Chicken & Poultry

Harissa Chicken and Vegetable Traybake

Name: Harissa Chicken and Vegetable Traybake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 2 Chicken Breasts; 1 Baking Potato (cut into cubes); 1 Broccoli (cut into florets); 1 Red Onion (cut into quarters); Handful Cherry Tomatoes; 2 tbsp Harissa Paste; 1 tbsp Olive Oil

A simple one-tray dinner with chicken and vegetables coated in harissa paste and roasted until tender with crispy edges.

By Ricky Robinson • Updated August 21, 2022

Harissa paste does most of the work in this recipe. It's got chilli, garlic, and spices all mixed together, so you get plenty of flavour without having to measure out lots of different things. Two tablespoons gives the chicken and vegetables a good coating and enough heat to make it interesting without being too spicy.

Everything goes on one tray, which makes it handy for a weeknight dinner when you don't want to be washing up loads of pans. The potatoes take the longest to cook, so cutting them into smallish cubes helps them roast properly in the thirty minutes everything needs. The vegetables you use can change depending on what you've got. Broccoli and cherry tomatoes work well because they don't need much time to cook through.

The harissa caramelises a bit in the hot oven, which gives everything a nice colour and concentrates the flavours.

Red onion adds a bit of sweetness when it roasts, and the quarters break apart slightly which is what you want. You chop everything up, toss it all together with the harissa paste and olive oil until it's well coated, then spread it out on a baking tray.

Harissa Chicken and Vegetable Traybake recipe image

Twenty to thirty minutes at a fairly high heat gets the chicken cooked through and gives the vegetables some crispy edges. The potatoes should be tender when you poke them with a knife, and the chicken juices should run clear. It's the sort of meal that looks after itself once it's in the oven, which gives you time to sort out whatever else needs doing.

The beauty of a traybake is its versatility. You can swap the vegetables based on what's in season or what needs using up. Courgettes, peppers, or butternut squash would all work nicely here. Just keep the pieces roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly. If you're using harder vegetables like parsnips or carrots, you might want to cut them a bit smaller than the potatoes to ensure they cook through properly.

Serves two people generously, or one person who's particularly hungry. The leftovers keep well in the fridge for a couple of days and taste just as good cold in a packed lunch or reheated for a quick meal.