Jamie Oliver serves up five fuss-free dishes designed for busy weeknights: traybake Thai red curry chicken with squash, a lightning one‑pan chicken with rice noodles, the ultimate stuffed loaf sandwich, a harissa roast with sweet potatoes and crispy chickpeas, and a colourful coronation‑style chicken platter. These cooking, easy recipes are all about bold flavour, smart swaps and minimal faff — perfect for anyone who wants delicious food without spending all evening in the kitchen.
1. Traybake Thai Red Curry Chicken with Roast Squash, Jasmine Rice & Quick Cucumber Pickle
This traybake is comfort food with a Thai twist. Roasted squash becomes sweet and creamy like a roast potato, chicken thighs soak up red curry paste, and a coconut milk finish keeps everything silky. A fast cucumber pickle and jasmine rice finish the plate.
Ingredients
- 1 medium squash (butternut), halved, seeded and cut into 2–3cm chunks
- 1 heaped tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 600–800g skinless chicken thighs
- 200ml light coconut milk (swap to reduce saturated fat)
- Handful spring onions, sliced
- Half bunch coriander (stalks and leaves), sliced
- 200g jasmine rice
- 1 cucumber, sliced; 1 lime; pinch salt
- Sugar snap peas or mangetout to celebrate greens
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Toss squash with the red curry paste and a little oil. Add chicken thighs to the tray, season and coat well.
- Roast for 1 hour. Remove, pour over light coconut milk, mix in spring onions and coriander, then roast a further 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook jasmine rice in boiling water with a pinch of salt for 10–12 minutes. For the pickle, slice cucumber, toss with a pinch of salt, lime zest and juice and chopped coriander.
- Finish by folding in sugar snap peas into the hot tray to wilt slightly. Serve the squash and chicken with rice and the quick pickle.
"It's gonna be intense. It's gonna be delicious and it's easy."
2. 10‑Minute One‑Pan Chicken with Rice Noodles, Greens and Ancho‑Cumin Chili Sauce
A speedy, bright dish that shows how to get maximum flavour in minutes. Score chicken breasts so marinades penetrate, pan‑sear quickly, and toss with rice noodles and wok‑friendly greens. Jamie uses an ancho and cumin chili sauce that adds depth without overwhelming heat.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, lightly scored
- Rice noodles, one portion per person
- Bok choy (or pak choi), tenderstem broccoli, mangetout or sugar snaps
- 1 tsp sesame oil; splash rice wine vinegar; splash soy sauce; lime zest and juice
- Ancho & cumin chili sauce (or your favourite chilli paste)
Method
- Score chicken about 0.5cm deep. Heat a cold pan on high, oil chicken and sear scored side down 3 minutes each side.
- Quickly add bok choy to char for a minute. Soak noodles in hot water until soft and drain.
- Toss drained noodles with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy and lime zest/juice. Slice the chicken to check it’s cooked and serve with the noodles and greens.
3. The Ultimate Stuffed Loaf Sandwich with Grilled Chicken and Yogurt‑Parmesan Dip
This is sandwich theatre — a hollowed round loaf packed with grilled chicken, charred courgettes and peppers, avocado and crisp gem lettuce. Pressed and chilled, it becomes a party loaf that slices like a dream.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, butterflied and grilled
- Courgettes, peppers, avocado, gem lettuce
- Round cob loaf (hollowed)
- Olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper for a simple dressing
- For dip: 4 tbsp yogurt, 10g grated Parmesan, chopped parsley, lemon zest & juice
Method
- Grill chicken and veg on a hot griddle until charred. Toss chicken in olive oil, lemon, salt and rest in the tray to collect juices.
- Hollow the loaf, layer peppers, shredded chicken, avocado and lettuce tightly, then wrap and weigh down in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- Mix yogurt, Parmesan, parsley and lemon for the dip. Slice the loaf and serve with the dip for dunking.
Tips
- Save the hollowed bread for croutons or to thicken soups.
- Pressing the loaf melds flavours — don’t skip the chill step if you can.
4. Harissa Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Crispy Chickpeas & Harissa‑Yogurt Dip
A feasting tray that’s affordable, colourful and brilliant for sharing. Harissa provides warm layers of flavour without overpowering, and treating whole sweet potatoes like jackets gives you comfort-food texture.
Ingredients
- Whole free‑range chicken
- 2 tsp harissa paste, a splash of vinegar
- Whole sweet potatoes (roast like jacket spuds)
- 1 tin chickpeas, drained (add to tray for crisping)
- Slaw: grated carrot, grated apple, shredded red cabbage, olive oil, red wine vinegar (or white)
- Harissa‑yogurt: plain yogurt + a little harissa to marble
Method
- Rub chicken and veg with harissa and a little vinegar. Roast at 180°C for about 1 hour 20 minutes, turning the chicken halfway so chickpeas crisp and potatoes soften.
- Make the slaw by tossing grated apple, carrots and cabbage with oil and vinegar; add a little yogurt if you want it creamier.
- Split potatoes open, shred chicken into tortillas or serve family-style with slaw, chickpeas and harissa‑yogurt.
5. A Coronation‑Style Chicken Platter — Roast Chicken with Spiced Paste, Pineapple & Crispy Skin Crumbs
This is Jamie’s celebratory take inspired by coronation chicken: a richly spiced roast bird, caramelised pineapple, confit lemon and crunchy chicken‑skin croutons with nuts. It’s perfect for a street‑party spread or a show‑stopping roast.
Key steps and flavour notes
- Make a paste from curry paste, grated ginger, garlic and chopped coriander stalks; mix with a little olive oil and massage all over the chicken.
- Microwaving a pierced lemon for 45 seconds makes it juicier — tuck a hot lemon and onions under the bird so they steam and perfume the meat.
- Roast at 180°C for ~1½ hours, baste halfway, then let rest 20 minutes. Pull the skin off and crisp it in a pan with nuts to use as crunchy salad 'croutons'.
- Mix shredded spiced chicken with Greek yogurt, a little pineapple juice for acidity and serve on gem lettuce with pomegranate, coriander and poppadoms.
Serving & make‑ahead
- The chicken works beautifully at room temperature on a platter — ideal for taking to parties.
- Keep crunchy skin and nuts separate until serving to maintain texture.
Chef's tips for weeknight success
- Score chicken breasts to speed cooking and let marinades penetrate.
- Use light coconut milk to cut saturated fat without losing creaminess.
- Rotisserie or pre‑cooked chicken is a great shortcut for dips and sandwiches.
- Make the slaw and yogurt dips ahead — they keep well and lift every dish.
These five recipes show how cooking, easy recipes can still be exciting: little techniques (scoring, basting, pressing a loaf) deliver lots of flavour with minimal stress. Try one tonight and keep the rest in mind for a tasty week ahead.
This article was created from the video 5 Easy Chicken Recipes To Cook This Week with the help of AI.
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