Lemon and Herb Chicken Traybake is easy, and cheap, but it’s also filled with colour and flavour. A fantastic midweek family dinner, perfect for summer!
*This post may contain affiliate links to products I find useful when making this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*
I love Lemon and Herb Chicken, I really like lemon, so it’s not that much of a surprise.
I often have lemon and herb Nando’s. Not because I don’t like spicy food (I do) – just because I enjoy the flavour so much. It’s refreshing and tangy, the perfect sauce or marinade for chicken.
Another thing that I love is a traybake dinner. There’s nothing better than throwing all of your meat, veg, and potatoes onto a baking tray, drizzling with oil, seasoning, and baking.
A Chicken Traybake with Mediterranean Veg is super simple, colourful, nutritious, and tasty. Even better, when you bake everything on one tray, there’s very little washing up!
This Lemon and herb chicken recipe has the extra step of marinating the chicken, it’s a bit like my Sweet Chilli Chicken Traybake.
But, it takes seconds to whisk together a simple marinade and pour it over your chicken! Baked Lemon and Herb Chicken is a super simple family dinner, perfect for warmer evenings.
How to Make a Lemon and Herb Chicken Marinade
This Easy lemon and herb chicken marinade really is super simple.
I whisk together lemon juice, cooking oil (olive is best, but veg or sunflower will do too), garlic, salt and pepper, and ground herbs.
Then I add my chicken thighs to a large Tupperware box and pour over the marinade. You could also make Lemon and herb chicken in a bag…it’d have to be a bit massive though.
When I’m ready to bake my Lemon and Herb Chicken Dinner I pour over any marinade left in the box, so the veg and potatoes get a good drizzle too.
What Herbs are in Lemon and Herb Chicken?
I keep things super simple with my Lemon and herb dressing, just adding 2tsp of thyme and oregano.
If you want a hint of spice, adding a pinch of chilli flakes would work well, but I don’t think that it needs it.
How Long Should You Marinate Lemon and Herb Chicken?
Preferably, you should marinate your Homemade Lemon and Herb Chicken overnight. But, at least for a few hours. The longer the better really.
I also turn the box over every time I go in the fridge so that the chicken gets a good coating in the lemony oil.
Can You Use Chicken Breasts in a Lemon and Herb Chicken Traybake?
I make this Traybake with Chicken Thighs.
Chicken Thighs are cheap, they are easy, and you get a fantastic golden brown skin with a lovely lemony flavour.
Lemon and Herb Chicken Thighs look, smell, and taste fantastic, and because I leave the skin on and bone-in, they are so simple. The slow bake means that the meat falls off the bone really easily, and the kids don’t have trouble getting into them.
However, if you are looking for a healthier dinner, or you don’t like chicken skin, you can make Lemon and herb chicken breasts instead.
With chicken breasts, I’d follow this recipe as it is, still marinating the chicken. You just won’t get the skin.
What Vegetables Can You Add to a Lemon and Herb Chicken Traybake?
You can add any vegetables to your Lemon and Herb Chicken Bake really. Most things roast well!
For my Roasted Lemon and Herb Chicken and Vegetables, and most of my other traybakes, I like to use courgette, pepper, red onion, and tomatoes. They roast really well, and always look really appetising and colourful.
If you can get them, mixed baby tomatoes are great. They are sweet, colourful and make your traybake look really summery.
But, vine cherry tomatoes look excellent too.
Top Tips
- Marinate for as long as you can.
- When ready to bake, remove the chicken thighs from the tub and place them on a plate, leaving any marinade that’s left in the tub.
- Put the sliced veg and potatoes in the tub the chickens just came out of and toss (or place in a mixing bowl and pour in the leftover oil if your tub isn’t big enough).
- Tip the veg and potatoes onto a large baking tray and then nestle on the chicken thighs.
- Bake for around an hour, so that the skin is crispy and the potatoes are soft in the centre
- After 30 minutes, remove from the oven and toss, to baste the chicken and coat the veg and potatoes in oil.
- If you’ve got time at 30 minutes, carefully remove the chicken from the tray and place in a bowl or on a plate, toss the veg and potatoes, return the chicken, and baste with oil using a spoon to collect the oil from the bottom of the tray.
- Don’t add the tomatoes until this 30-minute point or they’ll shrivel to skin.
- If a lot of juice comes out of your chicken, and the tray is swimming in it, you can very carefully pour some away, or use a spoon to spoon some out.
Lemon and Herb Chicken Traybake
Ingredients
For the Lemon and Herb Marinade:
- 1 kg Chicken Thighs (Skin-on, bone-in)
- 50 ml Olive oil (other cooking oil will do)
- 1 Lemon (Juice and Zest)
- 3 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
- 2 teaspoons Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Thyme
- Salt and pepper
For the Traybake:
- 500 g New or Baby Potatoes (Big ones cut in half, or sliced into 1cm chunks)
- 1 Red Onion (Peeled and sliced into 8 chunks)
- 1 Red Pepper (Deseeded and sliced into thick slices)
- 1 Orange or Yellow Pepper (Deseeded and sliced into thick slices)
- 2 Courgettes (Sliced into 1-2cm rounds)
- 250 g Mixed Baby Tomatoes (or cherry/plum)
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a large sealable tub.
- In a jug or bowl whisk together the oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt, and pepper, thyme, and oregano.
- Pour over the chicken, seal the tub and shake to cover fully.
- Leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight, turning the tub occasionally to coat the chicken.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan-assisted) and find a large baking tray with at least 1cm walls.
- Take the chicken thighs out of the tub and place them on a plate.
- Toss the peppers, courgettes, onions, and potatoes in the remaining marinade and tip onto the baking tray.
- Nestle the chicken thighs on top of the veg and pour over any remaining marinade.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Remove the chicken thighs and place them on a plate.
- Add the tomatoes and toss the veg and potatoes to coat in oil.
- Return the chicken thighs and use a spoon to collect oil from the bottom of the tray to baste them.
- Return to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes until the chicken skin is golden-brown and crispy and the potatoes are soft in the centre.
Notes
- If at 30 minutes when you toss the veg there’s excessive liquid in the bottom of the tray carefully pour some away, or spoon out. Only do this if there’s a lot more liquid than you poured over in the first place, a little is fine.
- I use this baking tray (affiliate link)
Nutrition
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
