Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake
You’ll love how simple this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake is to make. It’s a mix of fall-apart chicken and fluffy rice with the smokiness of chipotle paste and the richness of tomatoey passata. The results are effortlessly flavoursome, for only 407 calories per portion! It’s plenty filling all on its own, or you can add some mildly spicy leafy greens for a burst of freshness.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories407
- Carbs41g
- Protein44g
- Fat5.5g
- Saturates1.2g
- Sugars9.5g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
This Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake is such a simple one-pan dish, it practically makes itself. You’ll combine the chicken with onions, peppers, smoky chipotle paste and rich passata to bake until beautifully flavourful in the oven.
We’ve used microwaveable rice to guarantee perfectly fluffy rice every time. Simply sprinkle the contents of two pouches into the oven tray 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve; it doesn’t take as long as raw rice grains to cook through thoroughly, all while soaking up the spices.
As the rice is already stirred in, there’s no need to worry about side dishes either – that means less washing-up too. If you do fancy serving this one with a little bit of something extra, our Chilli and Mint Peas are ready in less than 10 minutes and add a gorgeous burst of green goodness.
What diets is this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake suitable for?
This Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake?
You don’t need fancy ingredients to make this simple one-pan wonder. You might have to pick up chipotle paste if you don’t have some already – it’ll add gorgeous, deep smoky flavours to your dish.
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We use microwavable rice pouches to guarantee fluffy results every time.
Chipotle paste should be easy to find at most supermarkets, or on Amazon.
How many calories are in this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake?
There are 407 calories per portion in this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake recipe, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence recipe category. If you’re counting calories or following one of the popular diet plans like Weight Watchers, this recipe fits in perfectly!
NHS guidelines suggest men should aim for 2,500 calories per day to maintain a healthy body weight, and women require around 2000 calories. Each person has different calorie requirements depending on their goal, so you may want to adjust your daily calorie intake according to your own personal goal.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 190°C and spray the tray with low-calorie cooking spray.
Step 2
Add the chicken, onion and pepper to the tray.
Step 3
In a bowl combine the passata, chipotle paste, tomato purée, sweetener, paprika, garlic and onion granules. Mix until smooth.
Step 4
Pour over the chicken and vegetables and toss to coat. Cook for 25 minutes.
Step 5
Sprinkle over the rice pouches and stir, return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and serve.
What could I serve with this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake?
This Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake is delicious all on its own, or as part of a slimming-friendly spread with any of these side dishes:
How do you know when Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake is cooked?
You should cook this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake until the diced chicken breast is thoroughly cooked through. This will take around 25 minutes, plus an additional 10 minutes for the stirred-in rice pouches to fluff up.
Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe!
How long can you keep Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake in the fridge?
Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.
You can store any leftovers of this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake in the fridge for around 3 days. Make sure that you allow them to cool before putting them in a container with a lid and chilling in the refrigerator.
Rice can be a source of serious food poisoning as it can contain heat resistant spores that may turn into bacteria if it’s not stored properly, so you should always take extra care when cooling and reheating.
- Make sure it’s cooled and refrigerated as soon as possible after cooking
- Use chilled rice within a day
- Always reheat until piping hot, and never more than once.
Can I freeze Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake?
Yes, you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough in individual portions.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label telling you the name of the recipe and the date you’re stashing your leftovers away.
Just like when keeping rice in the fridge, make sure to do the following if you plan to freeze it:
- Cool it as quickly as possible and freeze it immediately, ideally within an hour. You can split larger portions into smaller batches to cool and freeze quicker.
- Freeze the rice as soon as it is cold.
- Always check that reheated rice is cooked until it is steaming hot throughout.
How do I reheat Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake?
From chilled: Place in a microwave-proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. Stir, then cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
For more information about reheating rice please take a look at the NHS website.
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Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake
You’ll love how simple it is to make this Smoky Chicken and Rice Traybake; it's deliciously flavoursome for only 407 calories per portion!
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Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
35 MINS
- KCals 407
- Carbs 41G
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C and spray the tray with low-calorie cooking spray.
- Add the chicken, onion and pepper to the tray.
- In a bowl combine the passata, chipotle paste, tomato purée, sweetener, paprika, garlic and onion granules. Mix until smooth.
- Pour over the chicken and vegetables and toss to coat. Cook for 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle over the rice pouches and stir, return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and serve.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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12 comments
See what others have to say
rachleaskTuesday 6th May 2025
Made this tonight and added chilli flakes as we love spice. Very easy and very yummy! Portions are big enough to have on their own and we have two big portions left for lunch tomorrow. Definitely recommend!
HollyMonday 2nd June 2025
Hey, thanks so much for your message we are so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
LisaTuesday 15th April 2025
I don’t like Chipotle paste i don’t like the taste so can I leave this out or replace with something else
HollyThursday 17th April 2025
Hi Lisa, you could omit from the recipe or maybe try harissa paste instead? Hope that helps!
JennyTuesday 15th April 2025
Hi should you microwave the rice before adding ? yo the tray ?
HollyThursday 17th April 2025
Hi Jenny, no need to microwave the rice first just add it and continue to cook for 10 minutes in the oven, hope that helps!
GillSunday 6th April 2025
Is Chipotle Paste spicy or just smoky?
HollyThursday 17th April 2025
Hi Gill, chipotle has a medium heat so is a little spicy, hope that helps!
LaurenTuesday 1st April 2025
Can this be done with normal dry rice? I’m not a fan of micro rice.
HollyThursday 3rd April 2025
Hi Lauren, you can cook 500g rice instead of the microwavable rice pouches and stir through before serving. Hope that helps!
JaneTuesday 1st April 2025
Can you make Smokey Chicken & Rice traybake with normal rice not microwaveable rice? I wouldnt usually buy this rice as it more expensive to buy
HollyThursday 3rd April 2025
Hi Jane, you can cook 500g rice instead of the microwavable rice pouches and stir through before serving. Hope that helps!
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