Summer Chicken & Veg Traybake with Basil Pesto

By Emma Hatcher.

An easy, vibrant, no-fuss dinner that suits summer entertaining just as much as it does a weeknight. Make the pesto in advance for minimal effort on the night - and you could even chop the veg in advance too.

To make this recipe low FODMAP, skip the garlic clove when making the pesto and swap 25ml of the olive oil for garlic infused olive oil. Equally delicious.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers
1 large courgette
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
8 free range chicken thighs
A few sprigs of rosemary
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, sliced into wedges

For the basil pesto:
50g pine nuts
80g basil
50g parmesan, grated
1 garlic clove
Zest of 1 lemon
125ml olive oil

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Chop the peppers into large chunks, removing the stems and any seeds. Trim and chop the courgette into large chunks and place both veg into a large roasting tin. Drizzle with half the olive oil and season well. Bake for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, nestle the chicken thighs around the vegetables, along with the sprigs of rosemary. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil, season everything well with salt and pepper, then place the tray back in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of cooking add the cherry tomatoes to the tray, giving everything a shuffle so it sits in a single layer.

Meanwhile, make the pesto by adding all of the ingredients, except the olive oil, into the base of a food processor. Turn the processor on and drizzle in the olive oil, blitzing until smooth. Taste and season. Once the chicken is cooked through, serve with lemon wedges and the pesto drizzled on top.