You know those nights where your brain is mush, your fridge is semi-full, and you still want something packed with flavour? Yeah. This peri peri chicken thighs tray bake with veggies is your weeknight savior. One tray, 30-ish minutes, and you’ve got dinner AND lunch sorted.
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Why you'll love this recipe
One-pan. This is made in one dish with MAX flavour (because I'm lazy)—just like my Lemon Mustard Chicken Tray Bake or Chicken Fajita Tray Bake.
Customizable spice. Dial up or down the peri peri heat to suit your mood, just like my BBQ Peri Peri Chicken and Spicy Chicken Pad Thai Noodles. Or for something slightly sweeter, go my Sweet Chilli Soy Marinade.
Super low effort. Throw it all on a tray, bake, and you’re done—ideal for an easy evening.
Meal-prep friendly. Built-in protein, carbs, and veggies—great for packing lunches. Check out my other Chicken Meal Prep Recipes.
Ingredients and substitutions
Chicken thighs. I find chicken thighs are more forgiving in a tray bake. I use boneless because they cook quicker (but you could use bone-in, just adjust the cooking time).
You can use breasts - just make sure to slice them thickly and evenly.
Chilli. I use regular red chilli's for the sauce because I'm a huge white girl and don't have much tolerance. I don't stress about removing all the seeds and I still find this very mild.
But, you can up the anty if you like your mouth on fire by substituting for stronger chilli's (or keeping the seeds and adding more).
You could also use a store-bought peri peri sauce if you are struggling with time.
Lemon and Garlic. I highly recommend fresh, if you can. They will provide the most amount of flavour to your dish. But, if you cannot get fresh, pre-juiced lemon or pre-minced garlic will do.
Vegetables. These are essential for a meal prep friendly dish to ensure you're getting those micronutrients amongst your carbs and protein.
I've used bell peppers (or capsicum in Australia), zucchini and corn because these were seasonal when I made this dish and work well with the Portuguese flavours.
Carrots, potatoes, eggplant, green beans, onion, broccoli and cauliflower would all work as alternatives.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity.
How to make peri peri chicken bake
Step 1: Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F) and prepare peri peri sauce.
Step 2: In a bowl, toss chicken thighs with homemade peri peri sauce. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes (or overnight).
Step 3: Cut vegetables and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and salt.
Step 4: Nestle the marinated chicken on top and pour over remaining marinade.
Step 5: Bake for 25–30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft
Top Tip
Juicy Chicken. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes after baking. This keeps it juicy and stops all the tasty stuff from escaping onto the tray.
Crispy Skin. Pat the chicken skin dry before marinating—it helps it crisp up beautifully when baked.
Recommended Equipment
You’ll want a big, rimmed baking tray (around 30×40cm). It should be about an inch deep so you keep all the marinade in without the risk of spilling.
It'll keeps everything snug, lets the veggies roast instead of steam, and makes clean-up less of a nightmare.
Meal prepping a tray bake
Tray bakes are perfect for meal prepping because it is quick to make, clean up and is usually right on the 4 serves. This one has your source of protein (chicken), carbs (corn) and veggies (zucchini, bell peppers).
If you want to refreshen the meal once reheated, add a wedge of lime, fresh coriander or some chilli flakes when serving.
Storing
Let it cool at room temp for no more than 2 hours at room temp. When portioning into containers, add extra marinade from the bottom of the pan.
Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
How do you reheat chicken thighs?
Oven. You can reheat in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10–15 minutes.
Microwave. Microwave on 1 minute intervals. Flipping the thigh and rotating the corn each time. It should take approx. 3 minutes.
Stove. Add to stove on medium heat. Moving often. It should take approx. 5-10 minutes to reheat.
Are baked peri peri thighs freezer-friendly?
Yes. Freeze in individual portions and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. You could also freeze the chicken before cooking in the marinade for a quick, cook option.
I find thighs thaw quicker than breasts, so they're really great for a freezer prep.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Yes! You can adjust the homemade peri sauce to make it even more mild (I find it already quite mild because of the chillis used). But you can remove all the seeds, or even just use red bell pepper instead.
Use a thermometer. It should read 69°C (160°F), or slice and check that juices run clear. I recommend using a thermometer because as soon as you slice into the chicken, you lose some of the moistness you get when you leave it whole to rest.
Yup. Grill the chicken on medium heat for 6–8 minutes per side, and roast the veggies separately. Or you can grill the veggies alongside the chicken.
Other chicken thigh dishes
Or, you can have a browse through my Chicken Thigh Meal Preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Peri Peri Chicken Thighs Tray Bake with Veggies
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Equipment
- Large and Deep Baking Tray, 20x30x3cm
Ingredients
- 50 g (2 oz) red chillis, subs Note 1
- 45 ml (3 tablespoon) lemon juice, approx.1 lemon
- 4 sprigs sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only (subs Note 2)
- 80 g (3 oz) red pepper, approx.½
- 4 garlic cloves
- 60 ml (¼ cups) olive oil
Tray Bake
- 800 g (2 lb) Chicken thighs, boneless, approx.8see note 3
- 220 g (5 ½ oz) red pepper, approx. 1½
- 150 g (5 ½ oz) green pepper, approx. 1
- 2 corn cobs
- 150 g (5 2/7 oz) zucchini, approx. 1
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Slice: 50 g (2 oz) red chillis (optional: remove seeds); 80 g (3 oz) red pepper. Add to food processor or hand blender with 45 ml (3 tablespoon) lemon juice, 4 sprigs sprigs fresh oregano, 4 garlic cloves, 60 ml (¼ cups) olive oil. Blitz until desired texture.
- In a bowl, toss 800 g (2 lb) Chicken thighs with homemade peri peri sauce. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes (or overnight).
- Slice 2 corn cobs into quarters. Slice 220 g (5 ½ oz) red pepper, 150 g (5 ½ oz) green pepper, 150 g (5 2/7 oz) zucchini into ½inch pieces.
Bake
- In the baking tray, arrange 220 g (5 ½ oz) red pepper, 150 g (5 ½ oz) green pepper, 2 corn cobs, 150 g (5 2/7 oz) zucchini
- Nestle the marinated 800 g (2 lb) Chicken thighs on top and pour over remaining marinade.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft.
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