What’s cooking today: Chicken, brinjal & pancetta bake

We know you love our chicken recipes, and our oven baked suppers, so we’ve come up with another winner for you. Its ingredients include the homemade olives from my own olive tree, but of course any black olives will do, or even green ones. You could add chilli as well, if you like.

(Serves 3)

Ingredients

6 chicken pieces

2 brinjals/aubergines/eggplant, halved

2 large beef tomatoes, quartered

6 pickled garlic cloves, chopped

10 black olives

80 g pancetta rashers

8 oregano sprigs

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 220℃. Oil an oven tray.

Place the chicken pieces skin side down and rub them in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then turn them over and season the other side.

Wrap rashers of pancetta around each portion (I used Richard Bosman pancetta, which I ordered online, but if you’re not in the sticks as I am you can probably find some at a good supermarket or deli. (I had enough for two rashers for each piece in my 80 g vacuum pack, but one or two or even three is fine.)

Stuff oregano sprigs between the chicken pieces. Insert tomato wedges between the chicken pieces. Season with more salt and pepper, lightly.

Place olives between tomatoes and chicken.

Cut the brinjals in half lengthwise and place in the pan. Pour olive oil over their undersides, then turn and oil the cut sides. Season with salt and pepper. Chop garlic and sprinkle it all over the cut sides. Oil the top side of the chicken and tomatoes.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 90 minutes or until the chicken is crisp and golden and the brinjals tender. DM/TGIFood

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