Sometimes the best dinner is the one that all goes on a single tray and into the oven. This Mediterranean chicken traybake — chicken with peppers, courgette, tomatoes, olives and herbs — delivers a huge 40g of protein for around 400 calories, with barely any washing up. It is fresh, vibrant, packed with vegetables, and about as easy as a proper high-protein dinner gets.
A quick word first: I am not a doctor or a dietitian, just someone who lived this. None of these foods or supplements are medication, and if you are on a GLP-1, check anything new with your GP or pharmacist. Right, let us get to it.
For more evening ideas, see my high-protein dinner ideas, and for hitting your protein, how much protein per day.
Why the one-tray approach wins
A traybake is the busy person’s secret to eating well, and this one delivers on every front.
40g of protein, minimal effort. Chicken breasts roasted with veg give you a serious protein hit for hardly any work — ideal when you are tired and tempted to order in.
Loaded with Mediterranean vegetables. Peppers, courgette and tomatoes bring fibre, colour and a real spread of nutrients, and roasting concentrates their flavour beautifully.
One tray, barely any washing up. The lower the friction of cooking a healthy meal, the more likely you are to do it. This is about as low-friction as dinner gets.
Why traybakes are a GLP-1 game-plan
The evenings are where healthy eating most often falls apart, and the reason is almost always the same: you are tired, you cannot face cooking, and something quick and unhealthy wins. The antidote I found was learning to lean on meals that take almost no effort but still deliver, and the traybake is the champion of that category. You chop a few things, throw them on a tray with the chicken, season, and the oven does the rest while you get on with your evening. Twenty-five minutes later you have a proper, high-protein, veg-packed dinner and one tray to wash.
That low effort is not a minor detail, it is the whole point. On a GLP-1, where your energy can fluctuate and your evening appetite is often low, removing the effort barrier between you and a good dinner is what keeps you on track. A traybake asks so little of you that even on a rough evening you can manage it, and it is infinitely better than the takeaway it replaces. Master a few traybakes and you have solved the hardest meal of the day.
The macros that matter
Here is roughly what one serving gives you. Treat these as a guide rather than gospel, since it depends on your exact ingredients and portions:
| Approx per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~400 kcal |
| Protein | 40g |
| Carbohydrate | 15g |
| Fat | 18g |
| Fibre | 6g |
The protein figure is the one I watch on a GLP-1. As a rough guide I aim for somewhere around 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kilo of body weight across the day to protect muscle while losing fat, and I judge every meal by how much of that it contributes. I log meals like this in Cronometer (it is free) so I know I am actually hitting my targets rather than hoping. The first time I tracked properly I realised I was eating far less protein than I thought, so if you have never done it, give it two weeks.
What you need (serves 1)
- 2 chicken breasts (about 300g)
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 courgette, chunked
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- A handful of cherry tomatoes
- A handful of olives
- 2 cloves garlic, whole
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh basil to finish
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 200C (fan 180C).
- Spread the peppers, courgette, onion, tomatoes, olives and garlic over a large roasting tray.
- Nestle the chicken breasts among the vegetables.
- Drizzle everything with olive oil, squeeze over the lemon, and scatter with oregano, salt and pepper.
- Roast for 25–30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender and starting to char at the edges.
- Check the chicken is done, then scatter with fresh basil and serve straight from the tray.
Adjusting it to your goals
This is already high-protein and low-carb, and easy to adapt:
Add carbs if you want them. Throw in some new potatoes or chunks of sweet potato to roast alongside for more energy.
Add feta. Crumble some over for the last few minutes for a salty, protein-rich Mediterranean finish.
Swap the protein. Salmon fillets or halloumi work brilliantly on the same tray. See how much protein per day.
The traybake formula you can use forever
Once you understand the formula behind a good traybake, you never need a recipe again, and you can build endless dinners from whatever is in. The formula is simple: a protein, a selection of vegetables that roast well, a fat like olive oil to help everything crisp and carry flavour, and seasoning to tie it together. The only real skill is timing — harder vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions take longer, so they go in first or get cut smaller, while quicker things like courgette, tomatoes and leafy veg go in later so they do not turn to mush. A chicken breast takes about the same time as most chopped veg, which is why this works so neatly on one tray. Learn that structure and you can improvise a healthy, high-protein dinner from a near-empty fridge, changing the protein, the veg and the seasoning to keep it interesting. It is one of the most useful cooking skills for staying on track on a GLP-1, because it makes the easy option the healthy one.
