Delicious all in one dinner - this Lemon Garlic Chicken Rice Traybake is tasty, fuss-free and really easy to make.
I love traybakes this time of year with the nights getting dark early and the days starting to get bitter cold. All I want to do is get dinner done with minimal clear up afterwards so that I can get to bed early snuggled under my warm duvet. I often make a traybake early in the day so that all I have to do is put it in the oven when dinner time comes.
They are so easy to make, great for those days when you want to get something done really quick but still stay on plan.
When making a traybake it is best to choose ingredients that will compliment each other and cook at similar timings. You can, of course, add other certain ingredients towards the end. If it is something that might cook quicker.
I have actually been grocery shopping choose ingredients that will work well for a traybake because of how easy they are.
This week I grabbed some bone-in chicken pieces. These kind of cuts are perfect for a traybake as the chicken stays nice and moist and really takes on the flavours of whatever you season it with.
I remove the skin first to keep it all syn free as it cooks. A really neat trick for removing the skin from chicken is to use a bit of kitchen paper. Grip the chicken skin on the kitchen paper, and then you can remove it really easily. I then use some kitchen scissors or a knife to trim off any visible fat, before seasoning.
To go with the chicken this week, I grabbed a bag of Brussel sprouts, because as much as I hated those things as a child, I love them now, especially when sauteed or roasted in the oven.
The last part was choosing what seasonings and flavours to go with it. Garlic is perfect with Brussel sprouts, I mean have you tried these Sauteed Shredded Garlic Brussel Sprouts? Those are pretty darn delicious for a speed side dish and I figured the lovely fresh flavour of lemon would really compliment this dish and boy was I right.
I used a handy lemon zester tool, to add some lemon zest into the seasoning for the chicken, and then also scattered with slices of lemon on for the actual tray bake.
The Chicken, Potato and Vegetable Tray Bake I made last week was amazing, but because I added potatoes to that dish, I really fancied something different this week, so picked some basmati rice instead and for a contrast in colour, because I like to make dishes look pretty, I also added a couple of sliced carrots.
When cooking rice, you need liquid, so I also added in a little bit of stock and then covered in Aluminium foil for part of the baking process and removed it for the last part of cooking just to give it a lovely golden colour.
Seriously this Lemon Garlic Chicken Rice Traybake was drool-worthy, the aroma that filled my kitchen was just fantastic and I really didn't want the meal to be over, fantastic flavours and freshness and super healthy too.
I just served the Lemon Garlic Chicken Rice Traybake as it was, as there was plenty of speed vegetables in the recipe, but if you want to increase your speed, feel free to add some other speed foods of choice to the side.
Why not have a look through these side dishes for inspiration.
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If you want the chicken to remain lovely and moist, I do recommend bone-in chicken, as you will not get the same result with chicken breast, or boneless thighs, but if you do decide to use either of those, you will need to reduce the cooking time a little. Maybe just uncovering for the last 10 mins or so.
Wondering what kind of baking tray I use for the Lemon Garlic Chicken Rice Tray Bake? I use one of these large Nordicware Baking Sheets. I love the nordicware cookware, it is heavy duty and really good quality. Cleans up super easy too.
I actually have these in 3 different sizes - small, medium and large as well as muffin trays and baking dishes. I love them.
Originally I only bought one tray, but have been gradually replacing all my baking trays to Nordicware.
Give this Lemon Garlic Chicken Rice Traybake a try for dinner one night this week, it is perfect for a fuss free Sunday dinner, if yo you want minimal clean up afterwards. While Sunday roasts are delicious, the clean up afterwards can sometimes be a chore. This will mean you can enjoy dinner and still have plenty of time to put your feet up with a cuppa.
What Kitchen Items do I need to make this Lemon Garlic Chicken Rice Traybake?
- Kitchen Scales
- Kitchen Scissors
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Jug
- Lemon Zester
- Chopping Board
- Wooden Spatulas
- Santoku Knife (perfect knife for chopping veg)
- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Tray
- Aluminium Foil
- Kitchen Paper
Syn Free Lemon Garlic Chicken Rice Traybake
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly
- Extra Easy - syn free per serving
- WW Smart Points - 9
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in Chicken Legs Quarters - skin and visible fat removed
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- zest of a lemon
- 1 tbs of paprika
- pinch of salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp each of dried basil, oregano, and parsley
- 1.3 cups/250g of basmati rice
- 300g of sliced brussel sprouts
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 large lemon, sliced
- 1.75 cups/420ml of chicken stock
- spray oil
- fresh chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 230c/425f (gas mark 7)
- Add the chicken quarters (with skin and fat removed) to a large bowl
- Add the paprika, garlic, zest, dried herbs, salt and black pepper and a little spray oil to the bowl and mix to coat
- Add the rice, Brussel sprouts, onion, and carrot on a large baking tray and spread out in an even layer.
- Top with the chicken quarters and lemon slices.
- Pour in the stock evenly.
- Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 45 mins
- Uncover, carefully remove the chicken quarters and lemon slices and mix the rice, Brussels, carrots and onion, spreading back out in an even layer.
- Add back the chicken quarters and lemon slices and season with a little salt and black pepper and place back in the oven uncovered for the remaining 15 mins.
- Scatter with fresh chopped Italian parsley.
- Serve and enjoy!!
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only.
Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. Also, double-check syn values of synned ingredients as different brands can vary.
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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 481 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 6.9 g | 11% | |
Saturated Fat 1.7 g | 9% | |
Sodium 114 mg | 5% | |
Total Carbohydrates 65.7 g | 22% | |
Dietary Fiber 5.3 g | 21% | |
Sugars 4.7 g | ||
Protein 40.2 g | 80% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I have never left a comment before, even if the recipe was a success. But this meal deserved comments. I am a lover of spicy food so I thought that this would be too bland. How wrong I was! It's delicious. I didn't have any sprouts so replaced them with zucchini. I stuck to all other ingredients and was more than pleased. Thanks
Totally delicious, fuss free recipe- loved it! Thankyou so much!
Thanks for commenting Jolene, so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi l really want to make this as it looks so yummy.....Can l make it with chicken breasts please....As my hubby will not eat any meat on the Bone....Btw..Just love your recipes......
Hi Linda, chicken breast will be too dry for this dish, I recommend on the bone, because it releases more natural juices which help the rice. You could probably use thighs instead, but you may need to increase the liquid a little to compensate. Hope that helps 🙂
Could this be done slow cooker
I'm not sure it would work very well in a slow cooker.
Love the sound of this recipe! can you use chicken drumsticks for this recipe? If so, how many would you recommend?
Hi Bethany you sure can, it might need slightly less cooking time though.
What a fantastic recipe, will definitely be putting this on the menu regularly. Halved portions as only two of us but would i5 freeze ok if did full recipe?
yes, it should freeze fine, so long as it is frozen as soon as cooled down.
Can i use frozen sprouts as not in season here yet.
My husband loves chicken. However, delicious as the chicken was, the rice mixture (sans brussels sprouts - only good ones are raw) was fantastic. This will be a definite regular.
Hello, do we put cooked rice in , thanks 🙂
No for this you use uncooked white rice, everything gets cooked on the tray.