How to make Neven Maguire's family-friendly chicken piri piri tray bake

Neven Maguire's chicken piri piri tray bake is a Portuguese-style dinner treat

Celebrity chef Neven Maguire has been cooking since the age of 12 but even with decades worth of experience, numerous books and his own restaurant, there is always something new to learn when it comes to cuisine.

The Cavan native is back on our screens with a brand new six-part series of his popular Food Trails programmes, and this year his travels take him to Portugal.

The show will see him go from Faro in the South of Portugal to the Douro Valley in the North of the country and he reckons it might be one of the best food trips he has ever had.

But back home, since the pandemic, the father-of-two has been cooking and spending a lot more time at home and 10-year-old twins Lucia and Connor have been great for helping their dad out in the kitchen.

Neven Maguire is back with a brand new six-part series of his popular Food Trails programmes, and this year his travels take him from Faro in the South of Portugal to the Douro Valley in the North of the country. 

“Not in the restaurant, I want to clarify that,” he laughs. “They help me at home. We made a lovely little pasta recipe when we got home yesterday just with some chorizo and had that for dinner just before I went to work. Lucia loves the baking element of it and Connor loves the savoury element. They’re great.” 

Neven has always dreamed of becoming a chef, starting out cooking with his mother when he was a child and now, he hopes his kids might follow in his footsteps.

“I cooked with my mother and got my love of food from my mom and that’s where it all began. My twins, they’re 10 and they love eating food. They’re starting to cook now,” he says.

“They like their treats too which we all do but it's lovely to see that from a young age, enjoying food together," says the proud dad.

The family enjoy trying local cuisine together when they visit a new place and have previously been to Portugal on their holidays.

“For me, Portugal ticks all the boxes. I know it very well. I’ve been many times with my family, and we actually had a really, really fantastic time.” 

Neven also visits the Porches Pottery, set up by Irish artist Patrick Swift in 1968, and tries his hand at painting tiles in Porto.

While filming the latest series of Food Trails, one of the stand-out highlights for Neven was seeing local chefs make their famous pastries, pastel de nata.

“They really have it all in Portugal. You can see why so many Irish people go there. It’s a great country,” he says. “It was a fantastic experience and possibly one of the best food trips I’ve had."

Other locations featured include Lisbon, Evora, Aveiro and Porto, where Neven meets an interesting collection of chefs and food and wine producers, including one producer who stores his wine underwater in Europe’s largest manmade lake.

Each week Neven also cooks a dish that has been inspired by his Portuguese Food Trails. Neven’s recipe this week is a Portuguese-style Chicken Piri Piri Tray Bake with sweet potato and vegetables.

Chicken Piri Piri tray bake with sweet potato and vegetables

Portuguese-style Chicken inspired by my Portuguese Food Trails.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Portuguese

Ingredients

• 4 chicken drumsticks, skin on

• 4 chicken thighs, skin on

• 1 large (or 2 medium) sweet potato, peeled & cut into chunks

• 1 red onion, peeled & root left on, cut into wedges

• 1 red pepper, cored, seeds removed and cut into chunks

• 1 yellow pepper, cored, seeds removed and cut into chunks

• 1 green pepper, cored, seeds removed and cut into chunks

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

• sea salt

• 6-8 pieces sprouting broccoli, blanched in boiling water for 3-4 minutes

• For the Piri Piri dressing: 2-3 Roasted Red Peppers, cleaned

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika

• 2 birds eye chillies (or ½ tsp chilli powder)

• 1 clove garlic

• small bunch coriander leaves

• small bunch fresh basil leaves

• juice of ½ Lemon

• 150ml Olive Oil

• sea salt

Method

1. For The Piri Piri Dressing: In a mini chopper/blender mix all the dressing ingredients together.

2. Transfer to a bowl or Kilner jar if not using immediately.

3. To Marinade The Chicken: Cut small incisions in the flesh of the chicken drumsticks & chicken thighs.

4. Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour over the prepared Piri Piri dressing, cover in cling film and allow to marinate for 4-5 hours or overnight if time allows.

5.  For The Tray Bake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4).

6. On a large baking tray place the sweet potato chunks, red onion wedges and peppers. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt.

7. Gently place the marinated chicken drumstick & thighs on top of the vegetables and scatter the fresh rosemary around the vegetables. Season the chicken with sea salt.

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

9. Remove from the oven and place the sprouting broccoli around the vegetables.

10. Return the traybake to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are crispy and golden brown.

There’s a lot to see and do in Portugal, he says, and even after all of his exploring, he has still only scratched the surface and would love to return to the country again.

“I feel I have the best job in the world. You’re eating some delicious food, you’re drinking some gorgeous wine and you’re meeting some fantastic producers and chefs.

“For me, it’s a very privileged position to be in but you’re learning all the time. You never stop learning about food and about cuisine.”

• Neven’s Portuguese Food Trails, Wednesdays at 8:30pm on RTÉ ONE