Sticky Chinese Five-Spice Chicken Traybake

The term traybake seems to have two very different meanings. For example:

  • A dessert baked in a square or rectangular pan and then cut into squares or slices after baking.

 OR

  • a savory dish consisting of several items of food being placed together on a baking tray along with some seasonings, then go into the oven together. With the right cut of meat and the right vegetables, they all are done at the same time. Dinner is served!

Life’s hustle and bustle can mean the last thing you want to worry about is fixing a busy dinner with multiple pots and pans…and having to clean it all up. The solution? Simple tray bakes. With minimal prep, basic ingredients, and little clean-up, this is surely one of the quickest ways to get dinner on the table (and takes less time than waiting for food to be delivered).

For the best success with this easy cooking technique, use your sturdiest pan (this will prevent your ingredients from browning too much) and have a bottle of your favorite oil cooking spray handy. Once you’ve assembled everything on the sheet pan, you can sit back, relax, and let the oven do the work for you.

When you’re roasting food, air circulation is everything. That’s why low-rimmed baking sheets are preferred over roasting pans. They accelerate cooking and boost browning in a traybake.

Traybake is the cooking technique of choice for these Chinese 5-spice chicken thighs. Simply load a sheet pan with chicken thighs that have been marinated in the spicy Chinese sauce, then you can just pop it in the oven and wait for the magic to happen. Serve over brown or white rice garnished with green onion.

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Sticky Chinese Five-Spice Chicken Traybake
Instructions
  1. In a container with a cover, combine hoisin sauce, sesame oil, honey, five-spice powder, ginger, garlic & some salt & pepper.
  2. Add chicken thighs to marinade & toss to coat. Cover & refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  4. Arrange chicken thighs on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked through, basting at least once. If using cashews, remove chicken from oven & stir through chicken. Bake 5 minutes more.
  5. Prepare rice while chicken is baking. Arrange on a platter & top with chicken thighs. Garnish with green onions.
Recipe Notes
  • If you wish, garnish with some cashew nuts for extra flavor.

Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs & Potatoes

Lemon and chicken are natural companions. Lemon is acidic and helps balance the stronger flavor of the dark meat in thighs and legs, and the fat from the chicken skin. I venture to say lemon mixed with chicken is largely Mediterranean in origin. Versions of lemon chicken usually with the additions of olive oil, butter, garlic, and sometimes white wine are found in Italian, Greek, Levantine, and Persian cooking.

Roast chicken thighs are a simple and satisfying meal anytime. Roasting the potatoes in the same pan with the meat gives the potatoes that extra boost from the lemony chicken juices. In little more than an hour you have a great meal on the table.

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Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs & Potatoes
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Servings
Servings
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together oil, lemon zest & juice, oregano, paprika, Dijon mustard & garlic. Add chicken & potatoes to oil mixture & toss to coat.
  3. On a large parchment lined baking sheet, arrange chicken & potatoes. Season with sea salt & pepper. Cover with foil & roast for 45 minutes.
  4. Remove foil & toss potatoes making sure to spoon excess liquid over chicken & potatoes. Arrange lemon slices over chicken thighs & continue to cook, uncovered for another 20 minutes or until potatoes & chicken are cooked.
  5. Remove from oven, tent with foil & let rest for 5 minutes before serving.