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Cumin-Caraway Chicken and Tomato Traybake

Cumin-Caraway Chicken and Tomato Traybake

By Julia RackowOctober 13, 2020

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    50 minutes
  • Active time plus cooling
    15 minutes active

For this recipe, we’ve used some of the ingredients that give character to harissa, a North African spice paste, to add bold flavor to simple roasted chicken parts. Crushing the cumin and caraway in a mortar with a pestle or with the bottom of a skillet, rather than grinding the seeds to a fine powder, makes sprinkling easier and creates a more interesting texture. The tomatoes and jalapeños turn soft and silky with roasting but are firm enough to hold their shape. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the flavorful pan juices.

Ingredients
  • 2

    teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed

  • teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 3

    pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs

  • 3

    jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded and quartered

  • 4

    medium tomatoes, cored and halved

  • extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Heat the oven to 450°F. Mix the cumin, caraway, 1 tablespoon salt and 1½ teaspoons pepper. Set the chicken skin up on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the jalapeños and tomato halves, cut side up, around it. Drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with the spice mix. Roast until the breasts reach 160°F or thighs reach 175°F, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a platter, then spoon on the juices from the baking sheet.