Elevate your traybake game with this citrus-glazed chicken and vegetables recipe

Traybakes are beloved for their ease and efficiency—everything cooks together at the same temperature and time. While this can sometimes limit flavour complexity, convenience doesn’t have to mean sacrificing taste. This simple chicken traybake by Christopher Kimball combines honey, paprika, and roasted orange to create a dish bursting with deep sweetness, tangy citrus, and a hint of smokiness.

The preparation is refreshingly straightforward. The only prep work involves trimming the chicken, quartering an orange, and slicing the vegetables into wedges. Be sure to pat the chicken dry before coating it with the honey-oil mixture to ensure it clings well and promotes flavourful browning.

In the end, pour half the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and serve the rest on the side. The result? A deceptively simple yet flavor-packed dinner that feels much more sophisticated than the minimal effort required.

Smoky Chicken and Sweet Potato Traybake

Start to finish: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Grated zest of 1 orange, orange cut into quarters

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

½ to ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed and patted dry

2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound total), cut lengthwise into ¾-inch wedges

1 small red onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges, with root end intact

2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 2 pieces, room temperature

Method:

Heat the oven to 475°F with a rack in the middle position.

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, orange zest, paprika, cayenne (if using), 1½ teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Combine the chicken, sweet potatoes and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle on the honey mixture and rub it into the chicken and vegetables.

Arrange the chicken skin up in a single layer in the centre, then arrange the vegetables in an even layer around the chicken.

Place an orange quarter, cut side up, in each corner of the baking sheet.

Roast until spotty brown and the thickest part of the thighs reach 175°F, 30 to 35 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter; tent with foil. With the tongs, squeeze the juice from the orange quarters onto the baking sheet; discard the quarters.

Add the butter and whisk, scraping up any browned bits, until melted and combined with the pan juices.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and vegetables; serve the remainder on the side.