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Chorizo Pumpkin and Chicken Tray Bake served on a patterned plate, garnished with green pesto.

Chorizo, Pumpkin and Chicken Combi Steam Tray Bake

Hello! There is definitely a recipe today, for this fantastic chicken, pumpkin and chorizo sheet pan dinner, but I managed to write several hundred words about steam oven recipes in general before I got to it.

I didn’t really mean to climb on my soapbox, but out came the words and although I could delete some I suspect a few of you will be interested. If not, no drama, just scroll on down past my little ramble…

I think it’s pretty clear that I love my steam oven. I mean, it’s why we’re all here in this little corner of the internet, right?! I use it almost every single day and though it’s a very ‘first-world’ thing to say, I can no longer imagine my cooking life without one. Yet there seems, to me at least, to be a disconnect between what we actually want to cook in these great appliances and what the steam oven manufacturers provide us with instructions and recipes for.

Take, for example, many of the recipes provided by Gaggenau, which is often regarded as the gold standard for steam ovens in terms of build and functionality. If your budget allows, they are truly wonderful ovens and can cook pretty much anything fantastically well. But you wouldn’t know it from the recipes provided with the oven at purchase.

I mean, I like a good truffled goose liver terrine as much as the next person (seriously – it sounds pretty delicious despite that horrible photo), but rarely (ok, never) do I have time or occasion to make one. It’s not exactly standard weeknight fare, and nor are most of their other brand-developed recipes.

It’s not all bad news – there are some notable exceptions.

For instance, there are a few solid recipes in the Miele steam oven book (think Moroccan chicken hotpot or sticky banoffee puddings, plus several variants on mashed potatoes) and I really like some of the dishes in the Wolf convection steam recipes collection (pretzel buns, anyone? Or maybe an easy method for pork ribs?).

In general, though, I get a LOT of complaints via email, Facebook and during face to face demonstrations or classes that go along the lines of, “I bought a steam oven/combi steam oven and can’t find any normal recipes which will help me learn to use it”. So if I’m getting so many of those comments in my little part of the world then there must be thousands of others out there thinking the same thing.

I think some of this recipe disconnect comes down to the fact many of the steam oven manufacturers or their parent companies are European and thus develop recipes to suit that climate and overall sensibility. Perhaps what they view as ‘normal’ food just doesn’t work for US/UK/South Asian/Australian audiences, where a lot of steam ovens are now being sold.

Or maybe it’s because it costs companies a lot of money to develop and distribute recipes, so what we’re being offered with our ovens can sometimes be for food which was on trend fifteen or twenty years ago but hasn’t been updated since. Whatever it is, though, it creates a poor user experience for many people. I’d like to think our growing community of steam oven enthusiasts are beginning to address that but we do have a way to go.

You could say today’s dish is a direct response to all those complex, Euro-centric recipes provided by most of our oven manufacturers. I mentioned it on Instagram last week, and it’s so basic it almost doesn’t deserve a recipe, but in the interests of simple weeknight dinners I’m going to write it up for you anyway. Because I think we could all do with a few more simple dinner go-to recipes in our lives, especially when it comes to using these wonderful steam ovens of ours. It’s very adaptable, so I hope you take it and make it your own.

Do you want to use and love your steam oven more?

There are precious few resources to teach us HOW to use a steam oven in everyday cooking. I’m guessing that’s why you’re here! If you love cooking but aren’t making the most of your combi steam oven, you aren’t alone.

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Chorizo Pumpkin and Chicken Tray Bake served on a patterned plate, with rosemary and green pesto garnish.
Pieces of Chorizo Pumpkin and Chicken Tray Bake served on a patterned plate, with rosemary and green pesto garnish.
Print Recipe
4.84 from 12 votes

Steam Oven Chicken, Pumpkin and Chorizo Sheet Pan Dinner

Tender chicken pieces tossed with earthy, soft pumpkin and salty chorizo sausage, all baked in a single pan and ready for a simple weeknight dinner.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Australian, Spanish
Keyword: chicken, pumpkin and chorizo, pork sheet pan dinner, steam oven chicken
Servings: 4
Calories: 636kcal

Ingredients

  • 2.2 lb pumpkin peeled, deseeded and diced into 4cm/1.5in pieces
  • 1 chorizo sausage sliced (I use the dried type, you could use a fresh one if you like – just remove skin and break into rough meatballs)
  • 1.2 lb chicken thighs skinless and boneless, halved
  • 1/2 loaf crusty white bread day old, torn into large pieces (about the same size as the pumpkin)
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup olive oil seems like a lot, I know – you can use less but the dish will be a little dry
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 3 tbs basil pesto to serve, totally optional but very nice

