Traybake with Raisins, Eggplant & Ginger
Eggplant, chicken, tomatoes, and a handful of raisins go on one tray with grated ginger, a pinch of cinnamon, and fresh orange juice. Sixteen minutes at 220°C turns it into a sticky, fragrant Moroccan-spiced dinner.
The raisins caramelize against the roasted chicken. The orange juice reduces into a glaze that binds the warm spices to every piece on the tray. Serve it over couscous and you’re looking at 703 kcal with 35g protein and 14g fiber from ten ingredients, one baking tray, and twenty minutes of your evening.
Eggplant, chicken, tomatoes, and a handful of raisins go on one tray with grated ginger, a pinch of cinnamon, and fresh orange juice. Sixteen minutes at 220°C turns it into a sticky, fragrant Moroccan-spiced dinner.
The raisins caramelize against the roasted chicken. The orange juice reduces into a glaze that binds the warm spices to every piece on the tray. Serve it over couscous and you’re looking at 703 kcal with 35g protein and 14g fiber from ten ingredients, one baking tray, and twenty minutes of your evening.
Ingredients
- eggplant 1
- ginger 1 slice
- onion 0.25
- chicken breast 3 ounces
- tomatoes 2
- raisins 1 ounce
- orange 0.5
- cinnamon 1 pinch
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- couscous 3 ounces
Method
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Preheat the oven to 420°F (220°C).
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Cut the eggplant into small pieces. Grate the ginger and cut the onion into half slices. Chop the chicken and tomatoes into pieces.
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Juice the orange.
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Divide the eggplant, ginger, onion, chicken, tomatoes and raisins on the baking tray. Sprinkle with cinnamon, orange juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
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Put the baking tray in the oven for 16 minutes. Taste and adjust to your liking with cinnamon, salt and pepper.
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Meanwhile, prepare the couscous according to the instructions on the packaging.
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Serve the traybake with the couscous.
Don’t worry if the raisins darken at the edges. At 220°C, the natural sugars in the raisins and orange juice caramelize together into a sticky glaze that coats everything on the tray. Those charred-looking spots are concentrated sweetness, not burning.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Is 35 grams of protein too much to absorb from one meal?
No. The idea that your body caps out at about 30 grams of protein per meal has been widely repeated in fitness circles, but research on protein absorption found the ceiling is significantly higher. The 35g in this traybake, from chicken breast plus a contribution from the couscous, falls well within what a single mixed meal can deliver. See Protein Per Meal Limit for the full breakdown.
Read the full evidence reviewDoes heating olive oil to 220°C destroy its benefits?
This is one of the most persistent kitchen myths. Research on olive oil at cooking temperatures found that its beneficial compounds hold up better at high heat than most people expect. The 220°C oven temperature in this traybake falls within the range most commonly studied. For the full picture, see Does Cooking Olive Oil Destroy Its Benefits?.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I swap the raisins for something else?
Dried apricots are the closest swap. They caramelize the same way and hold their shape in the oven. Dried cranberries work too but bring a sharper tartness. Without any dried fruit, the traybake loses the sweet-savory contrast that gives it its Moroccan character.
Where do the 14 grams of fiber come from?
Four different sources: eggplant, couscous, raisins, and tomatoes. The fiber is distributed across the whole plate rather than concentrated in one ingredient. At 14g in a single meal, that is a meaningful contribution to daily intake. For what the research found about fiber and body composition, see Fiber Accelerates Fat Loss.
Read the full evidence review
