Packed with golden roast potatoes, juicy chicken, smoky bacon and Mediterranean staples, Mary Berry’s Mediterranean chicken is a hearty and satisfying dish. Perfect for feeding the whole family with minimal hassle, this simple and straightforward recipe brings something a little different to the table. This dish is roasted in stages for maximum flavour and crispness, and the courgettes are added partway through to keep them tender, while the paprika brings just the right amount of warmth.

Sharing the recipe from the cookbook Mary Berry Cooks, The Happy Foodie said: “This is a great way to feed the family as the chicken and veg are all cooked in one very large tray in the oven. It takes only minutes to put everything together then it sits in the oven for under an hour with no fussy finishing off to do and only one pan to wash up.”

When made as instructed, this dish serves six and is ready in just over an hour – most of which is hands-off roasting time.

Mary Berry’s Chicken traybake recipe

Ingredients

One kg main crop potatoes, peeled and cut into five-centimetre (two-inch) chunks

Three tbsp olive oil

One large onion, cut into wedges

Two garlic cloves, crushed

Six rashers of smoked streaky bacon, snipped into one cm (half inch) pieces

Six chicken thighs

Six chicken drumsticks

Five preserved lemons, cut into quarters

1½ tsp paprika

Three courgettes, thickly sliced

One 200g can anchovy-stuffed green olives, drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Start by setting the oven to 220C, or 200C for fan-assisted models, Gas Mark seven. Select a large roasting tray and place the potatoes inside. Drizzle over two tablespoons of olive oil and mix well, ensuring the potatoes are evenly coated.

Next, add the chopped onion, garlic cloves, bacon strips, and chicken portions. Combine everything thoroughly so the ingredients are well mixed.

Cut the lemons into wedges and nestle them among the other contents in the tray. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then dust the entire mixture with paprika. Place the tray in the oven and roast for forty minutes.

Meanwhile, place the sliced courgettes in a bowl. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil, season lightly, and toss until coated.

After the initial roasting time, insert the courgettes amongst the chicken and vegetables. Scatter the olives across the surface and return the tray to the oven. Roast for a further 20 minutes, or until both the chicken and vegetables are deeply golden and cooked through.

It is crucial not to cram the roasting tin — each component needs sufficient space to cook properly. Ensure everything lies in a single layer; if the tray is too crowded, use a second one to avoid steaming rather than roasting.

Preserved lemons, which are typically available in jars within the specialist food section of most supermarkets, originate from Moroccan cuisine. Once opened, preserved lemons will keep for up to one month in the refrigerator. Alternatively, they can be stored in a freezer-safe container and frozen for as long as three months.