This no-fuss tray bake should be part of every busy family's weekly meal repertoire.

Recipes & Styling Natalie Homan | Photographs Brendan Homan

Chicken tray bake
serves 4

6-8 chicken pieces, bone in, skin on
2 small sweet potato
4 potatoes
salt & pepper
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup olive oil
80g firm feta
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley

for marinade
1⁄3 cup lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
8 thyme sprigs
1⁄3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Mix together the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken, either in a ziplock bag or a non-reactive bowl. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 190C. Thinly slice the potatoes and sweet potato (a mandolin provides even, very thin slices, making the job quick and easy – and ensures a quicker cooking time). Line a baking tray with baking paper (to make washing up a breeze) and place handfuls of the potatoes and sweet potatoes to cover the base. Nestle the chicken pieces on top and pour over the marinade. Add the chicken stock, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 220C, remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Serve tray bake garnished with crumbled feta and parsley.

This recipe first appeared in the April 2022 issue of SALIFE magazine.