Chicken: One pot and baked : )
So I’ve had a couple of people ask me for inspiration for a mid-week dinner and what better to use than the humble chicken. Chicken is such a versatile meat and you can do so much with it!
My top three chicken dishes have to be:
1. baked chicken
2. ballotine of chicken stuffed with sundried tomatoes
3. chicken casserole (got to have a slow cooker jobby up there)
My favourite cut has to be the thigh though. It has so much flavour and moisture and with the availability of the boneless skinless variety there is no faff and it is way healthier because it’s skinless. Bonus!
I use a lot of chicken when cooking and for me the secret to getting away from it being repetitive lies in the flavour combination. I have to admit I am a huge believer in marinades, what better way to tenderise and add flavour at the same time? You can also freeze chicken in a marinade for use later on. This comes in handy if you buy in bulk or want to get food prep out of the way in one go.
I’ve been being really good with what I’m eating and even doing some regular exercise…(GASP) Those HIIT workouts I’m getting put through are tough! 
With all the hard work I’m putting in to exercising I don’t want to come home and fill my face with the nearest thing, that would be completely pointless although momentarily satistying. My aim this week has been to focus on having something that could be pre-prepared if I’m being organised or takes 10mins max preparation if I’m not. So baked chicken it is.
I’ve seen a few recipes for one pot chicken dishes and I have to say the best ones are the ones that include what YOU like to eat. I mean come on… I’m not going to tell you there’s a magic way of doing this because there really isn’t. I’m a huge veggie fan so my one pots tend to have a lot of different veg in. The more colourful your range of veg the wider the nutrients you will be getting so feel free to rainbow it up. I also add the obligatory potato because according to JB, “it just isn’t a full meal without potato.”
 |
| Marinated chicken |
The easiest way to prepare your one pot (and save on washing up) is using a food bag. I literally do not know how my kitchen would function without them! I chop my chicken up and put it in the marinade in the food bag and give it a good shake*. By getting the chicken sorted first you give the flavour a bit of time to soak in and work its magic. With that to one side I can chop all my other ingredients roughly into cubes of a similar size to help with cooking times and whack them in an ovenproof dish. Empty your chicken into the dish, give it a good stir and bang it in the oven.
I am very definitely not a fan of carb on carb so I’ll serve this with some rocket and spinach or a bit of broccoli. This could also be done without the potato in it and served in tortilla wraps or with some rice depending on just how lazy you’re feeling. This dish definitely has a permanent spot on my weekday rotation because it is so easy to make. I know I can bang everything in the oven and have time to get changed and have a brew before I sit down for dinner.
Check out the recipe and let me know what you think 🙂
*If you want to freeze the marinated chicken, write on your food bag so you know what it is and put it in at this stage.
Bea's Bites Online 