This is one of my favourite recipes as it's low effort, high reward. Cooking healthy food does not have to be complicated or time consuming. This dish takes 10 minutes to put together, and the oven does the rest. It's loaded with fresh flavours of lemon and basil, and is also a perfect recipe to teach your teens to put together and build their cooking confidence!
Free-range chicken pieces roasted with cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes and green beans, tossed with lashings of basil pesto and a touch of fresh lemon.
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SERVES: 2-3
TIME: Hands on time 10 minutes, Total Time 40 mins.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 Free-range Chicken Thighs
- 1 x 250g Punnet of Cherry Tomatoes (rinsed, sliced in half)
- 3 TBS Basil Pesto (mixed with olive oil to get to drizzling consistency)
- 2 Cups Baby Potatoes (rinsed, sliced in half)
- 1 Large Handfuls Green Beans (rinsed, trimmed, sliced in half)
- 1 Large Lemon (rinsed, zested, then juiced)
- Juice 2- 3 TBS
- Zest 1+ TBS
- 1tsp Italian Seasoning
- 2 – 3 TBS Olive Oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP 1
- Preheat oven to 190°C.
- Zest lemons, then juice.
- Mix pesto with 2 to 3 TBS olive oil. Set half this mixture aside for later.
- Transfer the other half of the pesto mixture to a bowl, now add the zest, lemon juice, & Italian seasoning. Season well with salt & pepper. Mix, then set aside.
STEP 2
- Slice potatoes in half.
- Place chicken pieces & potatoes in an oven proof dish.
- Toss with the lemon-pesto mix. Roast on 190°C for +- 15 mins.
STEP 3
- While the chicken cooks, slice beans in half.
- Transfer beans and cherry tomatoes to a bowl, season well & toss with olive oil. Set aside
STEP 4
- After 15 mins, remove chicken dish from oven, add the beans and cherry tomatoes to the dish, & toss lightly to coat with the pan juices.
- Place dish in the oven for +-15 mins, or until cooked through.
STEP 5
- Once chicken is done, remove from the oven & gently mix/stir. You may need to add a splash of water to loosen any sauce in the pan.
- Drizzle over the remaining pesto mix you set aside earlier.
- Garnish with fresh basil (if you're feeling fancy).
- Serve on it's own or with salad.
TIPS & SUBSTITUTES:
Baby marrows, brussel sprouts and quartered red onions also work well in this dish.
If you’re entertaining, level it up by scattering over some crumbled feta and pitted olives just before you remove it from the oven, then garnish with zest and fresh basil.