Za’atar Chicken & Rice Traybake.
This traybake is super easy to throw together and so tasty. The tang from the preserved lemon & green olives cuts through the rich chicken thigh meat. The chicken juices soak into the rice as it cooks and it’s utterly divine.
I’ve used broccoli & red pepper in this version, but feel free to mix up the veg and make it your own. The important thing is to cut it small so it will cook in time.
Serves 4, with leftovers
Note on chicken thighs: I like to use boneless thighs to cut time by doing my veg prep whilst the rice is getting a head start in the oven. If you’d like to use bone-in thighs, you can place everything in the oven together for around 50-55mins total (covered for half, then uncovered for the remaining time)
Ingredients.
270g long-grain white rice
700ml hot chicken stock, use 2 stock cubes
1kg skinless, boneless chicken thighs, see ‘note on chicken thighs’ above
300g broccoli
2 different colour peppers
1 preserved lemon
50g pitted green olives
A few tbsp olive oil
Rub:
3 tbsp za’atar
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp garlic granules
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
Topping:
Approx. 150g feta, crumbled
3 tbsp pine nuts
Handful fresh parsley
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
Large, deep, oven-proof dish
Gloves
Measuring jug
Tin foil
Method.
Preheat the oven to 180c (fan)
Boil the kettle and make the stock in a jug
Whilst the stock is still hot, pour into the oven dish with the rice and cover tightly with tin foil (or a lid)
Place in the oven for 25mins
Meanwhile, add the rub ingredients to the chicken and massage it in thoroughly (you may wish to use gloves for this). Set aside
Prepare the remaining ingredients: finely chop the preserved lemon, halve the olives, finely chop the parsley stems and leaves and set the leaves aside for topping later, cut the broccoli & pepper into roughly 1cm pieces
Remove the rice from the oven and stir through the remaining ingredients (not the parsley, pine nuts, or feta) until thoroughly combined. Lay the marinated chicken on top in a single layer
Drizzle generously with olive oil and return to the oven (uncovered this time) for 30mins, until the chicken is just cooked through.
After 25mins sprinkle over the pine nuts and return to the oven for the remaining 5 mins.
N.B. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the thighs. If you’re unsure, test the chicken by cutting open the thickest piece of meat. The meat should be opaque and the juices should run clear with no blood. Thigh meat has a grey-pink tone so if it’s not completely white that’s ok
Allow to rest for 5-10mins before sprinkling over the feta and chopped parsley, and enjoy!
