One-Pan Chicken Traybake

A traybake is the answer to the 6pm question when nobody wants to stand at the hob. Chicken, potatoes and peppers roast together on one tray, the chicken fat seasons the vegetables underneath, and the only washing-up is a single pan. It is also endlessly adaptable: whatever firm vegetable is going soft in the fridge can go in.

Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 45 minutes · Total: 1 hour · Serves 4

Equipment

• Large roasting tray
• Mixing bowl
• Oven

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 600g baby or small potatoes, halved
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 lemon, half sliced and half juiced
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
2. Put the potatoes, onion and peppers into a large roasting tray. Toss with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Pat the chicken thighs dry and rub with the remaining oil, oregano, smoked paprika, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
4. Nestle the chicken thighs among the vegetables, skin side up, and tuck in the lemon slices.
5. Roast for 40–45 minutes, until the chicken skin is golden and the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced.
6. Rest for 5 minutes before serving straight from the tray.

Tips

• Cut the potatoes to a similar size so they cook evenly — anything much smaller than the rest will burn.
• Give the tray room. Crowded vegetables steam instead of roasting; use two trays if yours is small.
• If the vegetables are browning too fast, loosely cover the tray with foil for the last 10 minutes.

Substitutions

• Swap chicken thighs for bone-in drumsticks (similar cook time) or boneless thighs (reduce cooking time by about 10 minutes).
• Use sweet potato instead of white potato.
• Any firm vegetable works well: courgette, carrots or cherry tomatoes added for the last 20 minutes.

Storage

Cool within two hours, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat once, until piping hot throughout. Not recommended for freezing — the potatoes turn grainy.

Food safety

Chicken must reach at least 75°C in the thickest part of the thigh (a probe thermometer is the only reliable check). Wash hands and boards after handling raw chicken, and never rinse it — that spreads bacteria around the sink.

Allergens as written

• None as written — check your stock and seasoning labels

Nutrition estimate

• Calories: Roughly 520 kcal per serving (estimate, based on 4 servings)
• Protein: Roughly 34g
• Carbohydrates: Roughly 30g
• Fat: Roughly 28g

Got different vegetables in the drawer? Tell Eat In AI what's there and it will rebuild this traybake around them.

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