If you’re anything like me, the words “five ingredients” and “chicken” together just ring a kind of comforting bell. I’ve cooked my way through these recipes not with precision, but with a messy kind of joy—half-measured spices, sauce drips down the counter, my phone screen smudged with olive oil. Inspired by Jamie Oliver, these are dishes that get under your skin a little. They linger in the kitchen air and on your fingers long after you’ve eaten.
So here’s my walk through them. Raw and lovely.
1. Chicken Traybake
This one’s like a cozy blanket after a long day. Chicken thighs tucked in with soft aubergine, a slap of shawarma paste, and that surprise crunch from a fruit and nut mix. Rice underneath, catching all the juices. It’s warm. Feels like someone cooked for you even if you didn’t.
2. Chicken & Merguez Stew
Tastes like a market alley in Tunis. Spicy merguez and soft beans swimming with chicken and bay. The onions collapse into sweetness. It smells like a story you want to follow.
3. Chicken Lemon
That thing lemon does when it roasts? Not quite sour, more like sunshine that’s gotten deeper. This whole chicken soaks it up. Potatoes crisp around the edges. Garlic goes soft enough to smear on bread. Eat it straight off the tray.
4. Chicken Tikka Masala
That thing lemon does when it roasts? Not quite sour, more like sunshine that’s gotten deeper. This whole chicken soaks it up. Potatoes crisp around the edges. Garlic goes soft enough to smear on bread. Eat it straight off the tray.
5. Chicken Noodle Stir-fry
Quick, yeah. But it’s not forgettable. The broccoli stays snappy. The black bean sauce hits the back of your throat with that salty punch. Peanuts crackle under your teeth. It’s loud food.
6. Chicken Soup
Thai-ish, not too precious. Butternut squash turns into velvet in the coconut milk. The curry paste seeps into everything. Chicken floats like it knows it belongs there. Your spoon moves slow because it’s just that comforting.
7. Chicken Curry
The smell hits before you even lift the lid. Creamy coconut and that sweet slick from the Thai red curry sauce. Vermicelli noodles slurp up every drop. You’ll want seconds. Or eat it cold from the fridge later. No shame.
8. Chicken And Chips
Sunday vibes. Oregano and lemon cling to the skin of the chicken. Potatoes catch the fat and crisp into something you don’t want to share. Onions melt. It’s what you make when you don’t know what else to make.
9. Roasted Chicken Thighs
Baharat makes it feel far away, like a night in a place you’ve never been. Yogurt does this tenderizing thing—impossible to explain until you eat it. Garlic burns a bit at the edges and that’s perfect.
10. Chicken Pie
Flaky pastry. Mushrooms that taste darker than they should. Thighs, not breasts—because we know better. The thyme comes in like a whisper. You burn your tongue on the first bite and you don’t even care.
11. Juicy Charred Chicken
Flaky pastry. Mushrooms that taste darker than they should. Thighs, not breasts—because we know better. The thyme comes in like a whisper. You burn your tongue on the first bite and you don’t even care.
12. Sumac Chicken
That tangy, red dust. Sumac. It clings to the meat and then to your fingers. Pine nuts toast and fall through the flatbreads. Red onions roast down until they’re sweet enough to bite. You’ll want to eat with your hands.
13. Chickpea Chicken
The skin crisps and the chickpeas soak up all the fat and fennel. Tomatoes burst open. Salad leaves cool things down just when it’s getting too rich. It’s a rhythm. Hot, cold, crunch, soft.
14. Couscous & Chicken Bake
There’s tzatziki slathered over roasted red pepper and it makes no logical sense. But it works. Chicken drumsticks go sticky and sweet. Onions get jammy. Couscous does its job without fuss.
15. Za’atar Chicken
That za’atar scent. It’ll fill your whole kitchen before you even taste a thing. Onions almost caramelize, lemons get bitter and brilliant. That dough traps everything. You break into it like cracking a code.
16. Lemon-tzatziki Chicken
It’s tang on tang. Tzatziki cooling the roasted heat. Lemon soaked into basmati. Chicken that shreds without asking. The onions make everything sweeter, somehow.
17. Garlic Chicken
This one’s for when you want to fill the house with something good. Paprika-smoked peppers. Garlic everywhere. Thyme on the breeze. Chicken and potatoes roasting until everything just collapses together.
18. Spatchcock Chicken
Yeah, same flavors as the garlic chicken. But spread out, flatter, more contact with the heat. Crispy skin in more places. Like the louder version of a familiar song.
19. Sticky Chicken Wings
These stick to your fingers. And your memory. Teriyaki slides into chili, sesame crunching between your teeth. Spring onions slice through the glaze like a cool afterthought.
20. Roasted Whole Chicken
Hazelnuts. That’s the trick. Roasted toffee-sweet. Parsley tries to lighten it up, and does, a little. The garlic goes golden. Chicken—rich, fall-apart, nothing left on the bone by the end.
21. Mushroom Chicken
It’s creamy. It’s fast. Heavy cream tangles with mustard, mushrooms soak it all in. Chicken breast but somehow not boring. Red onion sharpens the whole thing. A Tuesday night that feels like a Friday.
Anyway, these aren’t just “five ingredients” recipes. They’re more than the sum of their parts. They’ve fed me when I was tired, when I was celebrating, when I just needed to feel something hot and good and homemade. Jamie Oliver might’ve written them, but they’ve become mine in the kitchen. Maybe they’ll become yours too.