Spiced smoky barbecued chicken

Name: Spiced smoky barbecued chicken
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 2 cloves Garlic; Juice/zest of one Lemon; 2 tblsp Curry Powder; Pinch Chilli Flakes; 3 tablespoons Olive Oil; 12 Chicken Thighs; Bunch Rosemary; Bunch Rosemary; Bunch Thyme; Bunch Thyme; 2 Bay Leaves

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Chicken recipe with Australian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 44 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 27 min total

2 cloves Garlic
Juice/zest of one Lemon
2 tblsp Curry Powder
Pinch Chilli Flakes
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
12 Chicken Thighs
Bunch Rosemary
Bunch Rosemary
Bunch Thyme
Bunch Thyme
2 Bay Leaves

Step-by-step instructions

step 1.
Make the marinade. Smash the garlic with a little salt using a pestle and mortar. Add the lemon zest and juice, the spice mix, chilli, oil and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix to a paste. This can be done in a mini food processor.
step 2.
Toss the chicken in the marinade and set aside while you light the barbecue. When the barbecue’s hot, lay the bunches of herbs on the grid and put the chicken, skin side up, on top. Close the lid, if your barbecue has one, and cook the chicken on the smouldering herbs for about 10 minutes until the meat starts to colour. Turn the chicken and continue to cook for a further 20-30 minutes, turning as necessary, until it is slightly charred from the burnt herbs and cooked through to the bone.

Why this works on a weeknight

Spiced smoky barbecued chicken genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Spiced smoky barbecued chicken actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Chicken Australian ⚡ 30-Min Dinner