Mary Berry's £3 Honey Mustard Chicken Traybake Proves Quick Dinners Can Be Delicious

Deciding what to cook for dinner often feels like an impossible challenge, particularly when recipes advertised as quick and easy turn out to be complicated and time-consuming. Many celebrity chef creations involve multiple steps and expensive ingredients, which is why writer Katherine McPhillips usually avoids them. However, her perspective changed completely after browsing through Mary Berry's acclaimed cookbook, Foolproof Dinners.

A Pleasant Surprise in the Kitchen

Katherine was immediately struck by how straightforward and appetising the recipes appeared. Intrigued, she decided to test the honey mustard chicken traybake. To her astonishment, the entire dish cost her just £3, as most ingredients were everyday staples already sitting in her cupboard. This discovery highlights how budget-friendly cooking can be when using what you already have.

The meal turned out beautifully, featuring crispy chicken and perfectly golden potatoes. Importantly, it lived up to its promise of being quick and easy, taking approximately 10 minutes to prepare before going into the oven. Katherine has shared the full recipe and explained just how simple it was to recreate at home.

The Simple Recipe That Delivers Incredible Flavour

Katherine reported that the dish tasted incredible, proving that delicious meals don't require complex techniques or costly components. Here is the complete recipe for Mary Berry's honey mustard chicken traybake:

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs
750g new potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp grainy mustard
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper

"I only needed to buy the potatoes and chicken for this dish, as ingredients for the glaze were already in my cupboards," Katherine explained. "I went for baby new potatoes to avoid the hassle of chopping, and ended up using chicken drum fillets as the supermarket had run out of drumsticks."

Step-by-Step Preparation Guide

Here is exactly how Katherine prepared the meal:

Heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
In a small bowl, mix together grainy mustard, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and honey to create the glaze.
Mince the garlic and stir it through the mixture.
Arrange the chicken legs on the baking tray, making small incisions in their skins.
Using a spoon, generously brush the glaze over each piece, ensuring thorough coating.
For the potatoes, toss them in a bowl with olive oil, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Once each potato is slick with oil, place them alongside the chicken on the baking tray.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
After the timer goes off, take out the tray and spoon the remaining glaze over the potatoes before returning to the oven for five more minutes until crispy.

The honey mustard chicken and well-seasoned potatoes were then ready to serve. Katherine accompanied hers with steamed broccoli and carrots from the fridge, adding a healthy vegetable side in just five minutes.

A Budget-Friendly Dinner Triumph

"All in all, prepping the meal was a doddle and took about 10 minutes," Katherine said. "It was an easy recipe to follow and came out really well. For only £3, I will definitely be making it again in the future."

This experience demonstrates that with the right recipe, creating a delicious, satisfying dinner doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming. Mary Berry's approach focuses on simplicity and flavour, making her cookbook a valuable resource for anyone seeking fuss-free meal solutions.