A Lemon Chicken Tray Bake is an all-in-one family dinner with potatoes, onion, broccoli, and boneless chicken thighs. It's super easy with just 5 minutes of prep time and is dairy and gluten-free.
Tray Bakes are some of my favourite family meals, especially when I'm busy. There are so many lovely combinations. These are some of my most popular. Sticky Sausage Tray Bake or Tray Baked Cod with roasted vegetables.
This recipe uses Chicken Thighs, which not only stay nice and moist in a tray bake but are also cheaper than chicken breasts making this a great budget-friendly recipe. Another delicious recipe using boneless chicken thighs is my Sun Dried Tomato Red Pesto Chicken.
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Ingredients
- Boneless Chicken thighs I use two per person, but they vary in size. You want around 250g or half a pound per person. Boneless thighs don't come with any skin on them as this is removed when the thighs are deboned. You can use chicken thighs with the bone still in, but these will need a longer cooking time.
- Potatoes - Use baby or new potatoes. They don't need peeling and the skins add extra fibre. Cut them all to a similar size about 3cm in diameter so they cook at the same time. If you need to use other varieties of potato, you should peel and boil them for about 6 minutes before adding them to the roasting dish.
- Tenderstem broccoli - tender stem broccoli lies nice and flat in the tray and will cook quickly. For some other variations, see below.
- Red Onion - red onions are nice and sweet when roasted and the flavour goes well with the lemons. You could use brown onions if you prefer.
- Herbs - Fresh thyme compliments the flavours of the lemon and garlic.
See recipe card for quantities.
About Chicken Thighs
Chicken breast is the most common cut of meat. However, there are several advantages to using chicken thighs in a recipe. Firstly, thigh meat is cheaper than breast meat. Secondly, they stay nice and moist when cooked and take on the flavours of your dish. Thighs are a darker cut of meat than breasts. You can buy chicken thighs boneless or with the bone still in. Bone-in thighs take longer to cook because they are bigger and heavier. A meat thermometer is the best way to check if meat is cooked. The internal temperature should be 74C / 165F.
Instructions
Chicken Lemon tray bake is very easy. Just prepare your ingredients and you're ready to go.
Pre-heat the oven to 220C/ 425F/ gas mark 7. Lay the potatoes, red onion, and chicken thighs in a large roasting tray or sheet pan in a single layer.
Mix the olive oil and garlic with the zest and juice from half the lemons together with the thyme in a bowl.
Pour the olive oil marinade over the potatoes, red onion, and chicken, toss together, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 20 minutes.
Pour over the stock and add the tender-stem broccoli. Slice the remaining lemon into rounds and place the slices around the chicken. Cook for another 20 - 25 minutes. Check the thighs are cooked and serve.
Hint: Chicken thighs vary in size and larger ones will take longer to cook. The best way to check they are cooked is with a meat thermometer. Insert the meat thermometer into the middle of the largest thigh. The internal temperature should be 74C/ 165F.
Variations
A chicken tray bake is a very versatile easy family dinner so there are a few simple swaps you can make, depending on what you have.
- Deluxe - chicken stock gives a lovely thin gravy. For a more deluxe version, add a splash of white wine
- Other Vegetables - broccoli adds nice colour to the tray bake. You could also use carrots, cut into matchsticks, or green beans. You can replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes. Just peel and cut into small pieces about 3cm in diameter.
- Chicken - you can also make this with chicken breasts if you prefer but breast meat will not be as moist as thighs.
- Herbs - I've used thyme in this recipe but rosemary also goes well or oregano. Fresh herbs are usually best but if you use dried, as a general rule just halve the quantity.
Equipment
The only equipment you need for this recipe is one roasting tin or sheet pan big enough so you can lay the vegetables out in a single layer. If you don't have a roasting tin big enough, use two smaller trays and they can be cooked at the same time.
Serving Suggestion
Tray Bake Lemon Chicken already contains protein, carbs and vegetables but if you'd like you could add some fresh crusty bread, a side of green seasonal vegetables or a salad.
Sustainability
Buying meat from a local source can help reduce your carbon footprint. If you have a local butcher, I recommend shopping there. Buy your vegetables lose without any plastic packaging and try to buy locally grown ones. Reducing food miles is a significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint. Shopping locally helps support our local economies. Many supermarkets now stock Fairtrade lemons. The Fairtrade organisation helps farmers combat the effects of climate change as well as paying a fair price for the produce.
How to store and reheat
Cooked chicken thighs will keep in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. Cover your dish or store any leftovers in a sealed container.
You can freeze lemon chicken for up to 3 months. Cooked potatoes freeze well but are best eaten within 3 months.
To reheat, chicken tray bake, cover the tray with foil, and pop it in the oven at 200C /400F for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is piping hot. Remember you should only reheat meat once.
Top tip
Don't overcook the chicken or it will be dry. If you need to leave the tray bake in the oven to keep it warm, cover it with foil so it doesn't dry out.
FAQ
Like all meat, the rule is that you should only reheat chicken once. When you do reheat it, make sure it is piping hot all the way through.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Lemon Chicken Tray Bake
Ingredients
- 800 g baby or new potatoes cut into pieces 3cm diameter
- 2 Red Onions peeled and sliced
- 1 kg Boneless chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil Fairtrade available
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Lemons zest and juice. Fairtrade available
- 2 teaspoon Thyme leaves fresh or half quantity of dried thyme
- 1 dash Salt
- 1 dash Black pepper Fairtrade available
- 200 ml Chicken Stock
- 200 g Tenderstem broccoli
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220C/ 425F/ gas mark 7. Lay the potatoes, red onion, and chicken thighs in a large roasting tray in a single layer.800 g baby or new potatoes, 2 Red Onions, 1 kg Boneless chicken thighs
- Mix the olive oil, garlic, juice, and zest from half the lemons with the thyme together in a bowl.3 tablespoon Olive Oil, 3 cloves Garlic, 2 Lemons, 2 teaspoon Thyme leaves
- Pour over the potatoes, red onion and chicken, toss together, season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes.1 dash Salt, 1 dash Black pepper
- Pour over the chicken stock and add the tender stem broccoli. Slice the remaining lemon and place the slices around the chicken. Cook for another 20 - 25 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked and serve.200 ml Chicken Stock, 200 g Tenderstem broccoli
Notes
Ingredients Notes
- Boneless Chicken thighs I use two per person, but they vary in size. You want around 250g or half a pound per person. Boneless chicken thighs don't come with any skin on them as this is removed when the thighs are deboned. You can still use thighs with the bone in, but these will need a longer cooking time.
- Potatoes - Use baby or new potatoes. They don't need peeling and the skins add extra fibre. Cut them all to a similar size about 3cm in diameter so they cook at the same time. If you need to use other varieties of potato, you should peel and boil them for about 6 minutes before adding them to the roasting dish.
- Tenderstem broccoli - tender stem broccoli lies nice and flat in the tray and will cook quickly. For some other variations, see below.
- Red Onion - red onions are nice and sweet when roasted and the flavour goes well with the lemons. You could use brown onions if you prefer.
Storage and Reheating
Cooked chicken thighs will keep in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. Cover your dish or pop the leftover chicken thigh tray bake into a sealed container.You can freeze lemon chicken for up to 3 months. Cooked potatoes freeze well but are best eaten within 3 months.
To reheat, cover the tray with foil and pop it in the oven at 200C /400F for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is piping hot. Remember you should only reheat meat once.
Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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