently.
I appreciated the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of Rick Stein’s traybake compared to Mary Berry’s slightly pricier recipe.