Prep the veg, roast fresh
This is best roasted fresh so the chicken stays juicy and the veg crisp, but the prep is minimal — you can chop all the veg ahead and keep it ready, so it is a two-minute job to throw the tray together. The leftovers are excellent cold or reheated as a next-day high-protein lunch. A brilliant low-effort option for my meal prep ideas for Mounjaro.
How it fits a full day of eating
At 40g of protein, this is one of the highest-protein dinners in the series, and it can carry your daily total on its own if earlier meals were light. I still aim for a solid high-protein breakfasts and high-protein lunch where I can, but a dinner this strong takes the pressure right off.
Being low-carb, it leaves room for carbs earlier in the day, or you can add potatoes to the tray if you need the energy. a protein shake covers any post-workout gap. This is exactly the kind of easy, high-protein dinner that makes hitting your target simple — my complete GLP-1 guide explains the framework.
No appetite today?
On a low-appetite evening, the beauty of a traybake is that you can just eat the chicken and a bit of veg and save the rest — even a small portion banks 20g-plus of protein. When cooking anything is beyond you, HelloFresh keeps proper meals coming. More in what to eat with no appetite.
Supplements that pair well
A protein-solid, veg-packed dinner like this is a sign your eating is on track. I take a daily Super Supplemental and, in winter, Vitamin D3 + K2 for immune and bone support. The free Lily & Loaf lifestyle analysis can fine-tune the rest of your routine.
Frequently asked questions
Is a chicken traybake good for weight loss?
Excellent — it is high in protein, packed with vegetables, low in carbs and needs barely any added fat. At 40g of protein for around 400 calories, it is one of the smartest easy dinners going.
How do I stop the chicken drying out?
Nestle the breasts among the vegetables, which helps keep them moist, and do not overcook them. A squeeze of lemon and the moisture from the tomatoes help too. Chicken thighs are more forgiving if you tend to overcook.
Can I add potatoes?
Yes — add new potatoes or sweet potato chunks for more energy, but cut them fairly small or give them a head start, as they take longer to roast than the other veg.
What else can I use instead of chicken?
Salmon fillets, prawns or halloumi all work brilliantly on the same tray with the same veg and seasoning. Adjust the cooking time, as fish and halloumi cook faster than chicken.
Can I batch cook it?
You can roast a big tray and keep the leftovers for a few days — they are great cold in a salad or reheated. It is best fresh, but the leftovers make excellent lunches.
The bottom line
Mediterranean chicken is the busy person’s high-protein dinner — 40g of protein, a tray full of vegetables, barely any washing up, for around 400 calories. Master the traybake formula and you can turn a near-empty fridge into a proper dinner on even the most tired evening, which is exactly what keeps you out of the takeaway. Add potatoes for energy or feta for extra flavour. To fine-tune your supplements around a protein-solid routine, the free Lily & Loaf lifestyle analysis is a quick, no-pressure check.
The tools I lean on
If you are putting a GLP-1 routine together, this is the order I would do it in, free tools first:
- Track a fortnight of food in Cronometer so you can see your real protein and calories.
- Take the free Lily & Loaf lifestyle analysis to find the supplements actually worth buying.
- Start an Audible trial for something to listen to while you cook or walk.
- Keep HelloFresh on standby for the weeks cooking from scratch just is not happening.
- Batch-cook and freeze portions in a set of freezer-safe containers so there is always a healthy dinner a few minutes away.
A bit about me
I am Alan Spicer. I lost around seven stone on Mounjaro and filmed the whole thing, warts and all, on my YouTube channel. Simple, protein-first dinners like this were a real part of how I held onto muscle and kept the weight off.
This article shares my personal experience and general information only. It is not medical advice. Food and supplements support a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle and do not replace it or any treatment prescribed by your doctor. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before making changes, especially while on a GLP-1 medication. Nutrition figures are approximate and will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.
Inspired by the kind of fresh, wholefood dinners in the Lily & Loaf evening meals collection. This is my own version, written from my own kitchen.
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