One Tray Chicken & Veggie Bake with Creamy Polenta
Egg free, Gluten Free, Nut free, Protein rich, Soy free
About the recipe
This one-tray chicken and veggie bake is everything we love about cold weather cooking—nourishing, cosy, and low on washing up. With juicy chicken, roasted vegetables, and a flavour-packed sauce (made from fridge leftovers!), it’s an easy weeknight dinner that works for the whole family. Paired with creamy polenta or your favourite pasta, this is the kind of meal that stretches well, freezes beautifully, and suits every stage—from spoon-fed babies to hungry toddlers and grown-ups. Plus, it’s a great way to use up those veggies lingering in the crisper!
As the nights grow colder, it’s the perfect time to bring out the comfort foods—think soups, stews, mashed potato… and this nourishing one-tray chicken and veggie bake with creamy polenta. It’s everything we love in a midweek dinner: hearty, family-friendly, and best of all, minimal washing up.
This tray bake is a fantastic fridge clean-out recipe—you can throw in whatever veggies you have on hand to help build the sauce. We’ve used borlotti beans here, but cannellini, butter, or kidney beans work beautifully too. Adding beans is not only budget-friendly, but also boosts protein and fibre.
We’ve paired it with quick creamy polenta, but it’s just as delicious served with mashed potato or pulse pasta. It freezes well, feeds a crowd, and hits the spot on chilly evenings—true comfort food made easy.
Hot tip: Save your veggie offcuts like onion skins, carrot ends and parsley stalks. Add them to a pot with leftover chicken bones, cover with water, and simmer for an hour to make a quick, nutrient-rich chicken stock.
Age Appropriate:
Suitable from 6 months+ with modifications. See serving suggestions below.
Serving Suggestions:
Family meal: Serve with parmesan, EVOO, and a side of greens
Spoon feeding: Blend roasted veg and chicken into a smooth purée
Baby-led weaning: Offer a whole drumstick with veg sauce for dipping
Older babies: Shredded chicken with soft polenta and sauce
Toddlers: Drumstick or chopped chicken with sauce and creamy polenta
Storage:
Leftover sauce and chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat gently and add a splash of broth or water to loosen if needed. Polenta is best served fresh but can also be cooled, set, and pan-fried the next day!
Ingredients
For the tray bake:
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, diced
2 capsicums, sliced into strips
6 cloves garlic, peeled
8 ripe tomatoes, halved (or use tinned—see swaps)
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 tsp Italian herbs)
1 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks or thighs
1 cup water
Pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup olives
400g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
To serve:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Creamy polenta:
250g quick cook polenta
1 L chicken bone broth
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Add the onion, carrot, capsicum, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, and chicken to a large roasting tray. Pour in the water and season with salt and pepper.
Bake uncovered for 45–50 minutes or until the chicken is golden and the juices run clear when cut at the thickest part. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Use a stick blender or food processor to blitz the roasted vegetables and pan juices into a smooth sauce. For spoon-feeding, take 2 tablespoons of sauce and a small piece of chicken, and blend until smooth, thinning with water or broth as needed.
Stir the olives, beans, and parsley into the sauce. Check seasoning. Shred the chicken and stir it through the sauce or serve it whole for baby-led weaning. Keep warm in the oven while you prepare the polenta.
To make the polenta, bring the chicken bone broth to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and continue whisking over low heat for 3 minutes, until thick and creamy.
Serve warm polenta in bowls topped with chicken and sauce. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Ingredient Swaps:
-
Swap fresh tomatoes for one 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
-
Use any tinned beans you have on hand: cannellini, butter, or kidney beans all work well
-
No borlotti beans? Try lentils or chickpeas
-
No fresh thyme? Use 2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs
-
Serve with lentil or chickpea pasta, mashed potatoes, or crusty sourdough
-
For a dairy-free version, skip the parmesan or use nutritional yeast
- No broth? Use vegetable stock or water.
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