As the saying goes, you can never have too many recipes in your repertoire, which is exactly why we're introducing you to this delicious tray bake! This blissfully simple meal option is perfect for busy weeknights and those days when you really don't feel like slaving away in the kitchen.

Now—if you're unfamiliar with tray bakes and sheet pan dinners, here's a crash course: basically, it's a one-pot meal that you assemble on a tray. This means you get the same delicious result without all the hectic prepping, and you don't have to worry about washing up afterwards, either!

Take this Chicken Bake with Plums, Thyme, and Lemon recipe. It's hearty, flavoursome, and only requires minimal effort. The end result is a dish that looks impressive and tastes dreamy. You didn't even have to stay in the kitchen for hours.

Let's get to prepping! Here's what you'll need:

6 chicken thighs

6 plums, halved

1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of thyme leaves, with extra set aside for serving

Zest of 1 lemon

Olive oil, 60ml or 1/4 cup

60ml of white wine. Use apple cider vinegar or even just water as alternatives.

Salt, to taste

Can you ever go wrong with roast chook? Image Credit: Pexels

Now, onto the cooking!

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the chicken thighs in a shallow roasting tray. Meanwhile, toast the fennel seed over medium heat until its aroma starts to release. Once done, set aside to cool.

Next, crush the fennel seeds and add a sprinkle of salt. Use a mortar and pestle for this, if available. Once crushed, add the garlic cloves and mix into a paste.

Add the brown sugar, thyme, lemon zest, and olive oil and stir. After, coat the chicken with the paste.

Halve the plums and place them in the tray along with the chicken. Get some garlic, squish it flat with the blade of your knife, and add it as well.

Pour the wine (or substitute) and roast the chicken for about 40 minutes until it is golden-brown coloured and cooked well.

Now after roasting the chicken, there might be a fair bit of (yummy) juices on the tray. Transfer it into a small saucepan to reduce it and concentrate the flavour. You may opt to use this reduced juice as a sauce or transfer it back to the chicken.

Lastly, add more thyme, and voila! You’re good to go.

Here’s a video of a similar recipe that also uses capsicums and parmesan that you might find interesting:

Source: YouTube/Jason DeSouza​

But if you’re not impressed with this recipe, don’t worry! Here are alternatives you may want to try:

• Teriyaki Chicken Noodle Bowls
• Easy 5-Ingredient Delicious Roast Chicken Recipe
• Chicken Satay Rissoles
• Herb Chicken and Rice
• Lemon Chilli Roast Butterfly Chicken

 

[Joseph Gallina]

In the main, this recipe is quite good in terms of the nutritional value of the ingredients. However, the plums and brown sugar should be removed. They are too high in fructose and sucrose. Replace them with another ingredient(s) which have a very low carb count and no sugar instead. There are many ways of providing flavour which is beneficial to our metabolism, and it does not need to be fruit or sugar.

Still having said that, at least this recipe is not as devastating to our health as many of the others that have been posted. This recipe in the main is made up of whole foods, good fats (maybe add more) and the lemon zest has almost no fructose, but great flavour instead.

Thanks Seniors Discount!

 

[Christine Landale]

Can we have some VEGETARIAN versions of your recipes please? Thank you!

 

[Penny4]

In the main, this recipe is quite good in terms of the nutritional value of the ingredients. However, the plums and brown sugar should be removed. They are too high in fructose and sucrose. Replace them with another ingredient(s) which have a very low carb count and no sugar instead. There are many ways of providing flavour which is beneficial to our metabolism, and it does not need to be fruit or sugar.

Still having said that, at least this recipe is not as devastating to our health as many of the others that have been posted. This recipe in the main is made up of whole foods, good fats (maybe add more) and the lemon zest has almost no fructose, but great flavour instead.

Thanks Seniors Discount!

Hi Joseph, could you please post some of your recipes? It's nice to get other recipes from other members.

 

[Joseph Gallina]

Hi Joseph, could you please post some of your recipes? It's nice to get other recipes from other members.

Would you like my basic chicken schnitzel one. It's so simple and you can have plenty of it?

