Easy peasy cooking at its finest! Just throw chicken thighs, sweet potatoes, peppers and red onions into a pan with some seasonings, then sit back as the oven works its magic and turns those ingredients into this delicious Easy Chicken Thigh Traybake.
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Easy peasy cooking at its finest!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I am mad about traybakes!
For me they are the perfect combination of easy peasy AND foodie. You just throw a bunch of stuff in a tray, pop it into the oven, then sit back as the oven works its magic and turns those ingredients into something that is most definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
And that is exactly the case with this easy peasy Chicken Thigh Traybake. Just throw a few simple ingredients into an oven tray and 35 minutes later, you have a delicious dinner… and only one pan to wash up!
How to make Chicken Thigh Traybake
This Chicken Thigh Traybake really is so easy to make.
All you need to do is place chopped sweet potatoes, peppers and onions in a large oven tray, together with 8 chicken thighs.
Add a little olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and Cajun seasoning (see below for alternative seasoning options), then roast for 35 minutes.
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
Mad about traybakes too?
Then you’ll love these easy peasy traybakes:
- Easy Chicken Breast Traybake
- Chicken and Potato Traybake with Lemon and Garlic
- Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
- Easy Salmon Traybake
- Easy Sausage Traybake
Lamb Kofte Meatball Traybake
What to serve with Chicken Thigh Traybake
This easy chicken traybake really is a meal in it’s own right, so there is no need to add any side dishes. But I always like to serve it with a simple green side salad.
Alternatively you could serve it with some green vegetables and/or some crusty French bread or garlic bread.
What to drink with Chicken Thigh Traybake
Hands down the best wine match for me here is a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. But other good options include Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Grüner Veltliner.
If you prefer red, go for something fruity and medium bodied – like a Merlot or a Grenache / Garnacha. A fruity rosé would also work well with this chicken traybake.
What is the best seasoning for Chicken Traybake?
I have tried out lots of seasoning options while developing this recipe and, hands down my favourite is Cape Herb & Spice Rub Louisiana Cajun Seasoning.
For me the balance of flavour, spice and salt is just perfect. (And my kids agree – they now put this on EVERYTHING!!!)
It gives a mild to medium level of heat (depending on how much you use!) – but one thing to be aware of, this rub contains quite a bit of salt – the perfect amount IMHO, but it might be a bit much for some people.
If you don’t want to use Cajun seasoning, here are some other options:
- Smoked paprika
- Caribbean Jerk
- Portuguese Peri Peri
- Texan Steakhouse
- Smokehouse BBQ
- Greek-style Lemon and Herb
- Mediterranean Seasoning
Make it your own!
This Easy Chicken Thigh Traybake is so easy to adapt to your own personal tastes or to whatever you happen to have in your cupboards / fridge. For example, you could:
- Use chicken drumsticks instead of, or as well as chicken thighs
- Use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs (only add the chicken breast for the last 15-20 minutes so you don’t overcook them)
- Add chorizo, as per this recipe: Cajun Chicken Traybake
- Use new potatoes instead of sweet potatoes
- Use different colour peppers and/or onions
- Add different veggies such as aubergines, cauliflower, or butternut squash
- Use a different spice rub, such as Caribbean Jerk, Portuguese Peri Peri, Texan Steakhouse or Smokehouse BBQ.
(Did you adapt this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comment section below.)
What to do with leftover Chicken Thigh Traybake?
This really is a meal that tastes better on the day you make it, but if you do find yourself with leftovers, they will keep well in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can either eat the leftovers cold (this makes an envy-inducing packed lunch!) or place them in a roasting tray, in an oven heated to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) for 15-20 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through. You may want to cover the roasting tray with foil to stop the veggies from burning – but remove 5 minutes before the end to re-crisp up the chicken skin.
Alternatively, reheat the leftovers in the microwave, until piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze Chicken Thigh Traybake?
As I mentioned above, this really is a meal that tastes better on the day you make it. But if you want to freeze it, you can. Simply put any leftovers in a lidded container and place in the freezer where they will keep for up to 1 month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Easy Chicken Chow Mein
- Easy Marry Me Chicken
- Nando’s Portuguese Chicken and Rice
- Chicken and Chickpea Curry with Spinach
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Easy Chicken Thigh Traybake
Ingredients
- 400 g sweet potato cut into 1cm cubes (no need to peel!)
- 3 (bell) peppers chopped into large pieces – roughly 2cm x 2cm (any colour – I like to do 1 yellow, 1 orange and 1 red)
- 2 small red onions peeled and cut into wedges (cut each onion into 6-8 wedges)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (see Note 1)
- 6 small sprigs thyme plus extra for garnish (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste (see Note 2)
- 8 small chicken thighs skin on and bone in (roughly 125g / 4½ oz each)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- Place the chopped sweet potatoes, peppers and onions in a very large roasting tin / sheet pan. The pan should be big enough to ensure all the veggies are in a single layer with a bit of room. (If the pan is too small the veggies won’t roast properly!)
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables, scatter over 2 teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning and all of the thyme, then sprinkle over a little salt and pepper (see Note 2). Turn the veggies to ensure they are evenly coated (I find it easiest to do this with my hands, but you can use a large spoon if you prefer.) Then rearrange the veggies back into a single layer.
- Place the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables. Scatter the remaining 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning over the chicken skins and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the skins. Rub the seasoning and oil into the skins, using your fingers.
- Place the roasting pan into your preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- After the 20 minutes is up, remove the pan from the oven and remove all the chicken thighs to a plate. Give the vegetables a good stir and then rearrange the veggies back into a single layer.
- Place the chicken thighs back on top, then return the pan to the oven. Roast for a further 15 minutes.
- Garnish with more sprigs of thyme (optional) and serve with a green side salad.
Notes
- I like to use Cajun seasoning, but you can use any seasoning you like here. See above for alternative suggestions. Alternatively you can simply use smoked paprika. If you choose to use Cajun seasoning, I highly recommend Cape Herb & Spice Louisiana Cajun Rub
- Check first to see if your Cajun seasoning contains salt. If so, don’t add salt at this point or the dish will be too salty.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
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