This easy lemon chicken tray bake with garlic, rosemary, thyme, and Spring vegetables is a simple all-in-one dinner. Juicy chicken thighs are roasted in a herbed lemon and garlic marinade next to crispy potato wedges and tender asparagus.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One-tray dish: This simple chicken bake cooks in one tray which makes clean-up a breeze.
- Easy: Hands-on prep work for the entire meal takes about 10 minutes and the oven will do the rest for you.
- Mediterranean flavors: This recipe celebrates Spring produce with new season potatoes and asparagus. The fragrant marinade made with lemon, garlic, and Italian herbs gives the dish extra freshness and instantly transports you to a lemon tree-filled patio in the Mediterranean.
For more easy dinner ideas, check out my meatball wraps and cheese & bacon turnovers as well.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs – Skinless, boneless chicken thighs work best for this recipe. If you are using cutlets instead you need to extend the cooking time by 10-15 minutes. Drumsticks and chicken breasts can be used as well.
- Potatoes – New season potatoes are excellent but Agria and other roasting varieties work well too. There’s no need to peel them just make sure to wash them thoroughly.
- Asparagus – Remove any wooden ends from the stalks by bending them gently. The wooden part snaps off easily this way and you’re left with tender stalks only. You can substitute the asparagus with courgette, tomatoes, aubergine, or capsicum.
- Herbs – Rosemary and thyme work particularly well with potatoes and chicken respectively. You can add other Mediterranean herbs such as oregano and sage as well.
- Lemons – Spray-free lemons are best as this recipe uses lemon zest / peel as well. Wash them thoroughly before using them.
- Garlic – 4 cloves of garlic is a moderate amount for this recipe. You can add more or less depending on your taste.
- Olive oil – Extra-virgin olive oil gives this recipe even more Mediterranean notes. But you can use other vegetable oils such as sunflower or rapeseed oil as well.
- Yogurt dip – The dip celebrates the same flavors as the main dish but adds loads of freshness thanks to the Greek yogurt and fresh lemon zest. You can substitute it with regular yogurt or sour cream.
Tips
- Make sure the oven is up to temperature before you add the chicken and potatoes.
- Turn the potatoes when you add the asparagus to roast them evenly.
- By adding the ingredients in two stages to the tray bake you’ll end up with a perfectly cooked meal.
- The internal temperature of the chicken thighs needs to be 74C/165F for them to be fully cooked.
Serving
Serve the chicken and vegetables alongside the yogurt dip. You can also squeeze over some extra lemon juice for some additional freshness.
A salad with fresh greens and lemon vinaigrette makes an excellent side as well as my roasted beetroot walnut and feta salad. Serve with freshly baked bread to mop up all the delicious juices. My Turkish pide bread is a great option for that.
Wine match: A crisp Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc pairs beautifully with this zesty dish.
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Recipe
Lemon Chicken Tray Bake
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs boneless
- 6 potatoes medium
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 lemon cut into slices
Marinade
- 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
Yoghurt Dip
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/428F.
- To make the marinade, combine the olive oil, zest, and juice of one lemon, crushed garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.4 tbsp olive oil, 1 lemon, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, 4 garlic cloves
- Rinse the chicken thighs and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add them to one side of the roasting tray and cover them with 3 tbsp of the marinade and slices of lemon.4 chicken thighs, 1 lemon
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly and cut them into even-sized wedges. Spread them out onto the tray and toss with 2 tbsp of the marinade.6 potatoes
- Add the roasting tray to the oven for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the asparagus by washing the stalks and snapping off any woody ends. Place them in a tea towel to dry.1 bunch asparagus
- After 30 minutes, turn the potatoes and move them further to the middle of the tray. Add the asparagus and the remaining marinade to the asparagus, potatoes, and chicken thighs. Roast everything for another 10 minutes.
- To prepare the yogurt dip, simply mix the Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
- Remove the roasting tray from the oven and serve everything immediately with the yogurt dip. Enjoy!
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I marinate the chicken for longer?
Yes, you certainly can. You can add marinade to the chicken thighs a few hours before cooking the dish for it to fully absorb the flavors.
Should I cover the tray with foil when roasting?
Generally not but if your oven has too much heat from the top I suggest moving the tray to the lowest setting and covering it with foil towards the end if needed.
Can I reheat the tray bake?
Yes, you can reheat it in the oven once at 180C if you stored it in the fridge for less than 2 days. Just make sure the chicken is fully heated through.