Chicken and Pea Traybake
Chicken thighs roasted over leeks and a full bag of frozen peas with dill and lemon. One tray, no browning, dinner for four.
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total
- 55 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
The genius of this traybake, a Nigella Lawson weeknight standard, is that the peas go in frozen and come out braised, soaking up chicken fat, wine and dill underneath crisping thighs.
There is no browning, no pre-cooking and almost no washing up. Ten minutes of assembly buys you a 45-minute wait and a complete dinner.
This dish is one of our top 10 recipes that made Nigella Lawson famous.
method
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Scatter the leeks, peas and half the dill over a large deep roasting tray. Pour over the wine and half the oil.
Sit the chicken thighs on top, skin side up. Rub with the remaining oil and season generously.
Roast for 45 minutes, until the skin is golden and crisp and the peas underneath are soft and savory.
Finish with the lemon zest, a squeeze of juice and the rest of the dill, and serve from the tray.
chef's tips
- Never turn the chicken. Skin up from start to finish is what makes it crisp.
- The peas are supposed to go soft and braised, not stay bright. That is the dish.
- Bread for the tray juices is not optional in any meaningful sense.