Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver shared his ‘satisfying’ Levantine chicken bake recipe that ‘absorbs big flavour from the chicken and spice’ with his 8.2 million Instagram followers
With summer just around the corner, our cravings turn to vibrant, sunny Mediterranean flavours, but you don’t have to dine out to enjoy them – thanks to Jamie Oliver’s brilliant shawarma chicken traybake recipe. To make Jamie’s easy, five-ingredient dish, you only need one baking dish, so it’s simple on the washing-up front too.
Preparation takes just five minutes, then the oven does all the hard work for 50 minutes. Jamie says of his recipe: “There’s something so satisfying about dishes where the oven does all the work. Inspired by flavours from the Levantine coast, the rice and aubergine absorb big flavour from the chicken and spice.”
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A traybake that serves two and weighs in at 408 calories per serving (816 total), this recipe is perfect for couples or solo diners who like to cook ahead.
Make Jamie Oliver’s simple chicken bake
Ingredients
- Four (150g) chicken thighs
- One aubergine (250g)
- 150g of basmati rice
- 50g luxury fruit and nut mix
- One heaped teaspoon of shawarma paste
Equipment you’ll need
- Olive oil and red wine vinegar (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- Baking dish
Method
First, preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. Carefully trim and halve the aubergine lengthwise, scoring the skin down the centre and halving again.
Now, place chicken thighs in the baking dish, drizzling with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and red wine vinegar (optional). Toss the chicken to coat it in oil and seasoning – just salt and pepper do the job here.
Place the baking tray in the oven and roast the chicken for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the fruit and nuts mix ready for the next step, reports the Express.
Boil the kettle and remove the chicken from the oven. Mix in the shawarma paste, basmati rice and half of the fruit and nut mix into the dish, then pour in 300ml of boiling water.
Pop it back in the oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until the rice is perfectly cooked and the chicken easily comes off the bone.
Fluff up the rice with a fork and sprinkle the remaining fruit and nuts mix over the dish, and your delicious Levantine chicken bake is ready to be dished up.
