Sticky Chicken Bake

A tray of roasted vegetables, in a hot oven for 30 -40 minutes, has become a staple here - a mixture depending on what's in the fridge, but always at least half an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, something sweet, say half a sweet potato or part of a butternut squash, usually a red pepper, perhaps a leek and a stick of celery. If we are hungry, or it seems a good idea, maybe 4 or 5 potatoes. All these chopped into smallish, but not too small, pieces and turned into a bowl with olive oil, maybe 2 tablespoons, plus salt, pepper, and what ever flavouring will suit what is going on top. If feta, sprinkled on for the last 5 minutes, then dried oregano and lemon juice. If it is sausages, to be cooked from the beginning on top in the same mixture, then hot and sweet paprika with oregano or thyme. A packet of ready cooked lentils can be mixed in for 10 minutes at the end  and will go with any flavouring you fancy. Spinach or kale can be added for the last 5 minutes too.

This recipe uses another, last minute flavour coating which gives you very delicious vegetables and is a good route for chicken breasts for a change as they don't dry out.

Sticky Chicken Bake

N0 6/200/190 - check your oven for hot but not too hot.

For 2 - but easily increased for 4 by using a bigger roasting tin and more veg

2 chicken breasts - skin on and on the bone if you can.

• A veg mixture as above, enough to lay out on a shallow tin and not be crowded. You can add anything you like or have, as long as you chop them into roughly the same size (very roughly).
• Mix this into a bowl with 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, chopped rosemary and salt and pepper.
• Spread them out on the tin and roast for 15 minutes.
• Season the chicken, sprinkle with a little oil and place on top. Cook another 20 minutes.
• Mix 2 tablespoons maple syrup with up to 2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard and the juice of half a lemon.
• Take the tin out of the oven, pour this all over everything, mix a little, and put it back for 10 minutes or until there is a nice sticky coating on the chicken skin.

For 2 people this was more than enough, but for 4, more veg and perhaps jacket potatoes?