 

[Penny4]

Would you like my basic chicken schnitzel one. It's so simple and you can have plenty of it?

Sounds good! Love simple.

 

[Joseph Gallina]

Ingredients are:
Chicken breast, Almond Meal, Parmesan Cheese, Eggs, Good quality garlic powder.

Beat up two eggs (depending on how many schnitzels you want to make). On a separate flat plate add Almond Meal, Parmesan Cheese and garlic powder and mix it up.

Butterfly the chicken fillets to get as many as you can out of them. Beat them a little to flatten them out which makes it quicker and easier to cook. That way you won't burn the ingredients.

Dip the chicken fillets into the egg then onto the plate with the almond meal etc. Make sure it's all covered reasonably well.

You can pre-prepare these in advance and keep them in the fridge before you start to cook them if you want to.

Mix Olive oil and butter (Ghee if you prefer) together in a pan and put on medium heat. Wait till it all melts.

Fry up the schnitzels. Try to avoid overcooking them as you don't want the covering to burn too much. Golden brown is good. Handle them gently when cooking so the topping does not fall off. I only turn them once. Thats why I recommend making them quite thin.

Eat fresh or can be eaten the next day cold if you wish. Add good quality salt to flavour and some lemon juice over the top if you want.

If your diet is good and you eat low carb etc as a general rule then have as many as you want, even in one sitting.

This recipe consists of extremely low carbs, no sugar, no processed or refined ingredients, no grains by way of flour etc. It contains good levels of protein and good fats. Make sure it's good quality olive oil and butter, pink Himalayan Salt or good Sea Salt. Don't use the table salt that's too refined.

Have it with lots of salad or low carb veggies. Drizzle olive oil and apple cider vinegar over the salad as a dressing, or olive oil over the veggies.

Now that's a healthy meal and eat till you are satiated. If you eat in this manner and adopt this philosophy with all your other foods, you don't need to worry about calories in or calories out. In effect it's a keto lifestyle. One which has so much great food and one which I am very passionate about.

Hope this helps out a bit.

 

[Nana Zorak]

Can we have some VEGETARIAN versions of your recipes please? Thank you!

Why???

 

[Suzanne rose]

Great recipe and I LOVE ONE PAN DISHES.

I would substitute the wine with chicken stock not vinegar or water.

This recipe would be great using Apricots instead of plums .

When either are not in season I would just leave the fruit out and maybe add fresh lemon juice instead

 

[Suzanne rose]

Can we have some VEGETARIAN versions of your recipes please? Thank you!

Hi Christine , have you gone through the recipe forum there are plenty of vegetarian recipes there.
I have personally put up heaps including.
Roast vegetables

Heaps of different vegetable fritters n rissoles

Stuffed tomatoes using mushrooms instead of meat.

Jacket potatoes

Lentil soup

Ricotta eggplant rolls

The list goes on

 

[Nana Zorak]

Ingredients are:
Chicken breast, Almond Meal, Parmesan Cheese, Eggs, Good quality garlic powder.

Beat up two eggs (depending on how many schnitzels you want to make). On a separate flat plate add Almond Meal, Parmesan Cheese and garlic powder and mix it up.

Butterfly the chicken fillets to get as many as you can out of them. Beat them a little to flatten them out which makes it quicker and easier to cook. That way you won't burn the ingredients.

Dip the chicken fillets into the egg then onto the plate with the almond meal etc. Make sure it's all covered reasonably well.

You can pre-prepare these in advance and keep them in the fridge before you start to cook them if you want to.

Mix Olive oil and butter (Ghee if you prefer) together in a pan and put on medium heat. Wait till it all melts.

Fry up the schnitzels. Try to avoid overcooking them as you don't want the covering to burn too much. Golden brown is good. Handle them gently when cooking so the topping does not fall off. I only turn them once. Thats why I recommend making them quite thin.

Eat fresh or can be eaten the next day cold if you wish. Add good quality salt to flavour and some lemon juice over the top if you want.

If your diet is good and you eat low carb etc as a general rule then have as many as you want, even in one sitting.

