Oven-Roasted Chicken in a Special Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sauce

We're bringing you a new oven-baked chicken recipe with an olive oil sauce — super easy to make and ready in just 30 minutes. The result is genuinely impressive given how little time it takes and how simple the ingredients are. I encourage you to try it and send me your comments so we can make it even better!

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 4 medium potatoes
• Thick-cut chicken fillets
• Onion (optional)
• Parsley
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 glass of unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Prep time: 30 minutes

First things first — the moment you walk through the door, before you even take your jacket off: preheat the oven to 190°! Yes, it's not the first time someone starts peeling and chopping only to find, when everything is ready… the oven is stone cold! That's when your kids start snacking on breadsticks and cheese, and your carefully prepared recipe ends up getting picked apart by people who are already full before they've even tasted it, haha. While the oven heats up, peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. I said thin, not see-through — don't overdo it! ;). There's also the temptation to cut them thicker when you're in a rush to save time: bad idea! If you do that, the potatoes will come out undercooked or they'll need longer in the oven, which defeats the whole point. Right, let's not get sidetracked — the minutes are ticking. Now drizzle a little oil into the baking tray so the potatoes don't stick. Then lay the potato slices in the tray so each one slightly overlaps the previous. This stops them sticking to the bottom and helps them come out in one piece. Add a pinch of salt and put them in the oven for 15–20 minutes, depending on your oven. You'll know they're done when they give way with a gentle poke of a fork. If you've decided to add onion, throw it in too, alternating potato slices and onion rings so they're evenly distributed. I skipped it because my daughter doesn't like onion (well, she absolutely can't stand it). But the recipe is better with a bit of onion — and if it's a sweet one, even better. While the potatoes are cooking, defrost the chicken in the microwave. 8–10 minutes should do it. And while the potatoes are browning and the chicken is defrosting, get started on chopping the parsley. No parsley?!! Don't be lazy — nip out for a minute and grab a bunch from the fishmonger or the corner shop that's always open. Go on! You've got time!. Once you're back with the parsley, peel the garlic and slice it, then peel the tomato and chop it as finely as you can. Sometimes, when I'm short on time, I use a grater or even a blender. If you're careful with the power, the result is just the same. Two or three short "turbo" bursts and you're done. By now about 20 minutes will have passed since you put the potatoes in — unless you stopped for a beer on your way back from the parsley run, of course. Time for the fillets. Pull out the tray and lay the fillets on top with a little salt and ground black pepper — careful not to burn yourself. Then slide the tray back into the oven for another 10 minutes. If you have a grill function, you can switch it on now to give the fillets a nice golden color and a slightly toasted flavor, though it's not essential. While everything is finishing in the oven, heat up the unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil and once it's hot, turn it down to medium heat and add the garlic, stirring frequently. When it starts to turn golden, add the parsley and the grated tomato and keep stirring until the tomato darkens slightly. Don't overdo it or you'll have no tomato and no sauce. It all comes together in 3–4 minutes. And that's it! All that's left is to take the tray out of the oven and spoon the sauce over the top. I went a bit light on the sauce as you can see in the photo, but I'm sure yours will turn out better! You can use regular olive oil, but this recipe with a good unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil is absolutely delicious. I hope you enjoyed it — looking forward to your comments so we can keep improving it. Thanks!