Instructions

  • Set your oven to 400⁰F/200⁰C, combination steam. If your oven has variable steam settings, use 30%. If not, don't worry! Just select combi steam at the correct temperature and the oven will figure out the humidity for you.
  • Toss all your ingredients except the rosemary and the pesto together. You can do this either in a large bowl or directly on an oven tray. Season well with salt and pepper, then spread it out single layer on the tray (you may want to use two trays if it looks like too much for a single layer).
  • Tuck the rosemary into the trays, then cook for 25 minutes or until everything is cooked through, browned and crispy-edged. You may need to swap the trays over partway through if you've used two, to get them evenly cooked.
  • Dollop a little pesto over the finished dish and serve immediately. If you don’t manage to eat it all, this keeps for a day or two in the fridge and reheats beautifully using combi steam at around 320⁰F/160⁰C.

Notes

  1. I have been making variations on this theme ever since I started using a steam oven (well, even before that in my regular oven, though it is much better done in the combi steam). The original idea for this particular marriage of flavours came from Nigel Slater – I can’t find an online link anymore but have a hand scrawled recipe for something titled Pumpkin Pan Fry which originally used bacon rather than sausage.
  2. As I said earlier, this is very adaptable. Don’t like pumpkin? Use sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, or cauliflower. Want something green? Add a handful of green beans or broccoli. You can swap in bacon or pancetta for the chorizo, pork chops or even fish for the chicken…hopefully you get the idea. Just adjust when you add things to the oven depending on how long they take to cook.
  3. For the quantities given I use two lightweight stainless steel trays, as cramming it all onto one means everything stews and you don’t get the nice crispy edges which make the dish so good. If need be you could cheat with a perforated tray, just cover the base with parchment/baking paper before you start.

Nutrition

Calories: 636kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 1187mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 21571IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 3mg

But I don’t have a steam/combi-steam oven! Cook it in a regular oven – you’ll need to drop the temperature to 180⁰C and cook it for maybe 30-35 minutes instead. Don’t skimp on the oil or it will dry out. And I would use skin-on chicken instead of skinless here.

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8 thoughts on “Chorizo, Pumpkin and Chicken Combi Steam Tray Bake”

  1. Linda Sutton

    5 stars
    OMG We love, love, love this recipe! I included so many veggies – brussel sprouts, turnip, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli with the chorizo. Not one for using thighs, but the flavour was delicious! Everyone loved it and went back for more. This is on my regular meal rotation as it cooks incredibly quickly. Even bought some different flavoured pestos to try. Do yourself a favour and try this recipe you won’t be disappointed.

  2. 5 stars
    LOVE IT! Such a simple recipe that I have often scrolled past it in search for something more special. Yesterday I needed something quick, easy and substantial so I used the recipe as a guide and went with the recommendation that it is highly adaptable to use whatever my fridge had on offer. I used carrots, beetroots, potatoes (instead of the bread), chorizo, chicken thighs and broccoli (added later in the baking process). Used the rosemary but omitted the garlic. A spoon full of pesto over the top added fantastic flavor. I am super impressed and already thinking of more versions of this dish. I think onion wedges that would caramalise during the baking process would be delicious, too as would cauliflower… endless options! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    Yum!! I included sweet potato, cauliflower and broccoli with the chorizo.I used breast fillets instead, but, I will try thigh fillets next time. The family loved the flavours and these one pan meals are the best!

  4. 5 stars
    I was hesitant to try this, but I gave it a shot and my boyfriend is so glad I did! I usually do broccoli instead of the pumpkin, and omit the bread since we’re doing a keto diet, and it’s been great!

  5. 5 stars
    Love this recipe. It is on regular repeat in our home, and the kids love it too!

  6. Thanks for another wonderful recipe! With a new combi-steam oven, and a new baby, this recipe is perfect. Delicious, nourishing, easy to make and little to clean up. I suspect it’ll become a regular in our home.

  7. Emily Rhodes

    Hi Zoe. Different models have different steam levels, and unfortunately the manufacturers are often cagey about telling you the exact percentages of steam which correlate with those low/med/high settings, which makes it so hard to convert recipes! Without knowing your oven, I’d say try at medium intensity and see how it goes? I don’t think you’ll do the dish any harm at all and you could possibly even use high intensity, but you’ll just have to watch the timing. Would love to hear how you go with it. 🙂

  8. Hi,
    This looks fab! Looking forward to trying it!
    Can I ask a question regarding steam level intensity. My steam combi gives options of low, medium or high – would you know what approximate percentages those would be?
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks

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