Another Jamie Oliver 5-ingredients cookbook? Yes please. Chef Jamie Oliver has touched the lives of so many people – from foodies to restaurant patrons to parents who just want to know that their kids are getting a healthy school lunch during the week. It’s amazing, really, how Oliver has continued to connect with his fans by giving them exactly what they ask for – healthy, delicious recipes that don’t need expensive ingredients, don’t take hours to cook, and, most importantly, are delicious to eat.
Oliver’s first cookbook — The Naked Chef – was printed in 1999 during the height of the success of the eponymous tv show. The word “naked” was a misnomer. The Naked Chef referred to Oliver’s penchant at creating accessible recipes made with stripped-back ingredients (no fancy sauces, for example).
It’s been 25 years since that first cookbook was published, and he has subsequently written over 26 more, including 5-Ingredients: Quick & Easy Food cookbook, published in 1997.
Google search volume for Jamie Oliver’s 1997 5-Ingredients cookbook is still high, so it’s no surprise that Oliver has written another of the series – it’s also his 27th cookbook. But this time there’s a twist. The focus is on the Mediterranean diet.
In the introduction of his new 2023 5-Ingredients Mediterranean Cookbook, Jamie Oliver writes: “And so, with this in mind, I’ve written you another 5 Ingredients cookbook with the added va-va-voom of basing it on my lifelong experiences traveling around the Mediterranean – with one of the most loved and respected diets in the world – where simplicity, love, passion, care and dedication to taste and big flavour are at its heart.”
Jamie Oliver’s 5-ingredient pantry
Are there really only 5 ingredients in Jamie Oliver’s 5-Ingredients cookbook? Yes – and no. Oliver assumes that home cooks already have these five basic ingredients in their pantry, so they are not included in the 5 ingredients.
- Olive oil for cooking
- Extra virgin olive oil for dressing and finishing dishes
- Red wine vinegar as a good all-rounder when it comes to acidity and balancing marinades, sauces and dressings
- Sea salt for seasoning to perfection
- Black pepper
Jamie Oliver's 5-Ingredient Chicken and Couscous Casserole
Equipment
- 11-inch non-stick ovenproof frying pan
Ingredients
- 16 oz jarred roasted red peppers
- 1½ cups store-bought (or homemade) tzatziki
- 2 lbs mixed chicken thighs and drumsticks skin on, bone in
- 4 red onions
- 10 oz couscous
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Blend one of the jarred peppers with ¾ cup of the tzatziki and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Pour over the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel and quarter the onions, place them in an 11-inch non-stick ovenproof frying pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil on a medium heat for 10 minutes, or until dark and curled, turning regularly, then remove to a plate.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into the pan, then add the marinated chicken and brown for 10 minutes, turning regularly. Place the onions back in the pan, rip up remaining peppers by hand then place in pan. Put pan in oven and roast for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, cover the couscous with boiling kettle water, season with salt and pepper, and cover. Leave to hydrate for 3 minutes, then fluff up with a fork.
- After the 25 minutes are up, remove pan of onions and peppers from oven. Add cooked couscous to pan and carefully pat down to compress.
- Roast for another 10 minutes, until top is lightly browned, then confidently and carefully turn out onto a large plate or platter and top with dollops of the remaining tzatziki. Serve straight from the oven and let everyone dig in.
