Easy Lemon Chicken Tray Bake
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 my lemon chicken tray bake recipe
One-tray dish: This simple chicken bake cooks in one baking tray which makes clean-up a breeze.
Quick and easy: Hands-on prep work for the entire meal takes about 10 minutes and the oven will do the rest for you. Minimal effort, delicious result. Perfect for busy weeknights!
Mediterranean spring flavors: This delicious meal celebrates Spring produce with new 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.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs – Skinless, boneless chicken thighs work best but you can also opt for skin-on chicken thighs. If you are using bone-in chicken thighs instead you need to extend the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
- Potatoes – New season potatoes or baby potatoes are excellent but 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 my Mediterranean spice mix or Tuscan seasoning 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.
Variations
In season vegetables: Adapt this garlic chicken tray bake to make the most of seasonal vegetables including red onion, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, or slices of courgette.
Chicken cuts: You can also use chicken drumsticks, wings or boneless chicken breasts.
Serving
Serve the chicken and vegetables alongside the yogurt dip, dill lemon sauce, or Dijonnaise. You can also squeeze over some extra lemon juice for some additional freshness.
A green salad with lemon vinaigrette makes an excellent side as well as my roasted beetroot walnut and feta and insalata mista. Serve with fresh crusty bread to mop up all the delicious juices. My Turkish pide bread is a great option for that.
FAQ
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.
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.
Yes, you can reheat it in the oven once at 350F/180C if you stored it in the fridge for less than 2 days. Just make sure the chicken is fully heated through.
Related recipes
For more quick family recipes and easy dinner ideas, check the following recipes:
If you loved this Lemon Chicken Tray Bake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating below. Thank you!
Easy 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
Yogurt Dip
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F/204C.
- 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 dish 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 until the potatoes have a deep golden color.
- 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 black pepper
- Remove the roasting tray from the oven and serve everything immediately with the yogurt dip. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure the oven is up to temperature before you add the chicken and potatoes.
- By adding the ingredients in two stages to the tray bake you’ll end up with a perfectly cooked meal.
- Turn the potatoes when you add the asparagus to roast them evenly.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken thighs are fully cooked. All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C).
