Sticky Sesame and Soy Chicken Tray Bake

Flavour alert!! This dish is super-charged with loads of gorgeous ingredients making it one of the most delicious and vibrant recipes on my blog!

With few ingredients and only one roasting tray needed, this recipe could not be simpler. You can have it on the table in well under half an hour and there's absolutely no skimping on flavour. Chicken thighs are not only a bargain but they're so much more flavourful than breasts. The sauce is sweet and sticky, with hints of ginger and toasted sesame throughout, and the addition of orange really makes this dish sing. I actually used blood oranges as they're bang in season in the UK but if you can't get hold of them normal ones will work just fine.

Sticky Sesame and Soy Chicken Tray Bake

Serves 2

oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp fennel seeds

3cm piece fresh ginger, grated

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp honey

2 blood oranges, 1 juiced, 1 sliced (or use regular oranges)

100g chopped kale or spring greens, woody stalks removed

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a small frying pan. Season the chicken on all sides and then brown in the pan until golden all over. Transfer to a small ovenproof tray. Mix the soy sauce, fennel seeds, ginger, sesame oil and honey in a small bowl, then pour over the chicken. Add the orange slices and then roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the tray and wrap in tin foil to rest. Meanwhile, add the kale/spring greens to the juices in the tray and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes to wilt. Serve the chicken with the greens and orange slices. You can also add rice for a more substantial meal.