Chicken, Tomato, Olive & Ciabatta Tray bake

A brilliant one-pan lunch or dinner, this requires very little chopping and even less washing up. The bread absorbs all the delicious chicken flavours and tomato juices so every mouthful is thrilling. And it’s a great way to use up stale bread and to use British tomatoes when they’re at their ripest. This can also be done with a whole chicken, just scatter everything around it in the tray.

ingredients

serves 4-6

• 800g tomatoes, mix of sizes and colours

• 8 chicken thighs, skin-on and on the bone, room temperature 

• 5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

• A head of garlic, cloves separated and unpeeled

• 6 thyme sprigs

• 2 tbsp capers

• 4 tbsp mix of black or green olives

• ½ tsp chilli flakes 

• 150g stale ciabatta or white sourdough, torn into large pieces

instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Prick any small tomatoes with the end of your knife and cut any large ones into large chunks. Gently squash the garlic cloves with the back of your knife.

 Drizzle the bottom of your largest baking tray with a little oil, then spread out the chicken skin-side down and season the top. In a large bowl, toss together all the other ingredients (except the bread and 1 tablespoon of oil) with some seasoning. Pile into the tray around the chicken and roast for 15 minutes. Toss the bread in the remaining tablespoon of oil and put to one side for a moment.

Remove the tray from the oven. Working quickly, move the chicken to a plate, then add the bread and with a fork, toss it well in all the tomatoey juices. Return the chicken to the tray and snuggle it in, skin-side up.  Return the tray to the oven for a further 30 minutes, stirring once so the bread doesn’t catch. Once until the chicken is golden and the juices run clear, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Delicious with a green salad.