This Lemon & Garlic Chicken Tray Bake is a quick and easy dinner all cooked in one pan! The juicy and tender chicken thighs are full of flavour and this recipe is perfect for the whole family. Naturally gluten and dairy free!
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When you are short on time this lemon and garlic chicken traybake is ideal. With only 10 minutes hands on prep time and minimal washing up, as it’s all cooked in one pan, you can stick it in the oven and get on with whatever you need to!
It’s so simple to make and uses everyday ingredients that you probably have in your cupboard and fridge already! I also have a sticky sausage traybake recipe if you love traybakes as much as me!
This recipe is naturally gluten and dairy free (in fact it is free from the top 14 allergens if you use an allergen free stock) and is suitable for the whole family.
If you are looking for more family dinner ideas, why not check out my dairy free lamb and sweet potato hotpot or easy kids chicken noodle stir fry with broccoli.
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Ingredients
- Skin on chicken thighs - Using skin on thighs leaves a delicious crispy skin and helps keep the chicken moist and juicy. If you are looking to save on calories you can use skinless thighs or chicken breast.
- Baby potatoes
- Carrots
- Red onion
- Lemon - use juice from a freshly squeezed lemon.
- Garlic
- Honey - Do not add honey if this dish is for children under one year.
- Chicken stock - I use Knorr chicken stockpots.
- Thyme - you can use fresh or dried.
- Olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make lemon and garlic chicken tray bake
Chop the carrots into batons, slice the onion into small wedges and chop any bigger potatoes in half so they are all roughly the same size.
Crush half of the garlic cloves with a knife, leaving the skins on and place the carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic in a roasting tin, then drizzle with olive oil.
Place the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables, skin side up and season with salt and pepper. (Omit the salt if cooking for young children.)
Put the chicken and veg into a preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Whilst the chicken is cooking, its time to make up the marinade!
Make up the stock and mix together with the lemon juice, crushed garlic (skin off!), honey and thyme.
Once the chicken has been cooking for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, pour over the marinade and then roast for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
Don’t forget to spoon the flavoursome juices from the pan onto the chicken when serving.
Remember to remove the skin of the garlic cloves when taking out of the oven. The squished, roasted garlic is deliciously sweet, so pop one on your plate!
Hint: To ensure the chicken is cooked perfectly, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. The chicken should be at least 165°F.
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegetables - You can swap the carrots for courgettes and red peppers for a Mediterranean twist!
- Protein - Lamb chops work amazingly well, substitute the thyme for rosemary and decrease the cooking time to 25-30 minutes.
Storage
You can store the tray bake in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 days.
For best results, re-heat in the oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. (Check with a meat thermometer.) Note that you can only re-heat this dish once.
You can reheat in the microwave, but you will lose some of the crispiness from the chicken and potatoes so it's best to use the oven.
This dish is best eaten straight away, however if you need to you can freeze it. Portion into freezer bags, it can then be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to eat, defrost in the fridge overnight and re-heat as above.
FAQ's
To pack in some more vegetables, serve with some steamed broccoli or a cauliflower cheese. If in season , some grilled asparagus is delicious too!
I’d love you to let me know what you think of this recipe! Let me know in the comments below!
Lemon and Garlic Chicken Tray Bake
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs skin on
- 500 g baby potatoes
- 4 large carrots cut into batons
- 1 medium red onion sliced into thin wedges
- 3 garlic cloves skin on
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Marinade
- 1 lemon juice of
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tablespoon honey (if children are over 1 year)
- 100 ml chicken stock check allergen ingredients
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Chop the carrots into batons, slice the onion into small wedges and chop any bigger potatoes in half so they are all roughly the same size.
- Crush 3 garlic cloves with a knife, leaving the skins on and place the carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic in a roasting tin then drizzle with olive oil.
- Place the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables, skin side up and season with salt and pepper. (Omit the salt if cooking for young children.)
- Put the chicken and veg into the oven for 25 minutes.
- Whilst the chicken is cooking, make the marinade by making up the stock and mix together with the lemon juice, the remaining crushed garlic cloves, honey and thyme.
- Once the chicken has been cooking for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, pour over the marinade and then roast for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
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