Spanish Chicken Traybake (Easy 30 Minute Dinner)
If you’re after a no-fuss, flavour-packed dinner, this Spanish chicken traybake is one to keep on repeat. Everything cooks together on one tray and with just a little bit of prep you have a healthy and tasty dinner on the table in 30 minutes.
It’s the kind of meal that feels wholesome and satisfying but takes minimal effort. I make this on a regular basis when I want something that feels like a proper dinner without much thought and it never disappoints. You can even have everything prepped in advance to just bung in the oven, and it makes excellent leftovers too.
| Keep reading for everything you need, plus a few swaps if you don’t have everything in or have fussy eaters at home. |
Quick Recipe Summary
🩷 Why You’ll Love this Spanish Chicken Traybake
Ingredients
Full ingredients list with quantities is included in the recipe card below. These are some helpful notes about the main ingredients including some swaps and substitutes where applicable.
- Chicken Breast – I use chicken breast in this recipe to keep it quick and fussy-eater approved. You can easily swap for thighs but may want to increase cook time. The basic recipe to serve 4 requires 640 grams chicken breast, which is a standard pack size here in the UK. This is about 3 large chicken breasts.
- Chorizo – the cured kind sold in rings, not sliced or cooking chorizo. The chorizo adds tons of smoky flavour to the dish so if you want to omit I’d suggest adding additional smoked paprika. Or try this Italian Chicken Traybake instead.
- Vegetables – In the recipe I use peppers, cherry tomato and red onion, but you can easily swap out the veg for almost anything else you have. Squash or courgette would pair nicely, or try aubergine or mushrooms.
- Paprika – the main flavour for the marinade. You want sweet smoked paprika. Alternatively you can use standard paprika or sweet paprika (not labelled as smoked) for a much milder flavour.
- Olives – I love the fresh and briny contrast the olives add and highly recommend adding them, but I know they can be very divisive so you can absolutely leave them out – try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to serve instead.
How to Make Spanish Chicken Traybake
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan 180°C) / 400°F.
- Add the chicken and vegetables to a large baking tray and sprinkle over the seasonings. (I use this tray and it’s the perfect size)
- Toss to combine then spread into one even layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Scatter over the olives then finish with fresh parsley before serving.
Swaps and Substitutions
Traybakes are such a great way to use up the ingredients you already have, including veggies past their best. I’ve included some ideas for swaps and variations here, but feel free to make it your own.
- Swap chicken breast for chicken thighs
- Add baby potatoes (parboil first or give them a head start in the oven) to make it into a full meal
- Swap some vegetables for courgette, squash or aubergine
- No cherry tomatoes? Use regular tomatoes cut into wedges.
- Spice it up with a sprinkle of chilli flakes
- If you don’t like olives try scattering in a handful of frozen peas for the last 5 minutes of cooking
Carrie’s Note
This one is a regular request in my house on busy days when everyone gets home late. It is surprisingly kid friendly despite the strong flavours – my toddler loves green olives and chorizo. I bring a separate bowl of olives to the dinner table so everyone can add as many as they like. We love the leftovers for lunch the next day either tossed with pasta and extra cheese or in a wrap with salad, mayo and a squeeze of lemon.
Everything We Ate
If you want to see some realistic dinner inspiration then I share a full recap of our family meals (what worked, what didn’t, and how I stretched the leftovers) every week for free over on Substack.
Tips for Success
- Don’t overcrowd the tray or the veg will steam instead of roasting. Use two trays if needed.
- Scoop up the pan juices when serving. They’re the best bit.
- Prep in advance: everything can be prepped and left in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead, either on the tray and covered or in a ziploc bag to ‘dump and go’ when ready to bake.
Serving Suggestions
I love Spanish chicken served with rice and a green salad, but here are a few ideas for sides you can prepare while the tray is in the oven:
- Rice, bulgur wheat or couscous
- Orzo or any small pasta shape
- Crusty bread to mop up the pan juices
- In a wrap or flatbread with salad and cheese
- With a simple green salad on the side
Leftovers
| Fridge: | Up to 3 days in an airtight container. |
| Freezer: | Up to 3 months. Best freshly cooked (freezing can soften the veg) but still perfectly tasty reheated from frozen. Defrost fully before reheating. |
| Reheat: | Microwave, oven at 180°C covered with foil (15–20 mins), or air fryer at 180°C (10–15 mins) until piping hot. |
| Leftovers tip: | Toss with cooked pasta, a little butter and plenty of cheese for an easy second dinner or make wraps with salad, mayo and a squeeze of lemon juice for tomorrow’s lunch. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can prep everything on the tray, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before cooking.
It should be piping hot throughout with no pink in the middle. You can also check it reaches 75°C internally.
More Easy Traybakes
- Italian Chicken Traybake
- Greek Chicken Traybake
- Sausage and Squash Traybake
- Lemon Chicken Traybake
- Chicken Fajita Traybake
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
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The Recipe
Spanish Chicken Traybake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 640 grams chicken breast cut in large chunks
- 100 grams chorizo sliced
- 2 red onion cut in wedges
- 3 peppers cut in 1 inch chunks
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 300 grams cherry tomatoes
- 100 grams olives optional
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F
- Add the chicken and vegetables to a large baking tray and sprinkle over the paprika, oregano and salt.
- Toss to combine then spread into one even layer (use two trays if needed).
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Scatter over the olives then finish with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- Rice, bulgur wheat or couscous
- Orzo or any small pasta shape
- Crusty bread to mop up the pan juices
- In a wrap or flatbread with salad and cheese
- With a simple green salad on the side
