There are two types of roast chicken dinner.
The kind where you spend half the afternoon juggling trays, parboiling potatoes, making gravy and trying to time everything perfectly…
And the kind where you throw everything into one roasting tin, slide it into the oven and get on with your life.
This recipe is very firmly in the second category.
This one pan Mediterranean roast chicken is exactly the sort of dinner I reach for when I want something generous, comforting and properly delicious – but without the orchestration of a full traditional roast. Everything cooks together in the same tray: juicy chicken, golden potatoes, sweet peppers, courgettes, tomatoes and little nuggets of chorizo that melt into the vegetables as they roast.
The result is a deeply flavourful roast chicken and vegetables dinner with almost no effort.
Just ten minutes of prep, one tray, and the oven does the rest.
And if you add the quick garlic yoghurt sauce at the end (which I very much recommend), you get something that feels slightly Mediterranean holiday-ish – bright, garlicky and perfect spooned over the roast vegetables.
If you’re building a collection of easy chicken dinners, this is one of the most useful recipes to have in your back pocket, and if you love recipes like this check out my guide 25+ Easy One-Pan Dinners for Busy Weeknights.
Why This Is One of the Easiest Roast Chicken Dinners
Roast chicken can sometimes feel like a project. Potatoes in one tray, vegetables in another, chicken resting, gravy bubbling away…
This recipe simplifies everything.
Instead of treating the vegetables as sides, they become part of the main event. They roast underneath the chicken, soaking up all those wonderful juices and becoming beautifully caramelised.
That means:
• one tray
• minimal prep
• very little washing up
The chicken bastes the vegetables as it cooks, and the vegetables release juices that help keep the chicken moist.
It’s the sort of meal that feels generous and impressive, but requires almost no babysitting.
The Secret to Juicy Roast Chicken
If you have the time, brining the chicken the day before makes a huge difference.
A simple overnight brine seasons the meat all the way through and keeps it incredibly juicy while roasting. It’s a tiny bit of extra effort that delivers a big payoff.
That said, this recipe still works perfectly well with an unbrined chicken — simply roast according to the weight and instructions on the packaging.
If you’d like to try brining, I use the method in The Juiciest Brined Chicken, which takes about two minutes of preparation the day before and transforms the flavour of roast chicken.
The Mediterranean Vegetables
One of the things I love about this recipe is how adaptable it is.
The version here uses:
- baby potatoes
- courgettes
- red peppers
- vine tomatoes
These vegetables roast beautifully together and create a slightly jammy, flavourful base underneath the chicken.
The tomatoes collapse into a sort of natural sauce, the peppers become sweet and soft, and the potatoes turn golden and crisp around the edges.
But you can absolutely adapt it depending on what you have.
Other vegetables that work particularly well include:
- aubergine
- carrots
- pumpkin or squash
- leeks
- fennel
The only rule is to cut everything to roughly the same size so it cooks evenly.
Why the Garlic Yoghurt Works So Well
Because the chicken and vegetables roast together, you end up with a lovely amount of natural cooking juices in the tray.
That means you don’t really need a traditional gravy.
Instead, a quick garlic yoghurt adds freshness and brightness that balances the richness of the roast chicken perfectly.
It takes about 30 seconds to make and lifts the whole dish.
Just stir grated garlic into thick Greek yoghurt, season with salt and pepper and you’re done.
A Brilliant Chicken Dinner for Entertaining
One of the reasons I love this recipe is that it works just as well for guests as it does for a quiet weeknight.
You can do all the prep in ten minutes, slide the tray into the oven, and then forget about it for an hour.
When it comes out, you have a beautiful tray of golden roast chicken and vegetables ready to serve – the sort of meal that looks generous and inviting without requiring constant attention.
If you enjoy easy chicken dinners like this, you might also like:
• Chicken Chow Mein – a fast noodle stir fry that’s better than takeaway
• Chicken Katsu Curry – crispy panko chicken with rich curry sauce
• Chicken Balti – a bold, quick one-pan curry
• Thai Red Chicken Curry – fragrant coconut curry with sweet potato
They’re all part of my collection of easy chicken dinners designed for busy weeknights.
What to Do with Leftovers
Got leftovers afterwards? Why not make them into this spectacular leftover chicken, leek and mushroom filo pie.
More ways to use your leftover roast chicken:
Roasting a chicken once can easily turn into two or three meals, which makes this recipe incredibly good value as well as delicious.
One Pan Mediterranean Roast Chicken and Vegetables with Garlic Yoghurt
Ingredients
- 1 whole large chicken approx 2kg ideally brined for 24 hours
- 500 grams baby potatoes
- 2 courgettes
- 2 red peppers
- 200 grams vine tomatoes
- 150 grams chorizo diced
- 50 grams green olives destoned
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
For the yoghurt
- 150 grams Greek yoghurt
- 4 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180?
- Chop the courgettes and red peppers into pieces about the same size as the baby potatoes. Half any potatoes that are much bigger than the others.
- Arrange the courgettes, red peppers and potatoes in the base of a large roasting pan. Add the tomatoes, olives and diced chorizo.
- Place the chicken on top and drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
- Put in the oven on the middle shelf and cook for one hour – check that the juices run clear when you stab the chicken with a skewer
- While the chicken is cooking, make the yoghurt. Peel and grate the garlic cloves, then stir into the yoghurt along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- After an hour, remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. You can cover in foil to keep everything warm.
- To serve, give everyone a big spoonful of the roasted vegetables and pieces of chicken. Drizzle with the yoghurt and a little olive oil.
Video
So easy and so delicious!
nice article…. gave your blog a like !
Kind Regards Mel
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