Sheet pan meals are a great way to make delicious and easy-to-clean-up dinners, especially on busy nights. If you're getting bored with the same old chicken dishes or just don't want to deal with elaborate meal prep, sheet pan dinners could be the solution you need to stay on track with your healthy eating goals. They're a great way to make balanced meals that include protein, veggies, and flavor.
While some sheet pan dinner recipes suggest putting the protein and veggies all on one tray, this approach can often result in soggy veggies due to excess liquid coming off the chicken. To avoid this, it's best to use two pans - one lined with foil for the chicken and another lined with parchment paper for the veggies. This way, the chicken's juices stay contained, while the veggies get perfectly golden and crispy.
One of my favorite sheet pan dinners is lemon-herb chicken with fennel, red onions, and baby potatoes. The flavors work really well together, and the veggie combo is a nice change from the usual.
This meal is incredibly nutritious! It is high in protein due to the chicken breast. Fennel is an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C. Additionally, both fennel and potatoes provide a good amount of potassium, which is an essential nutrient for kidney function, brain function, and muscular contractions, including the heart!
When choosing your veggies, keep in mind that the size of the fennel bulbs can vary. For this recipe, I used two bulbs that weighed about 1.25 pounds in total. Be sure to cut off the fennel greens and save them for another recipe, although they have a good flavor they can be a bit tough. Fennel has a mild anise or licorice flavor that pairs well with onions and lemon, which is why it works so nicely in this dish. You can use any variety of baby potatoes you like, but I recommend the Baby Dutch Yellow variety for its buttery texture and nutty flavor.
For the marinade, I mix my own blend of herbs, but if you want to shorten the prep time even more, you can substitute the oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme, with two teaspoons of Italian herb blend.
To prepare this meal, start by mixing up the olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and seasonings in a small bowl. Place the chicken and marinade in a large ziplock bag or bowl with a cover, and let it marinate in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the fennel, onions, and potatoes into long 1-inch thick slices, toss them in olive oil and seasonings, and lay them flat on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roast them in an oven preheated to 425°F for 20 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting, take the chicken out of the marinade and place it on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been drizzled and rubbed with a teaspoon of olive oil to prevent sticking. Carefully flip the veggies over with a spatula so they brown evenly, then place them back in the oven on the bottom rack. Place the pan of chicken on the top rack. Placing the pans in this way ensures that the veggies roast instead of steam. Cook everything for 20-25 minutes until the veggies are golden and the chicken is fully cooked (with an internal temperature of 165°F).
Roasted Veggies
1-1 ½ lbs fennel bulb
1 large red onion
1 lb baby potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
Direction:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Slice the fennel, onion, and potatoes into long 1-inch slices. Place the vegetables on a parchment-lined backing sheet.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and use either a spatula or your hands to toss and evenly coat the vegetables with the olive oil. Then sprinkle the dried thyme, salt and pepper over the vegetables and toss again to evenly coat. Then spread the vegetables into a single layer. Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Carefully remove the tray from the oven and use a spatula to flip the vegetables. Place the tray back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes until the vegetables start to just turn golden brown.
Lemon Herb Chicken
1.5-2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
½ tsp rosemary
½ tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, using a fork or whisk, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Place the chicken and marinade in a zip-lock bag or large bowl with cover. Toss to coat the chicken evenly. Then place the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours if made in advance.
3. Take the chicken out of the marinade and place it on a foil-lined baking sheet lightly greased with olive oil. Roast in an oven preheated to 425°F for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked (with an internal temperature of 165°F).
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