The Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs That Anchor a Week of Meals

This is less a recipe and more a building block, exactly the kind of batch-cooked protein the Weekly Food Prep guide is built around. Chicken thighs are forgiving, cheap, and stay moist through reheating in a way chicken breast doesn't, which makes them a better meal-prep choice even though breast gets more attention.

What you'll need

• 6 to 8 boneless chicken thighs
• Sea salt, pepper, and whatever dried herbs you like
• A squeeze of lemon

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Toss the thighs with salt, pepper, and herbs, and spread them skin-side up on a lined tray without crowding, the skin renders its own fat as it roasts. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through with no pink remaining and the internal temperature reaches at least 74°C. Squeeze lemon over the top once out of the oven.

Cool before portioning into containers, following the same fridge and freezer rules from the Weekly Food Prep guide, 3 to 4 days in the fridge, longer in the freezer. Through the week, slice it into a salad, add it to a bowl of vegetables, or eat it as is alongside whatever you've already got prepped, same protein, different meal each time.

One tray, one Sunday effort, several dinners already sorted.