Roasted chicken and smashed potatoes traybake
Roasted chicken and smashed potatoes traybake
Chicken and potatoes are undeniably a classic combo for a roast. What makes this recipe even better is the convenience of cooking whole potatoes without boiling them first. All done in one tray! I first posted this recipe on my social media and it was very popular with countless remakes. Hence I thought I’d add it to the blog also for future reference.
Ingredients used
The ingredients are super simple and minimum! I used unpeeled baby potatoes (which are lightly smashed) for time efficiency but instead, you can also cut large potatoes. Chicken drumsticks and thigh fillets are used for this traybake as they are meaty pieces that do not dry out easily. You may choose to use just one kind. I used a combination to accommodate the pieces my family enjoys eating more. My kids are avid chicken drumstick eaters! The seasoning includes my favourite duo of oregano and sweet paprika.
Method used
To make this recipe a traybake only I cook the potatoes covered on their own first with some stock. I score them with a knife beforehand to allow the liquids to be absorbed easier. Once they cook on their own I use my potato masher to lightly smash them and pour extra virgin olive oil on them and salt liberally. Smashing will increase the surface area to help it crisp up as well as the extra virgin olive oil and salt. Lastly, the marinated chicken is added with some garlic and if you have any fresh oregano on hand put that in the tray too.
Roasted chicken with smashed potatoes traybake
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 40 mins
Ingredients
• 6 chicken drumsticks
• 4 chicken thighs
• 1 kg white baby potatoes, washed and unpeeled
• 750 mL warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed whole
• salted butter, optional
Chicken seasoning
• 1 ½ tbs dry oregano
• 1 tbs sweet paprika
• 2 tsp salt
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Marinate the chicken with the seasoning mix, cover and set aside so you may prepare the potatoes. You may choose to marinate the chicken overnight or even a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.
2. Use a fork or a knife to score each of the potatoes. Place them in a large baking dish (mine was round with a 38cm diameter). Pour the 750mL hot water into the baking dish and then cover the tray with aluminium foil. If your baking dish is smaller you may need less water. Place the tray on the middle rack for 50min.
3. Once the time is up, take the tray out of the oven and if there is a lot of water that hasn’t evaporated still tip some out. Use a masher to press down on each potato. They won’t be super soft yet but this will open them up and create extra surface areas for some crispy ends and to absorb the pan juices. Season each of the potatoes with salt and drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil liberally. Arrange the marinated chicken and garlic around the potatoes. Place the tray back in the oven for 30min uncovered.
4. After that time flip the chicken over so that it can brown on the other side too and you may drizzle the pieces with some extra virgin olive oil to help with the browning. If there is a lot of liquid released at this point you can tip some out or reserve to add on top of your food later. Place a bit of butter on each potato for extra flavour if you like and then return the tray back to the oven for a further 15-20min until everything is cooked and gets some colour.
