This easy Tray Baked Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Carrots cooks everything together on one sheet pan for a flavorful, fuss-free dinner. Juicy chicken, roasted veggies, and a tasty honey-paprika rub make weeknight cooking a breeze!
Weeknight dinners can often feel like a juggling act, but this Tray Baked Chicken Thighs recipe with potatoes and carrots recipe makes things blissfully simple. With everything cooking on one sheet tray, there’s minimal cleanup and maximum flavor—perfect for busy families. The chicken thighs are coated in a quick and flavorful rub of olive oil, honey, paprika, garlic, and thyme, creating crispy, caramelized skin and tender, juicy meat. Roasting the potatoes and carrots alongside allows them to soak up all the delicious juices, making for a hearty, comforting meal that comes together effortlessly.
Whether you’re squeezing dinner into a packed weekday schedule or just craving a no-fuss option, this one-tray wonder has you covered. Toss it all together, pop it in the oven, and let the magic happen while you catch up on life. With sweet and savory notes and a hint of smokiness, it’s the kind of dish that turns a rushed weeknight into a comforting family gathering—without leaving a pile of dishes behind.
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Why You’ll Love this Tray Baked Chicken
Here are all the reasons you will love this Tray Baked Chicken Thighs recipe:
- One-Tray Cooking: Everything cooks together on a single sheet tray, reducing cleanup.
- Minimal Prep: Quick and easy rub of olive oil, honey, paprika, garlic, and thyme means no complicated steps.
- Complete Meal: Includes both protein (chicken) and veggies (potatoes and carrots), making dinner planning easy.
- Hands-Off Cooking: Once it’s in the oven, parents can focus on other tasks or relax until mealtime.
- Family-Friendly: Tasty, comforting flavors that appeal to both kids and adults.
Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
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The ingredients in this recipe are simple and can be easily swapped for others that you have or prefer.
- Chicken Thighs – This recipe calls for bone-in with skin. You can use boneless, skinless thighs or chicken breasts, as well. If you need to use frozen chicken, be sure to put it in the fridge to thaw 24 hours before planning to cook this recipe.
- Yukon potatoes – I used Yukon gold, but you can use red potatoes or russet potatoes as well. If you use russet, make sure to peel the tough skins and then immediately put them into cold water as they start to oxidize and will turn brown otherwise.
- Carrots – You can use whole carrots with the skin on or peeled. I peeled for this recipe. You can substitute with diced baby carrots, parsnips, or even radishes.
- Olive Oil – The oil helps the seasonings to stick, to help everything brown, and to prevent sticking to the pan. You can swap with another oil of your preference.
- Honey – Honey brings natural sweetness. You can substitute the same quantity of white granulated sugar or even brown sugar.
- Water – Water helps to turn this into a paste that is easily rubbed onto the chicken and the veggies.
- Seasonings: I used Paprika, Garlic powder, Dried Thyme, Salt and black pepper. You can use any combination of spices that you love or use a store-bought blend.
See recipe card for quantities.
Simple Equipment
For this recipe you do not need anything special – just a large sheet pan to bake the meal.
Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)
Add all of the ingredients for the seasoning rub to a small bowl.
Peel and slice the carrots. Clean and cut the potatoes into cubes.
Talking Tip!
For super easy cleanup, you can line the sheet pan with aluminum foil. Then when the food is done roasting, you simply toss it out into the trash!
To a large, greased sheet pan, add the potatoes and carrots, rub them with the seasoning mixture. Then season the chicken thighs as well and place them in between the veggies.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then flip the thighs overs, skin side up. Roast for another 20 minutes.
Ensure the internal temperature of the chicken thighs have reached 165 F degrees before removing it from the oven.
Tray Baked Chicken Substitutions
If you want to substitute or customize the ingredients in a baked chicken thighs with potatoes and carrots recipe, here are some alternatives to suit dietary preferences, availability, or to add variety:
- Chicken Breasts – Use bone-in, skin-on breasts for a similar texture and moisture level, or boneless for a leaner option (adjust cooking time to prevent drying out).
- Vegetarian – Use Tofu or Tempeh for a vegetarian option, use firm tofu or tempeh marinated for extra flavor.
- Sweet Potatoes or Yams – Offer a sweet and earthy flavor.
- Zucchini or Yellow Squash – Light and tender, though they cook faster, so add them halfway through.
- Spices – Use smoked paprika, cumin, or curry powder for bold flavors.
Variations for this Recipe
This sweet and savory seasoning combination is delicious. But each variation offers unique flavors, textures, and appeal—perfect for weeknight meals or special occasions so you can enjoy this meal on rotation.
- Mediterranean – Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and paprika.
- Garlic – Butter, minced garlic, fresh rosemary, thyme, and parsley.
- Spicy – Sriracha, honey, soy sauce, and minced ginger.
Love sheet pan meals? Try this International flavored Spanish Sheet Pan Chicken & Butternut Squash Mash on my website!
Tray Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe FAQs
Yes, this is a simple swap. You won’t want to cook the chicken breasts as long as you would the thighs, so cook the veggies for 30 minutes and then add in the chicken breasts to avoid overcooking and thus drying the meat out.
Customizing the vegetables is a great way to enjoy this meal over and over again. Sweet potatoes take longer to cook then chicken but softer vegetables like zucchini or squash cook quick which is why I didn’t pair them with the chicken. Italian sausage cooks quicker and might be a good option for quick cooking vegetables.
While you can use whatever baking pans you have, a glass baking pan won’t allow your meat to brown the same so I still recommend a baking sheet. If you have a large enough cast iron pan, this would be an excellent option too. Many people just don’t have a big enough one.
Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!
Tray Baked Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Carrots
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Thighs bone-in with skin (about 2 pounds)
- 1.5-2 pounds yukon potatoes
- 2-3 Carrots large
- 1 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Water
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- Add all of the ingredients for the seasoning rub to a small bowl (olive oil, honey, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, pepper, water). Mix to combine.
- Peel and slice the carrots. Clean and cut the potatoes into cubes.
Cooking Steps
- Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees
- To a large sheet pan that has been oiled, add the potatoes and carrots. Drizzle half of the seasoning mixture over them and rub it all over. Spread them out leaving 4 spots to add in the thighs. Add the chicken thighs and drizzle the remaining rub over them. Rub them until completely coated and place skin-side down on the pan.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then take the pan out to flip the thighs overs, skin side up. Roast for another 20 minutes.
- The chicken should be cooked through, but you can test with a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature has reached 165 F degrees. Serve and enjoy!
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