Oooooo you guys. Have I got a recipe for you! Literally no effort at all, bung it in a tray, pop it in the oven and allow your kitchen to fill with the most gorgeous scent imaginable. Perfect for weeknight dinner!
Spanish Chicken Tray Bake
First things first – let’s talk chicken. For this recipe you’ll need bone in skin on chicken thighs. Thighs are great because they tend to be fattier than breast, meaning they can take much higher heat for a longer period of time before they dry out. Having the bone in ensure the thighs cook more evenly, whilst having the skin on gives you a gorgeous crispy layer to go on top.
Can I use chicken breast?
Due to the above reasons I do not recommend using regular chicken breast for this recipe. You can however use drumsticks as that is dark meat and will be able to take on the heat.
Chicken Marinade
I know I promised a fuss free dinner, and it totally is. I just ask one thing – that you marinate the chicken. Marinate for as long as you can (up to overnight). If you’re in a rush then still use the marinade. 1 minute is better than no minutes!
How to make a Chicken Tray Bake
Alrighty, chicken thighs injected with some gorgeous flavour, it’s time to tray bake! Honourable mentions for the tray bake ingredients are chorizo, potatoes and orange zest. Chicken and chorizo is a match made in heaven, and when this chorizo bakes it releases gorgeous flavour into the base of the pan. The potatoes soak up that gorgeous flavour and bulk out the tray bake. The orange zest is the secret weapon of the whole dish and really adds a gorgeous burst of flavour. Once you’ve nestled the chicken thighs into the tray, give it all an initial roast, take the tray out throw on some olives and cherry tomatoes, then roast again until cooked through.
Why take the tray out half way through cooking?
Tips for the perfect Spanish Chicken Tray Bake
Cook the chicken skin side up and leave it skin side up. The skin is the most delicious part in my opinion and nobody wants soggy chicken skin! Texture-wise, you want to keep the potatoes exposed to give them the best chance of getting crispy. On the other hand you want to hide the chorizo as much as possible, just to keep it from drying out. A little grating of orange zest really brings this dish to life, don’t skip it! By the end of the cooking process your tray is going to have a gorgeous layer of oily/fatty/flavour. Please, for heavens sake do not throw it away. Pour it over the chicken at the end, or turn it into a gravy (recipe for that below)
What can I serve with this?
Serving-wise I always go with a decent loaf of bread and a ton of butter. Because clearly the potatoes just aren’t enough for me 😂 Also goes perfectly with rice or just as it is! If you like this sound of this tray bake be sure to check out my One Pot Spanish Chicken Orzo! For more similar recipes be sure to give these a ganders too:
Easy One Pan Dinners
Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters Honey Mustard Sausage Tray Bake Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken One Pan Roast Dinner
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Spanish chicken tray bake shall we?
How to make a Spanish Chicken Tray Bake (Full Recipe & Video)
If you loved this Spanish Chicken Tray Bake then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
