This is a family-style dinner built for a weeknight: one tray, minimal cleanup, and a version of the meal every person at the table can actually eat.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 2 chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips (or firm tofu, cubed)
- 2 cups mixed vegetables, cut into similar-sized pieces (broccoli florets, capsicum strips, zucchini rounds, cherry tomatoes all work well)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- Cooked rice, pasta, or bread rolls, to serve
- Natural yoghurt or a mild dipping sauce, on the side
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Line a large tray with baking paper.
- Toss the chicken (or tofu) and vegetables separately in olive oil and herbs, and spread them out on the tray in their own sections rather than mixed together. Keeping them separate matters here, it means a child who only wants the chicken, or only the zucchini, can serve themselves without needing everything to touch.
- Roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Bring the tray to the table alongside rice or bread and the dipping sauce, and let everyone build their own plate.
Why family-style matters here: when food is served in shared dishes rather than pre-plated, kids get to make real decisions about what and how much goes on their own plate. That small bit of control is often enough to turn dinner from a negotiation into a non-event.
Make it your own: swap the protein for whatever your family already eats, and rotate the vegetables based on what's in season, or what you're currently working on introducing.
If you want help planning nights like this one out, our free printable Family Meal Planner is a simple way to map out the week.