Lemon Chicken Tray Bake

Does juicy, tangy, and full of flavor sound good to you? Then this is the perfect recipe for you. Make this Lemon chicken tray bake with potatoes in under an hour and only in one pan. The perfect lazy weeknight dinner.

Lemon Chicken Tray Bake

Baked chicken dinners are the best for those days when you are in a time crunch. This is a lemon chicken recipe that is delicious. It is made with chicken thighs that are marinated with a splash of lemon juice. Then seasoned with some oregano, onion powder, salt, pepper, and fresh garlic. Baked alongside some potatoes that will cook in all the juices that the chicken releases make them very flavorful and tender.

This is the perfect recipe to make as a complete meal. You have your proteins, carbs, and fat all in one tray. You don’t even need to serve any sides for this recipe. Although a good salad always goes well with any meal. The best part of this dish is that you can make a lot and save the rest for lunch the next day. So you are making two meals in one!

Can I use limes instead of lemons?

Lemons and limes are very similar in flavor. They are both tart and acidic which is perfect for this chicken recipe. But limes tend to be more bitter than lemons. But for this recipe, it won’t make much of a difference with either one. So use what you have.

What does lemon juice do to chicken?

Lemons are a great way to add acidity to your chicken. It gives it a nice tangy flavor. But leave it too long and it will make your chicken tough and it can have a very strong not so pleasant lemon flavor.

Is cooking chicken at 425°F too high?

Cooking chicken at 425°F is the perfect temperature. This is because it will help the chicken cook thoroughly on the inside. While the outside of your chicken will have a delicious golden crust. It will also take your chicken less time to make.

Ingredients

Chicken thighs- This recipe uses chicken thighs because they always tend to be the juicer cut of the chicken. They are also the most economic part of the chicken. This recipe calls for bone in and skin on chicken thighs but you can use boneless and skinless.

Lemon juice- I use lemon juice to give the chicken a quick 5-minute marinade. You can substitute this with equal amounts of lime juice.

Yellow potatoes- In this recipe, I used yellow potatoes. They are very creamy and have a lightly sweet taste that goes perfectly with the lemon chicken. You can use any potatoes you like.

Seasonings- The seasonings used are salt, pepper, onion powder, and fresh oregano. This is the perfect mix to get a very flavorful chicken. You can also add cayenne pepper or red chili flakes for a touch of heat.

Oil- I used vegetable oil but you can use olive or coconut oil. You can use the oil you typically cook with.

Lemon zest- Lemon zest is important in this recipe because it helps give the chicken a more lemon flavor on the skin.

Garlic- I used 4 fresh garlic cloves that I minced in this recipe. You can also add a few garlic cloves around the pan so they can roast alongside the potatoes.

Whole lemon- This lemon is used to make lemon slices to put around the baking tray to infuse the potatoes with lemon flavor.

---

How to make Lemon Chicken Tray Bake

1. First important step is to preheat your oven to 425°F, then you want to put your thighs in a bowl and add the lemon juice.

2. While your chicken is marinating, cut the potatoes into about 2-inch pieces. This is to help the potatoes cook all the way through. Now cut the lemon into slices and set aside.

3. In a large sheet pan add your potatoes and drizzle them with oil and salt. Mix them and spread them around the tray.

4. In a small dish add your oil, lemon zest, seasonings, and garlic and mix.

5. Pour the seasoning mix you just made over the chicken. Make sure to rub the seasoning well in every crease of the thighs.

6. Place the chicken on the tray and the lemon slices. Bake and enjoy.

Pro Tips

If you’re going to be lining your baking tray I suggest you use parchment paper instead of foil. The reason for this is that foil sometimes tends to stick to foods. 

Variations

Chicken- You can also use chicken breast for this recipe. You just have to make sure to check the breast after 30 minutes for readiness.

Vegetables- This is a dish that is great to add a lot of veggies to it. You can add cubed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or broccoli.

What to serve with?

To me, this is a complete meal that will go well with a simple salad but it will still be delicious to have rice with peas and carrots as a side. You can make a nice cold lemon mint juice on the side or maybe a refreshing passion fruit mojito if you are in the mood for a good easy cocktail. You can use all the lemons you have left to make a lemon tres leches dessert.

How to store?

You can store any leftovers on the pan you just used to make them, cover with foil and store in your fridge. I like to leave it in the pan because of all the flavors and juices that are there. But you can also store the chicken with potatoes in an airtight container for no more than 3 days. Store for 3 months in the freezer.

How to reheat?

To reheat, you must let this sit at room temperature before reheating. The reason for this is that it will take less time to heat and it will ensure that it gets heated inside. Then preheat your oven to 400°F and bake for 15 minutes and your skin is nice and crispy again.

---