Chicken and Sweet Potato Traybake (Printer-friendly)

One-pan piri-piri chicken with sweet potatoes and colorful vegetables, ready in 55 minutes. Gluten-free and delicious.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
02 - 2 tablespoons piri-piri seasoning or paste
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Vegetables

07 - 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
08 - 1 large red onion, cut into thick wedges
09 - 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
10 - 1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
11 - 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
12 - 1 1/3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

→ Garnish

13 - Fresh coriander or parsley, chopped (optional)
14 - Lemon wedges, for serving

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F with racks positioned in the center.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken thighs with piri-piri seasoning, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
03 - Arrange sweet potatoes, red onion, and bell peppers on a large baking tray. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, scatter garlic slices over top, toss to combine, and spread in a single layer.
04 - Nestle seasoned chicken thighs among vegetables with skin-side facing upward.
05 - Roast for 30 minutes until chicken begins to brown and vegetables start to soften.
06 - Distribute cherry tomatoes across tray and return to oven for 10 additional minutes until chicken juices run clear and vegetables are golden and tender.
07 - Remove from oven, garnish with fresh coriander or parsley, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Everything cooks together on one tray, so theres barely any washing up and you can spend the 40 minutes doing literally anything else.
  • The piri-piri seasoning does all the heavy lifting, turning plain chicken thighs into something that tastes like youve been marinating for hours.
  • You get three portions of vegetables per serving without even trying, and they taste so good you forget theyre the healthy part.
  • It reheats beautifully the next day, which means lunch is sorted before you even finish dinner.
02 -
  • Dont cut the sweet potatoes too small or theyll turn to mush before the chicken is cooked through, 2 cm chunks are the sweet spot for texture.
  • If your baking tray is too small and everything is crowded, the vegetables will steam instead of roast and you wont get those caramelized edges.
  • Add the cherry tomatoes late in the cooking time, otherwise they collapse completely and lose their shape and freshness.
  • Let the tray rest for a couple of minutes before serving so the juices settle and you dont burn your mouth on molten tomato.
03 -
  • Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towel before seasoning so it crisps up properly instead of staying flabby and pale.
  • Use a large, heavy baking tray that conducts heat well, thin trays buckle and cook unevenly.
  • If your oven runs cool, bump the temperature up by 10 degrees or the vegetables wont caramelize and the skin wont crisp.
  • Toss the vegetables halfway through cooking if you want even browning, though I rarely bother and it still turns out great.
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