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At a glanceMakes four boxes. About 15 minutes' prep and 50 to 55 minutes in the oven. Sweet potato for carbs, chicken for protein and broccoli for veg. Portion to suit your appetite.
4meal-prep boxes
180°C160°C fan / gas 4
55 minin the oven, roughly
Ingredients
- 8 small bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 900g sweet potatoes
- 2 red onions
- 600g broccoli
- 2 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- A little salt and black pepper, to taste
You'll need: Two large shallow roasting trays, a chopping board, a knife, a clean food thermometer and four shallow food-storage containers.
What we'd store it inMCIRCO glass meal prep containers, 1040ml, set of 5
Four for this batch and a spare. The glass goes in the oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher (the lids don't go in the oven), and they're shallow enough to cool quickly.
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Method
- 1. Chop the vegHeat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas 4. Wash the vegetables. Peel the sweet potatoes if you like and cut them into roughly 3cm chunks. Cut the onions into wedges and separate the broccoli into florets. Keep the broccoli aside.
- 2. Season and spreadDivide the chicken, sweet potato and onion between the trays. Coat with 1½ tablespoons of the oil, the paprika and a little salt and pepper. Arrange in one layer, with the chicken skin facing up and space between pieces. Clean your hands and any utensils or surfaces that touched raw chicken.
- 3. Roast in stagesRoast for about 40 minutes, turning the vegetables halfway through. Toss the broccoli with the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil and add it across the trays. Roast for a further 10 to 15 minutes, checking towards the end. Tray size, your oven and the size of the thighs all change the time.
- 4. Check the centreWith a clean thermometer, check the thickest part of every thigh without touching the bone. It should reach 75°C for at least 30 seconds. If it hasn't, put the food back in the oven and check again. The sweet potatoes should be tender when pierced. Take the vegetables out early if they're ready before the chicken.
- 5. Build your boxesDivide everything between four shallow containers. The sweet potato gives you carbohydrate and the chicken gives you protein. Make the portions as big or small as your appetite needs.
Macros and micronutrients
Estimates per box, a quarter of the recipe, worked out from USDA food data for the raw ingredients. They're not lab-measured. We assumed the 8 small thighs weigh about 1kg, with about a quarter of that bone, and that you eat the skin. Some fat melts into the tray, and leaving the skin on your plate is the easiest way to cut it. Roasting lowers vitamin C and folate a little, and the salt you add isn't counted. % is of an adult's daily reference intake.
| Macros | Per box | % RI |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 750 kcal | 38% |
| Protein | 40 g | 79% |
| Carbohydrate | 63 g | 24% |
| of which sugars | 15 g | 17% |
| Fibre | 12 g | |
| Fat | 39 g | 55% |
| of which saturates | 10 g | 49% |
| Salt (before you add any) | 0.8 g | 14% |
| Vitamins and minerals | Per box | % RI |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | 1,710 µg | 214% |
| Vitamin K | 166 µg | 221% |
| Vitamin C | 145 mg | 181% |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.5 mg | 107% |
| Potassium | 1,750 mg | 88% |
| Selenium | 41 µg | 75% |
| Phosphorus | 525 mg | 75% |
| Folate | 140 µg | 70% |
| Niacin (B3) | 11 mg | 69% |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.2 µg | 48% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.5 mg | 45% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.6 mg | 43% |
| Zinc | 3.9 mg | 39% |
| Magnesium | 131 mg | 35% |
| Iron | 4.2 mg | 30% |
| Vitamin E | 3.5 mg | 29% |
| Calcium | 171 mg | 21% |
Store and reheat
- Cool promptly in shallow portions and put them in the fridge within two hours of cooking.
- Eat refrigerated portions within 48 hours. Once cooled, freeze any you won't eat in that time and label them with the date.
- Defrost frozen portions in the fridge. Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout. Turn or stir the food so it heats evenly, and follow your microwave or oven's instructions.
The food in the video and photos is AI-illustrated, not the actual meal, and this recipe hasn't been kitchen-tested by us yet. Cooking times are approximate, so always use the thermometer check.
Disclaimer. Eat Like You Train shares general information about food and exercise. It isn't medical or dietary advice, and calorie figures are estimates, not measurements. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, diabetic or take medication, speak to your GP or a registered dietitian before changing how you eat or train. If you feel dizzy or unwell while exercising, stop.
Sources
- Cooking structure adapted from Good Food's chicken and sweet potato traybake. Our broccoli amount, measured oil, seasoning and four-box version differ, so its nutrition figures don't apply here. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/piri-piri-chicken-smashed-sweet-potatoes-broccoli
- Food Standards Agency, Cooking your food (temperatures, cooling and reheating). Opened 2 Nov 2026. www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/cooking-your-food
- British Dietetic Association, Sport and exercise nutrition. Opened 2 Nov 2026. www.bda.uk.com/resource/sport-exercise-nutrition.html
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (nutrition estimates): chicken thigh meat and skin raw 172385, sweet potato raw 168482, onions raw 170000, broccoli raw 170379, olive oil 171413, paprika 171329. Opened 2 Nov 2026. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Reference intakes and NRVs for the % column: Food Standards Agency, nutrition labelling (retained Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, Annex XIII). www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/nutrition-labelling
