We’re more than happy to dive into a steaming Epsom Salt bath or curl up with a hot water bottle to soothe sore muscles, but it’s important to help our body recover from the inside out. This Za’atar chicken, aubergine and squash traybake has all the ingredients to enable your body to properly repair itself after a tough workout. High-protein foods such as chicken help muscles rebuild torn tissue, and this supper’s star spice – sumac – is proven to reduce muscle pain.

If that isn’t enough, when paired with complex carbs such as aubergine and squash, this meal replenishes glycogen and energy levels that have been lost during exercise – so you’ll be ready for the next workout. Squats, come at us.

12 chicken thigh fillets

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into rough cubes

2 medium aubergines, diced into rough cubes

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons za’atar (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano + 2 teaspoons ground cumin)

2 onions, peeled and cut into quarters

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

freshly ground black pepper

sea salt 

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.

Drizzle the chicken thigh fillets, butternut squash and aubergines with the olive oil in a large mixing bowl. 

Scatter the za’atar over the chicken. 

Mix well to coat each piece of chicken and vegetables with the spices and oil. 

Tip the mix on to a large roasting tray (you may need to use two trays). 

Add the onion quarters and the garlic. 

Season with salt and pepper.

Roast for around 30 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked all the way through – with no hint of pink in the middle.

Top with a pile of chopped coriander and some pomegranate seeds.

Recipe courtesy of Simply Good For You by Amelia Freer (Michael Joseph, £22). 

Image: Susan Bell 

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