Sticky honey‑mustard chicken thighs with roast potatoes and carrots
Cheap, fuss‑free tray bake: caramelised, sticky chicken thighs roasted with potatoes and carrots for a family midweek supper.
Cheap chicken thighs are the unsung heroes of the midweek rota — forgiving, flavourful and wallet‑friendly. This tray bake turns them into sticky, caramelised supper stars with minimal washing up.
It’s designed for busy evenings: a quick marinade, everything on one baking tray, and a straight swap for whatever root veg you have. Feeds four and stretches easily for leftovers.
Ingredients
- 8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
- 800 g potatoes — peeled if you prefer, cut into 3cm chunks
- 400 g carrots — halved lengthways if large
- 1 brown onion — thickly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves — finely chopped or crushed
- 30 ml Dijon mustard
- 30 ml honey
- 45 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml dried thyme
- 10 ml salt
- 5 ml black pepper
- 100 ml chicken stock — or hot water
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped, to garnish
Equipment
- large baking tray
- mixing bowl
- measuring spoons
- measuring jug
- meat thermometer (optional)
Instructions
Mix the Dijon mustard, honey, soy sauce, smoked paprika, half the vegetable oil, the chopped garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a bowl to make the marinade. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat thoroughly.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional.
Put the potatoes, carrots and sliced brown onion in a large baking tray. Drizzle with the remaining vegetable oil, sprinkle over the dried thyme, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and toss so everything is evenly coated.
Arrange the marinated chicken thighs skin‑side up on top of the vegetables (do not overcrowd the tray). Pour the chicken stock around the veg, then roast in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the chicken skin is deep golden and sticky.
Remove the tray from the oven and leave the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Scatter the chopped fresh parsley over the chicken and vegetables and serve straight from the tray.
Tips
- For extra crisp skin pat the chicken briefly with kitchen paper before marinating so the marinade clings but moisture is reduced.
- If your oven runs hot or small, use two trays and rotate halfway through to avoid crowded trays steaming the meat.
- Make ahead: marinate the chicken up to 8 hours in the fridge; bring back to room temperature for 15 minutes before roasting.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat under a hot grill for a few minutes to restore crispness, or reheat in a 180°C fan oven for 10–12 minutes.
Substitutions
soy sauce → tamari, same quantity
Stays closehoney → maple syrup, same quantity
Stays closepotatoes → sweet potato, same weight
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 814
- Calories
- 48 g
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
- Sugar
- 1500 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use boneless chicken thighs?
Yes — reduce the roasting time by about 8–10 minutes and check they are cooked through. Boneless thighs cook faster and are handy if you prefer easier carving.
How do I get the skin extra crispy?
Dry the skin with kitchen paper before marinating and make sure the thighs sit skin‑side up without overlap. A hot oven (200°C fan) and no lid or foil keeps the skin crisp.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Use tamari instead of soy sauce and check your stock is gluten-free; everything else is naturally gluten-free.
Is it OK to marinate overnight?
Yes — marinating overnight develops deeper flavour. Take the tray out of the fridge for 15 minutes before roasting so the chicken isn’t fridge-cold.
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