Italian chicken, tomato, pumpkin and mozzarella bake

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 65 minutes

Ingredients

chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

800g, at room temperature dried mixed herbs or oregano

1½ teaspoons lemon zest of 1

olive oil 2 tablespoons

pumpkin (or butternut) 600-700g, cut into 1-2cm cubes (you can leave the skin on)

red onion 1, chopped

garlic 4 cloves, chopped

thyme leaves (or rosemary leaves), 2 teaspoons, finely chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

crushed tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes) 2 × 400g cans

tomato paste 2 tablespoons

sugar 2 teaspoons

red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons

roasted red capsicum 1 large (from a jar or the deli),

sliced capers (or chopped olives) 2 tablespoons, drained

white wine or chicken stock ⅓ cup

mozzarella, grated, 1 cup

basil leaves or flat-leaf parsley a small handful, to garnish

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Mix dried herbs, lemon zest and olive oil in a large bowl or dish, add chicken and toss to coat. Leave to marinate at room temperature for

15-20 minutes.

2 In prepared tray, toss pumpkin, onion and garlic with thyme, a good drizzle of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes or until slightly caramelised.

3 Stir tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and vinegar together in a pot and simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly reduced. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a good glug of olive oil. Stir in roasted capsicum and capers.

4 Season marinated chicken with salt. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large fry pan on medium heat. Brown chicken in batches, on both sides (but you don't have to cook it right through) and set aside. Add wine or stock to the pan and allow to bubble for a minute or two while you use a wooden spoon to rub the bottom of the pan to release all the pan brownings (there's tonnes of flavour in this so you don't want it to go to waste!)

5 Arrange chicken and vegetables in a roasting dish or large baking dish. Pour wine reduction from the pan over the chicken. Spoon sauce on top and scatter with mozzarella.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, then switch to grill for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

6 Scatter basil or parsley on top. Serve with steamed green veg such as beans or broccoli (for a winter meal) or a leafy green salad (for a summer meal) and mashed potato, creamy polenta or pasta.

Notes

Nadia Lim Let’s Eat page 44