Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking: Glazed coriander chilli chicken

This flavoursome dish can be on the table in about 30 minutes and was inspired by a wonderful meal at a friend’s house. A perfect weekday family dinner, served hot with minted new potatoes and a rocket and tomato salad.

SERVES 4

PREP TIME: 10-15 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

juice and finely grated zest of 1 lime

5cm (2in) knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated (see tip right)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small bunch of coriander, finely chopped

4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts

• Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Measure the chilli sauce into a small bowl, add the lime juice and zest, ginger, olive oil and coriander and mix well.
• Slice each chicken breast in half lengthways, then cover with clingfilm (or place in a freezer bag – see note) and use a rolling pin to bash to about 1.5cm (½in) thick (see note) to tenderise. Remove the clingfilm, season with salt and pepper and place in a large, shallow roasting tin, leaving lots of space around each breast.
• Spoon over the sauce so that each breast is well coated, then roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside. The juices can be served as a sauce: deglaze the tin with a little hot water and pour over the chicken to serve.

QUICK GINGER TIP

To peel a small knob of root ginger, which can be a bit tricky to handle, take a teaspoon and scrape away the skin – it will come off easily.

COOK’S NOTES 

l Using a freezer bag instead of clingfilm when you bash the chicken is a little less fiddly and you can reuse the bag for the other chicken breasts.

l Tenderising the chicken allows it to cook more quickly and gives a larger surface for coating with the sauce.

PREPARE AHEAD 

If there is time, marinate the chicken in the sauce, in a bowl in the fridge, for up to 6 hours, ready to bake and serve.

FREEZE 

The marinated raw chicken freezes well.