Nani’s Oven Chicken Recipe

This wonderful recipe was shared with us by Plan Zheroes supporter, Sara!

Just like how family legends are adapted as they are passed through generations, with certain components changing to make for a spicier story, this recipe has had many iterations. Notably, its name. Whilst Nani used to call it ‘oven chicken’, my father referred to it as ‘diamond chicken’ after my newly married mum made (and slightly over cooked) it for him the first time. He reasoned that even though it was slightly charred on the outside, the dish was improved by the pressure and was very precious to him, once you chipped away at the crust. I should mention that this recipe is incredibly forgiving and if any point it seems the sauce is drying out or it may be overcooked, stirring in hot water straight from the kettle and letting it steam in the oven will instantly perk it back to life. Today, my brother plays around with the recipe quite a bit and he and his Spanish friends call it ‘La Madona!’ after one of them exclaimed excitement at getting to eat this restorative feast after a night of partying.  

The quantities below should be enough for around 4 to 6 people, but I strongly recommend making extra so you can enjoy the leftovers and the increasingly tasty sauce as the days go by. For the marinade below, you’ll need roughly 2 pounds of chicken, and any cuts work well. Whilst pieces on the bone provide a more intense flavour, roughly chopped pieces of chicken breast absorb up the flavour and moisture the marinade really well. 

Finally, if you’re not in the mood for chicken, feel free to replace with lamb and substitute the lemon juice for vinegar.  

Serves 4-6 people 

Cooking time: 1 hour in the oven (and anywhere between 2 hours and overnight for and marinating) 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 chicken, (roughly 2 pounds).  

Marinade 

1 1/2 tsp of minced garlic 

1 tsp minced ginger  

1 1/2 tsp salt 

2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 

½ tsp turmeric powder 

½ tsp chilli flakes (optional) 

1 tsp garam masala  

5 tbsp yogurt 

3 tbsp mayonnaise 

4 tbsp tomato puree 

The juice of one lemon 

2-3 tbsp of olive oil, generously poured (you can substitute this for sunflower/canola oil) 

Recipe 

1. Stir the marinade ingredients together and it will resemble a beautiful, rosy sunset. Add enough oil so that it glistens, but not too much that it separates too much from the sauce.  As this contains turmeric, I’d advice using either a metal spoon or a spatula you don’t mind staining. 

2. Add and coat your chicken with the marinade. Make a few incisions in each piece, to help them retain the moisture and flavour. Ideally you’ll cover and leave the marinade to do its thing in the fridge overnight, but if you’re overcome by a specific and impatient craving, a couple of hours is also fine.  

3. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 175 degrees C, transfer into an oven dish, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Now you can give it a taste, decide if you want to add any more tomato puree, hot water from the kettle or simply leave it alone. then return to the oven for 10-15 minutes uncovered. 

4. Serve with baguette slices, rice or any other carb that brings you joy. Enjoy! 

Why not purchase a copy of our first charity cookbook full of recipes celebrating childhood memories of enjoying food, and that help to use up surplus ingredients.

The recipes have been provided by our community of traders, volunteers, staff and charities who come together to rescue food in a world of hunger. Our recipes show to use any of the many surplus ingredients that lives in our refrigerators, freezers and cupboards, in a wonderful variety of ways that mirror the diversity of our community.