Chicken “Yanyana Tavası” (with a twist)
Ok, what are you having for dinner tonight because I really think you should be making my twist on my “Yanyana Tavası” with chicken legs instead of diced lamb. Ensure to use a BIG shallow tray for this one so that everything crisps up rather than stewing.
As Cypriots, we often slow-cook meals like this with bone-in joints of meat, such as lamb shanks or lamb neck on the bone, but Turkish Tava and Güveç are traditionally made with“kuşbaşı” (bird’s head size - teeny tiny) pieces of lamb. So I’ve combined the two. I use a similar milk-based marinade here to the lamb chop recipe in my cookbook.
Serves 4-6
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tbsp tatlı biber salçası (Turkish sweet (mild) red pepper paste
50ml milk
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground pul biber
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried mint
4 large chicken legs, skin on
1 large unwaxed lemon, finely sliced
10 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
3/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 onions, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
1 large courgette, chopped into 2cm pieces
1 medium aubergine, chopped into 2cm pieces
2 romano/ medium red bell peppers, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces
2 large Charleston/ medium green bell peppers, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces
700g Maris piper potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
4 tomatoes, chopped into 2cm pieces
2 Bay leaves
Method
In a large baking tray, whisk together the tatlı biber salçası, 2tbsp olive oil, the milk, all of the paprika, smoked paprika, pul biber and dried mint and 1 tsp of the oregano to for a smooth paste.
Add the chicken legs to the tray and run them all over with the marinade, over and under the skin, until each piece is fully covered in the marinade. Season them all over with sea salt and black pepper, lay the lemon slices and garlic cloves at the bottom of the middle of the tray, lay the chicken legs on top, skin side up. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour, or up to four, to marinate.
Take the tray out of the fridge half an hour before baking and preheat oven to 180c fan / 200c.
Arrange the vegetables in the tray “yanyana” )”(next to each other), in sections. Brush the tops of the vegetables with the remaining olive oil, nestle in the bay leaves, and sprinkle over the remaining oregano, sea salt and coarse black pepper. Cover the ingredients snugly with a piece of parchment paper, and then tightly cover the entire tray with foil.
Place in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After an hour, turn the heat up to 210c fan / 230c and take the tray out of the oven (so that the oven can heat up further while you baste the vegetables).
Carefully remove the parchment paper and the foil from the tray, and baste the vegetables and chicken with the juices from the bottom of the tray.
Pop the tray back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until beautifully caramelised all over.
Serve with fresh bread, salad and yoghurt.