This recipe consists of extremely low carbs, no sugar, no processed or refined ingredients, no grains by way of flour etc. It contains good levels of protein and good fats. Make sure it's good quality olive oil and butter, pink Himalayan Salt or good Sea Salt. Don't use the table salt that's too refined.

Have it with lots of salad or low carb veggies. Drizzle olive oil and apple cider vinegar over the salad as a dressing, or olive oil over the veggies.

Now that's a healthy meal and eat till you are satiated. If you eat in this manner and adopt this philosophy with all your other foods, you don't need to worry about calories in or calories out. In effect it's a keto lifestyle. One which has so much great food and one which I am very passionate about.

Hope this helps out a bit.

Not everybody lives to eat low carbs. There are some of us that really enjoy our carbs & they don't do harm to everyone that chooses to eat them. Some of us who went through rationing in England during the war like to keep up our carbs as that is what kept us going during the war. This is what we are used to. I for one have never used garlic or mince or avocados. Since my mum knew how to make good gravy a skill I never managed to emulate. We were never in the need to acquire the taste for anything that wasn't strictly British. Which included lots of fresh vegetables that my dad grew & chickens & rabbitts for meat, there were plenty of fruit trees around so fruit featured a lot in my childhood diet including blackberries which we used to collect as a family on a day out, the only thing I missed out on were sweets that were not usually available during that time.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Not everybody lives to eat low carbs. There are some of us that really enjoy our carbs & they don't do harm to everyone that chooses to eat them. Some of us who went through rationing in England during the war like to keep up our carbs as that is what kept us going during the war. This is what we are used to. I for one have never used garlic or mince or avocados. Since my mum knew how to make good gravy a skill I never managed to emulate. We were never in the need to acquire the taste for anything that wasn't strictly British. Which included lots of fresh vegetables that my dad grew & chickens & rabbitts for meat, there were plenty of fruit trees around so fruit featured a lot in my childhood diet including blackberries which we used to collect as a family on a day out, the only thing I missed out on were sweets that were not usually available during that time.

I love my carbs and my belief is everything is ok in moderation.
Life would be boring without carbs

 

[Nana Zorak]

Thank you, Suzanne Rose nicely put in a neat & succinct manner, Life would be boring without carbs.

 

[Penny4]

Not everybody lives to eat low carbs. There are some of us that really enjoy our carbs & they don't do harm to everyone that chooses to eat them. Some of us who went through rationing in England during the war like to keep up our carbs as that is what kept us going during the war. This is what we are used to. I for one have never used garlic or mince or avocados. Since my mum knew how to make good gravy a skill I never managed to emulate. We were never in the need to acquire the taste for anything that wasn't strictly British. Which included lots of fresh vegetables that my dad grew & chickens & rabbitts for meat, there were plenty of fruit trees around so fruit featured a lot in my childhood diet including blackberries which we used to collect as a family on a day out, the only thing I missed out on were sweets that were not usually available during that time.

It's not like we eat a whole loaf of bread and a bowl of sugar in one sitting either. I couldn't live without carbs either. As I'm writing this, I'm eating my lunch which consists of a wholegrain sandwich with cheese and salad. Then, off to bake a banana loaf.

 

[Milica]

Why???

Why not???

 

[Milica]

Looks delicious - good way of getting protein and tasty - love anything roasted!

 

[Joseph Gallina]

Not everybody lives to eat low carbs. There are some of us that really enjoy our carbs & they don't do harm to everyone that chooses to eat them. Some of us who went through rationing in England during the war like to keep up our carbs as that is what kept us going during the war. This is what we are used to. I for one have never used garlic or mince or avocados. Since my mum knew how to make good gravy a skill I never managed to emulate. We were never in the need to acquire the taste for anything that wasn't strictly British. Which included lots of fresh vegetables that my dad grew & chickens & rabbitts for meat, there were plenty of fruit trees around so fruit featured a lot in my childhood diet including blackberries which we used to collect as a family on a day out, the only thing I missed out on were sweets that were not usually available during that time.

