Garlic Herb Chicken Traybake
Chicken breast roasted with olive oil, garlic powder and dried herbs until golden at the edges, a simple high-protein traybake with browned, crisp corners.
- Total
- 45 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 32 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Resting meat
- Savory
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 220°C and line a small baking tray with parchment paper.
~12 min
-
In a small bowl, stir 1 tbsp olive oil with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper into a loose paste.
~3 min
Oil carries fat-soluble herb flavours and helps the spices disperse evenly instead of clumping.
Dried rosemary and thyme are sturdy, so rub them into the oil paste rather than sprinkling them on top, where they would scorch before the chicken is done.
-
Pat the 200 g chicken breast dry with paper towel and rub the herb paste over all sides, working it into the surface.
~3 min
Drying the surface lets the oil paste grip the meat rather than sliding off.
-
Lay the chicken on the lined tray and roast for 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are browned and the thickest part reaches 74°C on an instant-read thermometer.
~22 min
High heat browns the exterior through Maillard reactions while the thermometer confirms the interior is safely cooked.
A single 200 g breast roasts evenly at this heat; if yours is thicker than 3 cm, add 3 to 4 minutes and check the temperature again rather than guessing by colour.
Roasting Use high heat for browned edges, but judge doneness by the 74°C thermometer reading, not colour alone, since ovens vary.
-
Rest the chicken on the tray for 5 minutes so the juices settle, then slice against the grain and spoon the pan juices over the slices.
~5 min
Resting lets juices redistribute so they stay in the meat instead of running out when sliced.
Resting meat Let the chicken sit 5 minutes before slicing so juices redistribute; cutting early lets them run out and leaves the meat dry.