One-Pan Chicken Zucchini Bake – Light & Satisfying

December 10, 2025 by Carmen

Let’s Talk About This Chicken Zucchini Bake

Alright mate, if you’ve ever opened your fridge after work and stood there trying to fend off the urge to order takeout (again), this is the recipe for you. I stumbled on this one-pan chicken zucchini bake during a hot summer, sweating buckets in my kitchen and needing something that’d fill me up without putting me in a food coma. My mum actually tried to take credit for this recipe once, even though she definitely just texted me a photo of it after seeing me post it first on the family WhatsApp. Siblings, eh?!

But anyway—it’s light, genuinely easy, and if you’re as lazy about dishes as I am, you only need, well, one pan. My kind of comfort food.

Why You’ll Love This (or at least, why I do)

I make this when I want something nourishing, but still feel like just plopping on the sofa afterwards. My family devours it faster than you can say “Oi, save me some!” It’s become my go-to when the zucchini mountain starts growing in the fridge (seriously, why do they reproduce overnight?)

Sometimes I switch up the veggies—had a disaster with eggplant once (way too mushy, learn from my mistake). I like that it doesn’t use anything weird—everything’s pretty much regular stuff except for the feta, which is technically optional, but if you skip it, I dunno, you’re just missing that cheeky salty bit, you know?

What You’ll Need, With Some Room for Wiggle

2 medium zucchini (or a handful of baby courgettes—my neighbour Jean swears by those, but really, any sort works)
500g (about 1 lb) boneless chicken breast or thighs—I sometimes use thighs when I’m after extra flavour; breast is lighter though
1 red onion, sliced (white works too, just a bit more punchy)
2 cloves garlic, minced (when I’m feeling lazy, jarred garlic isn’t the end of the world)
1 bell pepper—red, yellow, whatever looks perky
150g cherry tomatoes, halved. Or the sad ones in the fridge? Chuck ‘em in, no shame
2 tbsp olive oil (sometimes I use that supermarket brand, but they all do the job)
1 tsp dried oregano—I once used Italian seasoning and it was fine, just a bit more herby
Salt & pepper—enough to make it actually taste nice
Crumbled feta, a small handful (optional but, eh, I highly recommend)
Fresh basil or parsley to finish, but to be honest, half the time I forget this.

One-Pan Chicken Zucchini Bake – Light & Satisfying

How To Throw This Together

Preheat your oven to 200C (about 400F). If you forget and put it at 180C, honestly, just bake it a bit longer. Don’t panic.
Chop your zucchini and chicken into chunky-ish bites. I like mine about the size of a two-pound coin, but who’s measuring?
Toss everything—zucchini, chicken, onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper—into your biggest oven-proof pan or deep roasting tray. Give it a proper mix. This is when I usually sneak a cheeky tomato or two.
Spread it out in the pan. Pop it in the oven for around 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes, take a quick peek, give it a stir. Don’t worry if it looks a bit wet—zucchini does that at first, but it thickens up by the end.
Once your chicken’s cooked (poke a piece and it should be opaque inside; or use a thermometer if you’re flash), crank the oven up to get some browning on top for another 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle feta on now, so it gets all soft and a little golden.
Finish with chopped basil or parsley if you can be bothered. But honestly, I usually can’t.

Notes From the (Frequently Messy) Trenches

I used to crowd everything in a tiny pan. Rookie error: veggies turn out steamed instead of roasted—skip that pain. Don’t skip the stir halfway through or the bottom ends up sticking (and nobody enjoys pan-scrubbing at midnight). And if you like your chicken extra juicy, thighs do the trick better, but breast is cleaner, so, go with your mood.

Let’s Get Awkward: Things I’ve Tried That Kinda Worked (& Didn’t)

Swapped out chicken for canned chickpeas—surprisingly tasty, though my hubby did grumble about the lack of meat.
Tried adding eggplant. Massive fail. It turns into mush and tastes a bit off, though maybe that’s just me.
Sprinkled breadcrumbs on top once for some crunch. Was alright! I’d use less next time—got a bit dry.

What You’ll Need (And What To Do If You Don’t Have It)

A big ol’ roasting tray or oven-proof pan. Don’t have one? I’ve used two smaller ones side by side—just rotate them halfway through.
A sharp knife. (Don’t stress, I’ve hacked things up with a butter knife in a pinch. Just don’t tell Gordon Ramsay.)

How To Store The Bits You Certainly Won’t Have Left

If you do have leftovers, cover and fridge ‘em for up to 3 days. It reheats nicely (sometimes I think it’s tastier the day after, but that’s just me). Microwaves just fine. But honestly, in my house, the only leftovers are the dirty dishes!

If You Want To Jazz Up Your Plate

We eat this right out of the pan half the time. Other days, I pile it over fluffy brown rice or with a slice or two of sourdough (that way you mop up the juices). Couscous is brill if you’re feeling fancy. My uncle actually dumps it cold on mixed greens—he calls it “make-do salad supper.” It’s weirdly good.

“Don’t Do What I Did” – My Pro Tips

Don’t rush the initial mixing step. I once left dry oregano clumps in there and, oof, biting into those tastes like munching on potpourri.
If you pack things in too tight, you’ll get stew. Not the idea here. Let it breathe a bit.
I burned the feta once throwing it in from the start—sprinkle it on at the end, much better.

FAQs – And Some Truths, Mistakes & Good Laughs

Can I make this with frozen chicken? You can, but for the love of taste, just defrost it first. Otherwise you’ll get a puddle!
Kids won’t eat zucchini. Help? Eh, I get that a lot. You can swap in carrots cut thin or just cut the zucchini smaller, sneak it in. Or call it “magic green squash”—worked once for my niece.
What if my pan is non-stick? Works fine. Just maybe skip metal spatulas, eh?
How do I know the chicken is done? Well, the official answer is 75C/165F, but honestly—if it’s white inside and not rubbery, you’re set.
Can I prep this ahead? Yes, but mix the veg and chicken just before you bake, otherwise it gets soggy sitting.

Oh! And if you want to get better at roasting chicken in general, this guide on Serious Eats is a thorough rabbit hole I lost an hour to last month. For knife skills (which I make no claim to), there’s a super helpful video from BBC Good Food that’ll save your fingers… or at least, it did mine.

Anyway, that’s the scoop. If your kitchen smells amazing and you’ve only got one tray to wash, that’s a win in my book.

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