Middle Eastern-style Free-range Chicken Traybake with Courgette & Orange Salad

Middle Eastern-style Free-range Chicken Traybake with Courgette & Orange Salad

A colourful traybake, packed with vibrant ingredients! You'll roast free-range chicken thighs with sweet courgettes, fragrant za'atar, garlic and fiery chilli. Serve with a fresh salad, starring juicy oranges and toasted almonds for nutty crunch!

High protein 9 plants Low sat fat

Serving size

Cook time: 35 mins
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Food group: Poultry
Allergens: Nuts

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Cooking Instructions

The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.

As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.

Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.

Before you start

  • Preheat the oven to 240C / fan 220C / gas mark 9
  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper
  • Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil
  • Pull out a small bowl, a large bowl, a sieve & a small frying pan

Marinate the chicken

  • Finely chop or crush the garlic
  • To the large bowl, add the chicken, garlic, half the za'atar, half the chilli paste, 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Leave to marinate
  • Dice the courgette into 3cm chunks, add to the lined baking tray with the remaining za'atar, 2 tsp oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 5 mins

Cook the quinoa

  • Meanwhile, add the quinoa to the saucepan and boil for 13-14 mins, until cooked, then drain. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper

Toast & roast

  • Heat the small frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the almonds and toast for 2-3 mins, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove and set aside
  • After 5 mins of roasting, lay the chicken thighs flat onto the other side of the baking tray. Roast together for 16 mins, until the chicken is cooked through and the veg is softened

Make the dressing & start the salad

  • Meanwhile, thoroughly wash the large bowl
  • Halve the oranges and squeeze the juice from one of the halves into the large bowl
  • Thinly slice the shallot. With a small knife, peel and remove all the piths from the remaining orange halves. Dice into 2cm chunks. Finely chop the parsley
  • In the large bowl with orange juice, add the shallot and a pinch of salt. Set aside
  • In the small bowl, mix together the remaining chilli paste, three-quarters of the parsley, 1 tbsp oil, a splash of water and a pinch of salt and pepper

Finish & plate up

  • Check your chicken is cooked through by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the meat; the juices should run clear.
  • Slice the chicken into 1cm thick slices against the grain
  • When everything is ready, add the almonds, diced orange and salad leaves to the shallot bowl and toss to combine
  • Serve the quinoa onto plates, with the orange salad and roasted courgette alongside. Top with the chicken. Drizzle over the dressing. Scatter over the remaining parsley

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