Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables w/ Rosemary
It’s getting cold outside and Sprouts has all of the best produce for my favorite winter meals. One of my favorite winter meals is a sheet pan dinner, which are all of the rage right now.
They're quick, flexible and very easy to clean up. I love that I can add lots of different vegetables and even double the vegetables if I want. I also love that my chicken sheet pan dinner gets the chicken browned, crispy, and delicious.
Sprouts offers an incredible variety of winter produce including my favorites like butternut squash, rainbow carrots, and Brussel sprouts. So, now is the time to stock up on your favorites and have a sheet pan dinner any night of the week.
I’ve tried several sheet pan dinner recipes in my time, and I was never really satisfied with any of them. Sometimes the chicken was cooked thoroughly, and the vegetables were overcooked, or the cooking times suggested just weren't right. For this recipe, I outline all the tips and tricks to make your first go a total success!
One issue that I have had in the past, was that the vegetables and the chicken don't always cook for the same amount of time. I’ll show you a method where you can use two sheet pans and easily pull the veggies out when they are done, or if you are using one sheet pan, simply remove the veggies when they are done cooking. Roasted veggies don’t need to be served piping hot. They are even great at room temperature.
Another concern that many have is when you use skin-on chicken, it renders a lot of fat. Now, I love the flavor the fat brings to all the veggies, but if it’s not your thing, I suggest that you put the chicken on a separate cookie sheet, and you can even add a wire rack under it if you’d like.
One little secret that many recipes don’t tell you is that to have crispy vegetables and chicken you can't overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding the pan creates steam and that will not give you the crispy edges that you're looking for.
Anyhoo, this is a go-to for me. I’ve added some fresh rosemary and lemon zest to brighten up the roasted yumminess. It makes it extra special. And, no need to marinate the chicken or have any sauces. Yay! Easy Peasy.
I hope you head to Sprouts and give it a go. Try all the different veggies and cook up some deliciousness.
#lovesprouts #sproutspartner
This post was sponsored by my good friends @sprouts.
Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables w/ Rosemary
Ingredients
- 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1-1 1/2 pounds)
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped.
- 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
- 1 acorn or delicata squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise, seeded, cut into 1/3" rounds or half-moons
- 1/2 pound Brussel sprouts, halved if large
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Trim any excess skin off of the chicken thighs to limit the amount of fat that will render. Pat skin side dry. Season generously with Kosher salt and pepper on both sides, and sprinkle the skin with paprika. The paprika gives the chicken a beautiful golden color.
- Place the thighs on the prepared baking sheet and put them in the top 1/3 of the oven. Set timer for 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together 1-2 Tablespoons of rosemary and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Set aside.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the oven. Add the squash and Brussel sprouts to the same sheet pan (see notes below), place them in and around the chicken thighs. Brush the chicken and vegetables with the olive oil. Season the vegetables liberally with salt and pepper. You have already seasoned the chicken.
- Return to oven and cook for 20-35 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and has an internal temperature of 165°F, and the Brussels sprouts are crispy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the rosemary and lemon zest mixture.
- Serve warm
- The cooking times vary because ovens are all different, and the size of the chicken thighs will vary. Simply check with a thermometer periodically. (You can then write down your exact cooking time on the recipe for future use;)
Notes:
- The chicken does render all of its fat which helps flavor the veggies beautifully. If you want to avoid the fat, put the veggies on one sheet pan and the chicken on another. You can even add a wire rack under the chicken if you'd like.
- Sometimes two pans are better than one. I use two because I often want to add more veggies and or chicken. Don't try to fit everything onto one sheet-pan. Sometimes, two sheet-pans will afford you greater control. You can take the veggies out when they are done, and let the chicken keep cooking. Also, 2 sheets-pans ensures you aren’t over-crowding your ingredients which will cause them to steam instead of crisp up nicely. (In this photo, I used 2 separate sheet pans and added the chicken to the veggie pan for serving.)
- Not everything has to be in the oven for the same amount of time to make it a good sheet-pan dinner. You may add or take things out as many times as you want to. So, just because two things cook at different rates doesn't mean you can't put them together—you just need to add them at different stages during the process of roasting. For example, if you don't want your sprouts super crispy, you can take them off the sheet pan when they are done to your likeness. Then return the chicken to the oven to finish cooking. Or if you want to add asparagus, take it out when they are tender. They don’t take as long.
- This recipe can be doubled using 2 sheet pans.
- Feel free to substitute cubed butternut squash, beets, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, or other veggies. Just remember to remove them from the sheet pan when they are done or use two sheet-pans. Enjoy!