This recipe is an absolute dream when you want something tasty and fresh but you don’t have a lot of time or the inclination to cook. In fact, it’s so good you could serve this as a lazy main course for a dinner party no problem. I like to serve this with tagliatelle or really good bread and use the lemony butter you get left as a sauce. This recipe has been so well received by everyone who has tried it; I made it for my family around Christmas and I regularly make it at home. As another positive note, the cold chicken leftovers work beautifully in a salad; limiting your food waste is always a good thing for the environment and your finances.

To make this you will need:

1 chicken breast per person

Approx. 20g butter (slightly more if you’re making a bigger batch)

A good handful of thyme

1 or 2 garlic cloves (depending on your garlic preferences)

Paprika

Olive oil

1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Trim your chicken breasts as desired and place on a roasting tray (mine was a bit big for the amount of chicken). Sprinkle over the paprika so that it your chicken is covered with a light dusting of it. Then sprinkle over your salt and pepper. Crush your garlic and distribute this evenly over your baking tray. Cut your lemon into 8 pieces and do likewise. Add dots of butter over your chicken and drizzle with your olive oil. Top the whole thing with your thyme and put it all in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes (when your chicken is cooked through basically).

In many ways this is one of the best chicken recipes. In winter it is perfect served with hot food and in summer it would work well served with salads.