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8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless (around 960g–1kg)

2 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian herbs

½ teaspoon chilli powder

3 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 red onion, cut into 8

2 x 400g lentil cans, drained and rinsed

½ teaspoon black pepper

300ml pouring cream

3 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or parsley

Lemon wedges, to serve

Baguette or crusty bread of choice, to serve

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1. Preheat the oven to 220°C conventional/200°C fan-forced.

2. In a large bowl, mix the chicken thighs, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, Italian herbs, chilli powder and olive oil together and set aside.

3. In an oven-safe tray, mix the garlic, onion, lentils, pepper, cream and remaining 1 teaspoon salt together.

4. Place the chicken on top of the lentils and bake for 25 minutes.

5. Turn the oven up to 240°C conventional/220°C fan-forced and continue to bake for 10 more minutes or until the chicken is slightly charred and crisp on top.

6. Remove from the oven and top with fresh dill. Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

Notes

Tray size is key for this type of cooking: It's important to use a tray that's about the same size as the one I used, a 32cm x 25cm oven-safe rectangular tray with 2.5L capacity. This helps keep the lentils and chicken tender. If you use a bigger tray, the liquid might evaporate too quickly due to the larger surface area.

Don't worry if the chicken seems cramped: The chicken thighs will shrink as they cook, so it's totally fine. Plus, the chicken's seasoning adds even more flavour to the lentils, which is delicious.

Make it dairy-free: You can replace the cream with equal parts of blended silken tofu and soy milk. Just blend them together until smooth, and you'll have a dairy-free alternative to cream.

Make it vegetarian: Instead of chicken, you can use portobello mushrooms, or a mix of mushrooms like oyster, king oyster, or Swiss brown.