Easy Garlic Butter Chicken and Veggies: Your New Weeknight Favourite

Are you on a constant quest for the ideal weeknight dinner? We know the feeling. It needs to be straightforward, bursting with flavour, truly hearty, and—crucially—it shouldn’t leave a mountain of washing up behind. It might seem like an impossible dream, but we’re here to confirm it’s very real. Meet our fantastic Garlic Butter Chicken and Veggies. This recipe is the simple solution to your hectic evenings, offering a complete, mouth-watering meal cooked on a single baking tray.

We’ve all had those moments, peering into the fridge late in the day, feeling uninspired and pressed for time. This is precisely when the brilliance of this dish comes into its own. It marries succulent, tender chicken with a vibrant array of roasted vegetables, all lovingly coated in a rich and aromatic garlic butter sauce. It’s the kind of comforting, wholesome food that looks as good as it tastes, all achieved with minimal fuss. Shall we begin?

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Minimal Washing Up: The true beauty of this dish is that everything roasts together on one tray, making it the quintessential one pan chicken dinner. You can finally say farewell to a cluttered sink and enjoy a little more time to yourself.
Bursting with Flavour: We find the simple garlic butter sauce is what elevates this dish. It generously coats every piece of chicken and vegetable, turning them into something exceptionally delicious. It’s savoury, decadent, and completely irresistible.
Incredibly Versatile: Don’t have any broccoli in the fridge? Green beans will work wonderfully. Not keen on carrots? Swap them for bell peppers or courgettes. We encourage you to view this recipe as a brilliant starting point, easily adaptable to whatever veg you need to use up.
Perfectly Balanced Meal: With a fantastic source of lean protein from the chicken, plenty of fibre and vitamins from the vegetables, and wholesome fats, this is a well-rounded meal that nourishes the body while delighting the taste buds.

The Ingredients You’ll Need

One of the finest aspects of our garlic butter chicken and veggies recipe is its use of simple, everyday ingredients. There’s a good chance you already have most of these items in your kitchen. We always believe that using fresh, good-quality components is the key to achieving the most delicious results.

For the Chicken and Vegetables

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 600g), cut into 1-inch chunks
450g broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano or mixed Italian herbs

For the Glorious Garlic Butter Sauce

85g unsalted butter, melted
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional, but recommended)

Step-by-Step Instructions: Creating Your Masterpiece

We’ve laid out the entire process in simple, manageable steps to guide you along. This method ensures your chicken turns out perfectly juicy while the vegetables become beautifully tender with a slight crispness. Let’s get cooking!

Preheat and Prepare: To begin, set your oven to 200°C (400°F / Gas Mark 6). For the easiest possible clean-up, we recommend lining a large, rimmed baking sheet with baking parchment. This is a foundational step for any great Sheet pan chicken and vegetables meal.
Season the Veggies and Chicken: In a large mixing bowl, place your chicken chunks, broccoli florets, carrot slices, and red onion wedges. Drizzle over the olive oil, then sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Give everything a good toss to ensure it’s all evenly coated.
Arrange on the Tray: Tip the seasoned chicken and vegetables onto your prepared baking tray and spread them out in a single, even layer. It’s vital not to overcrowd the tray, as this causes the ingredients to steam rather than roast. If needed, it’s better to use two trays.
First Roast: Pop the tray into your hot oven and allow it to roast for 15 minutes. This initial cooking time gives the vegetables a head start and begins to cook the chicken.
Prepare the Garlic Butter Sauce: While everything is roasting, you can prepare the incredible sauce. In a small bowl, simply whisk together the melted butter, finely minced garlic, and freshly chopped parsley.
Pour Over the Sauce: After 15 minutes have passed, carefully take the tray out of the oven. Evenly drizzle the garlic butter sauce over all the chicken and vegetables. Using a spatula, gently move everything around on the tray to make sure it’s all coated.
Final Roast: Return the tray to the oven for a final 10–15 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the chicken is thoroughly cooked (no longer pink inside) and the vegetables are tender with lovely caramelised edges.
Serve and Enjoy: Once cooked, remove the tray from the oven. If you’re using it, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at this stage really brightens all the flavours. We recommend serving it straight away while it’s lovely and hot.

