There is nothing I love more than a quick and easy, throw it all in, type of dinner. Especially mid-week. But, I still want it to be yummy and nutritious and of course, made with a little Royal love from scratch. I love that my CombiSteam can help me do this by making the cooking process so much simpler. Gone are the days where I had to worry my little crowned head about overcooking or drying things out. I have also forgotten all about lids (just another thing to wash up!) or covering food in my oven with foil to try to keep it moist. A little added Steam goes a very long way when you throw a few simple ingredients into a baking dish in the hope of creating a dinner delight.

Some CombiSteams will have Automatic Programs that will help you even more. I know that this particular recipe cooks beautifully using the V-Zug and Wolf CombiSteam function of "BakeOMatic - Gratin or Baked Dish" for example, so give that a try as an alternative to the "manual" cooking instructions included in the recipe if that is your brand.  With BakeOMatic you don't even need to preheat your oven and it will set the temperature, function and timer automatically!

As this is a "tray bake" style of dish you can use the same cooking method to prepare many similar recipes using your Combi Steam. One of the most common questions I get asked is always about adapting your favourite recipes or using your Combi Steam to cook recipes you find in your magazines and cookbooks. The best advice the Queen can give you all here, is to consider the "type" of dish you are cooking. In this instance, anything that fits into the idea of a "tray bake" or a gratin (think layered dishes like lasagna and scalloped potatoes) could be cooked using your Combination Steam (also known as Hot Air+Steaming) function in your own Combi Steam to get a brilliant result. Think of the Combination Steam function as a way to keep your food lovely and moist on the inside (through the Steam part of the function) whilst still achieving a nice browned outside thanks to the convection heat aspect. That's what Combination Steam is all about - the combination of convection or Fan Forced heat with some steam. It's the best of both worlds!

Now snap to it and get cooking.

Crunchy Chicken Tray Bake

Serves: 4          Prep Time: 10-15 mins   Cooking Time: approx 35 mins

Ingredients:

o  2 chorizo sausages sliced (or 4 rashers thick cut bacon chopped)
o 1 tsp olive oil
o 1 onion (halved lengthways, skin removed and cut into wedges)
o 2 capsicums (core & seeds removed and cut into chunks)
o 4 medium red skinned potatoes (cut into wedges)
o 4 cloves garlic (whole with skin on)
o a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary (or a tbs of any dried rosemary or thyme)
o 1 lemon (zested and cut into 6 wedges lengthways
o 8 chicken thighs (boneless, skin on if you can get them)
o 1 1/2 cups frozen peas (optional)
o 1 tbs each of smoked paprika & dried oregano
o S&P

Method:

1. Combine the lemon zest, oregano and paprika in a large zip lock bag with a good pinch each of S&P. Place the chicken thighs into the bag and squish them around to coat in the seasoning. Set aside. 

2. Add chorizo (or bacon) to a large baking dish with the onion, capsicum, potatoes, garlic, herbs and lemon. Add the olive oil and use tongs to toss and coat in the oil. Season everything very well with S&P. 

3. Lay the chicken thighs, skin side up, into the dish in and around the veggies.

4. Select Hot Air with Steaming (Combination Steam) on your Combi Steam oven. Set the temperature to 210°C. For variable Steam select 20%. Allow to pre-heat.

5. When preheated place the baking dish into the centre of the oven. Cook for 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender and everything is a little golden brown.

6. Remove from the oven and  add the peas around the bottom of the dish where the juices will have gathered. Give the dish a little shake to coat the peas in the juices. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes then serve.

If you like drumsticks you can use these instead or mix and match these with the chicken thighs.

Enjoy this one and keep it on rotation for those nights when quick and easy is just what you need!

Happy CombiSteaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x