Hello, I don't think you have quite understood the purpose of my post and critique. What you ate many years ago and what is being eaten now are two entirely different things. There were no trans fats, vegetable oils, highly processed foods and no chemicals as such. All foods were whole foods, plenty of good fats and were foods eaten that were generally in season, fresh and were not sugar bound. It makes total sense to eat high carb foods at times of scarcity and that would apply to anywhere in the world. However, that is not the case anymore. The latest figures identify that 63% of Australians are obese. A lot of people say all food is fine as long as it is in moderation. Well, you see most foods are readily available 12 months of the year, we are not in wartime and quite obviously 63% of the population don't understand the term 'moderation'. High carbs and sugar (which effectively end up being the same thing) are very damaging to our health. The root cause of a lot of our metabolic health problems is insulin resistance, which turns into pre-diabetes, which turns into Type 2 Diabetes. When this occurs, many other illnesses start to emerge particularly if we are in our senior years or are on the path to get there. A high carb/ high sugar diet is also linked to the increasing instance of Dementia not only amongst our senior members but to our younger community. This is being referred to as the new Type 3 Diabetes, being one that affects the health of our neurological system. There are many things that cause dementia, but certainly one of the most common denominators is insulin resistance and diabetes. There is so much more I could add here and provide you with overwhelming evidence, but you need to understand that limiting the amount of carbohydrates and eliminating sugar from our diets especially when our youth has left us is the first step in increasing longevity and most importantly quality of life. As I always say good food is medicine, bad food needs medicine. I certainly don't want to make this personal and thanks for your polite response as well. I just want to make sure people are aware of this and think a little deeper about it.

 

[Joseph Gallina]

It's not like we eat a whole loaf of bread and a bowl of sugar in one sitting either. I couldn't live without carbs either. As I'm writing this, I'm eating my lunch which consists of a wholegrain sandwich with cheese and salad. Then, off to bake a banana loaf.

I don't think you have understood my point. If you wanted to see what my purpose was, then I've tried to explain it succinctly in my response to 'Nana Zorak'. Oh, and by the way you would be surprised to see what people eat in one sitting or every day!

 

[Suzanne rose]

Hello, I don't think you have quite understood the purpose of my post and critique. What you ate many years ago and what is being eaten now are two entirely different things. There were no trans fats, vegetable oils, highly processed foods and no chemicals as such. All foods were whole foods, plenty of good fats and were foods eaten that were generally in season, fresh and were not sugar bound. It makes total sense to eat high carb foods at times of scarcity and that would apply to anywhere in the world. However, that is not the case anymore. The latest figures identify that 63% of Australians are obese. A lot of people say all food is fine as long as it is in moderation. Well, you see most foods are readily available 12 months of the year, we are not in wartime and quite obviously 63% of the population don't understand the term 'moderation'. High carbs and sugar (which effectively end up being the same thing) are very damaging to our health. The root cause of a lot of our metabolic health problems is insulin resistance, which turns into pre-diabetes, which turns into Type 2 Diabetes. When this occurs, many other illnesses start to emerge particularly if we are in our senior years or are on the path to get there. A high carb/ high sugar diet is also linked to the increasing instance of Dementia not only amongst our senior members but to our younger community. This is being referred to as the new Type 3 Diabetes, being one that affects the health of our neurological system. There are many things that cause dementia, but certainly one of the most common denominators is insulin resistance and diabetes. There is so much more I could add here and provide you with overwhelming evidence, but you need to understand that limiting the amount of carbohydrates and eliminating sugar from our diets especially when our youth has left us is the first step in increasing longevity and most importantly quality of life. As I always say good food is medicine, bad food needs medicine. I certainly don't want to make this personal and thanks for your polite response as well. I just want to make sure people are aware of this and think a little deeper about it.

You sound like my dietician! Could you post what you daily menu looks like including quantity

 

[Penny4]

I don't think you have understood my point. If you wanted to see what my purpose was, then I've tried to explain it succinctly in my response to 'Nana Zorak'. Oh, and by the way you would be surprised to see what people eat in one sitting or every day!

I'm sure I did understand your point. The Keto diet isn't new, and most people know of someone who's tried it, or is still on it. I know I do.
Not sure about you, but I find as we get older, our appetites wane. Therefore, I totally agree we need to omit ultra processed foods.