Lemon chicken and Mediterranean vegetables from the tray

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 m.-sized sweet potato(s)
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• ½ bell pepper(s), color of your choice
• Olive oil, 30 – 50 ml
• herbs, Mediterranean
• 1 lemon(s), untreated
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• Thyme
• rosemary
• marjoram
• Paprika powder
• chili powder
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 55 minutes

simple and delicious, bonus: the stove stays clean

It’s best to prepare the chicken fillets a few hours in advance! Rinse the fillets, pat them dry, and gently pound them with a meat tenderizer. This will help them cook faster and become tender as butter. Don’t overdo it, though, or they’ll dry out later. For the marinade, zest the lemon, squeeze the lemon, and mix the juice and zest with plenty of salt, a teaspoon of brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, and a little pepper, if desired, until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Crush or finely chop the garlic clove and add it. Pour on about the same volume of olive oil and mix well. Then marinate the chicken breasts for a few hours. Roughly chop the vegetables and onion. Peel the sweet potato beforehand, if desired, or simply brush it off. Mix about 30–50 ml of olive oil with salt, pepper, and Mediterranean herbs. Fresh herbs from the balcony or garden are naturally most aromatic, but dried ones will also do. Preheat the oven to 200°C (top/bottom heat). Line a slightly deeper baking tray with baking paper and fold the paper up at the edges. Arrange the vegetables on the right and left sides of the tray, pour the herb and oil mixture over them, and toss the vegetables around, ideally with your hands, until they are all oiled. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place them in the center of the tray. With the smooth side facing up, this will reduce the amount of juices from the meat. Reserve any leftover marinade for now. Place everything in the oven for about 30 minutes. Turn the vegetables over occasionally and drizzle a little of the remaining marinade over the meat. After 30 minutes, everything should be cooked through, and the vegetables should then be removed. If you prefer the meat a little more browned, remove the vegetables from the tray, increase the temperature again (about 250°C), and let the chicken sizzle until the desired color. I love this recipe as a light dinner. If you like, you can marinate the chicken in the morning or the day before. This way, you can quickly prepare everything after work and put it in the oven. The leftovers are also great to eat cold the next day or warmed up (covered). I also like to crumble some feta cheese over the vegetables.