Chicken, Olive, Orange, and Rye Bread Tray Bake

Really Really Good. And So Easy!

Tray bake, sheet pan meal, single pan dinner. Whatever you call them, if you cook, you probably have at least a couple of these easy meals on standby for when you’re short on time and energy, or just don’t feel like spending much time in the kitchen.

I’ve been a big fan since I first roasted one of these about 15 years ago. And while I’m far from being an expert, by trial and error I have learned a few things along the way that will greatly impact the success of a sheet pan meal.

Just throwing a protein, veg, and starch on a tray and hoping for the best isn’t likely to end up being very good. It can be edible, but not something you’d ever want to repeat. So, here are a few things I’ve learned that will improve your chances of a successful outcome. 

Be cognizant of the time it will take for all the ingredients to cook. You don’t want some of the ingredients to be overcooked, while others may be undercooked. If you are including vegetables that take longer to roast, then make sure your protein can withstand the same amount of time. Make sure your heat is high enough so that the ingredients roast well. If the heat is too low the food will only steam and I doubt that’s what you have in mind. 

Nothing earth shattering here. Just use common sense and you should be successful. I’ve also learned that while you’d normally never want to crowd a pan with ingredients when you’re roasting them, there are times when just the opposite is true.

In the case of this recipe, I wanted the pan to be full because I wanted some of the ingredients to be protected from direct heat so they would stay soft. I chose crusty caraway rye bread because I wanted the extra flavor.  So, I placed the chicken thighs on top of some of the pieces of bread because I wanted those chunks of bread to be soft and full of the chicken drippings, while allowing others to be exposed to the heat in order to crisp up. This way I got the best of both worlds.

The size of the ingredients will also matter. In this case I cut my carrots into larger chunks because I didn’t want them to fully soften and caramelize. I wanted them to remain semi crisp. I had added Medjool dates and wedges of oranges to the pan, so I knew I had enough sweet flavor and didn’t need more coming from the carrots. I wanted the carrots to remain earthy. 

To balance out the sweet and earthy flavors, I added a few dozen castelvetrano pitted olives. After tossing everything, except the chicken, with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, I arranged it on my sheet pan, seasoned the chicken thighs with olive oil, salt and pepper, and placed them on top of the other ingredients. I added a few sprigs of thyme and popped it in a 425° oven for a half hour, at which time I moved the pan to the upper rack in my oven, turned on the broiler and let it cook for another couple of minutes until it was nicely browned. I like to let mine broil until the chicken skin and some of the bread has begun to char, but this part is up to you. Take it out when it is done to your liking.

As soon as I took it out of the oven I drizzled it with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Ever since making a recipe from Ixta Befrage, in which she finished off her roasted dish with a drizzle of heavy cream, I’ve become a convert and do this frequently, when it’s appropriate. I love how it brings a little bit of creaminess and sauciness to the dish. A scattering of parsley and the meal is ready to serve. 

This could hardly be easier, but most importantly, it’s extremely delicious. It’s hard to believe it was all cooked on one pan because the flavors stay distinct. Everything hasn’t run together and muddled the flavors. This is a sheet pan dinner worth saving and repeating. Keep this recipe in your back pocket. You’ll be happy.