Top Tips for the Perfect Roasted Chicken and Veggies

If you’d like to elevate your dish from simply great to truly exceptional, we have a few handy tips and tricks that we’ve found guarantee wonderful results every single time.

Don’t Crowd the Pan

We know we’ve already mentioned this, but it’s worth repeating as it is the cardinal rule of roasting. Ensuring your ingredients have enough space allows the hot oven air to circulate freely, which is what creates that delicious browning and caramelisation. When a pan is overcrowded, moisture gets trapped, and the food steams, leading to a softer texture and less developed flavour. If in doubt, always opt for two trays to achieve the best roasted chicken and veggies.

Choosing Your Vegetables

We see this recipe as a fantastic template for your culinary creativity. While the combination of carrots and broccoli is a timeless classic, please feel free to experiment! Bell peppers, courgettes, asparagus, and new potatoes are all excellent additions. For a classic healthy chicken and broccoli dish, this combination is hard to beat, but it’s always fun to vary your veg. As the NHS advises, eating a wide variety of vegetables is brilliant for a balanced diet. Just be mindful of cutting harder root vegetables smaller than softer ones to ensure everything cooks through at the same rate.

Achieving That Golden-Brown Finish

If you find that everything is cooked but you’d like a little more colour, your grill is your best friend. For the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time, switch your oven’s setting to grill. You’ll need to watch it like a hawk, as the garlic and butter can catch and burn quite quickly, but this technique will reward you with beautifully browned, crispy-edged results.

Delicious Variations and Substitutions

Once you’ve got the hang of the original recipe, you can begin to add your own personal touch. Here are a few of our team’s favourite ways to adapt it:

Add Some Spice: For those who appreciate a little heat, we suggest adding 1/2 a teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the garlic butter sauce.
Cheesy Goodness: During the final 5 minutes of roasting, sprinkle a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese over the tray to create a wonderfully salty and savoury crust.
Citrus Twist: To introduce a brighter, zestier flavour, add the zest of a whole lemon to the garlic butter sauce along with the juice. If this sounds appealing, we think you’ll also adore our popular Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe.
Explore More Healthy Options: This is already a wonderfully wholesome meal, but if you’re seeking further inspiration, we have an entire collection of Healthy Chicken Recipes that we are sure you will enjoy.

FAQ

Q: Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

A: Of course! We find that boneless, skinless chicken thighs work beautifully in this recipe. They have a richer flavour and are more forgiving, meaning they are less likely to become dry during cooking. Simply cut them into similar-sized pieces and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).

Q: How do I store and reheat leftovers?

A: You can store any leftover portions in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. For reheating, we get the best results by spreading the chicken and vegetables on a baking tray and warming them in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 10-15 minutes, until heated all the way through. This method helps the vegetables crisp up again, which a microwave can’t quite achieve.

Q: Can I prepare this meal in advance?

A: Absolutely. To get ahead, you can chop all your vegetables and chicken and keep them in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a day. The garlic butter sauce can also be mixed ahead of time (we recommend adding the fresh parsley just before using) and stored in the fridge. This makes assembly on the night incredibly quick.

A Perfect Dinner Awaits

And there we have it—a straightforward, elegant, and utterly delicious Garlic Butter Chicken and Veggies recipe that we are confident will become a firm favourite in your household. It’s a wonderful reminder that you don’t need complex techniques or an endless list of ingredients to create a meal that feels both special and deeply satisfying. This is the ultimate dinner solution for busy weeknights, relaxed weekends, or any time you fancy a comforting, home-cooked meal without any of the usual hassle.

We truly hope you’ll have fun with it, perhaps experimenting with different vegetables to make the dish uniquely yours. Please do let us know how you get on! Feel free to leave a comment below or tag us in your pictures on social media—we genuinely love to see what you’ve been cooking.