One-Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
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Published Oct 07, 2021, Updated Oct 31, 2023
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This one-pan roasted chicken with butternut squash, brussels sprouts, onions and lemon makes for an easy, healthy and delicious weeknight meal. It will quickly become a household favorite.
I never thought I liked chicken thighs (or dark meat in general) but this recipe has me hooked. I made it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and Isaac and I fell in love. We’ve already made it a total of three times!! Not only do the chicken and roasted veggies taste delicious, but the prep and clean-up are amazingly simple because the whole meal is roasted on one baking sheet.
I don’t know about you, but whenever I can limit the amount of dirty dishes I have to do after a meal I’m stoked. There’s nothing worse than finishing a delicious dinner and quickly realizing you have a mountain of dishes to do. Especially on a weeknight.
I can’t take credit for this recipe as it’s inspired and adapted from this recipe from Rachel Ray. She really is the queen of quick and easy meals! I only made a few small changes, which I’ve included in the recipe below. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
What You Need
- chicken thighs – either bone in or boneless work! If you don’t eat meat, tofu or tempeh would also work great in this recipe. I don’t recommend using chicken breast because they will become dry during the time it takes for the vegetables to roast. Check out these other chicken recipes if you only have chicken breasts on hand!
- vegetables – Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, red or yellow onion and garlic cloves. Feel free to customize the veggies. See some ideas below!
- lemon – trust me on this one! Lemon adds a hint of acid that brightens the flavors of this dish.
- olive oil – to roast the vegetables and part of the marinade for the chicken. Avocado oil would work here as well.
- balsamic vinegar – this slightly sweet vinegar is part of the marinade for the vegetables. The balsamic vinegar helps create a delicious, caramelized crust while the vegetables roast.
- apple cider vinegar – part of the chicken marinade. Vinegar helps tenderize the meat and adds a ton of flavor.
- seasonings and spices – fennel seeds, crushed red pepper, paprika, garlic powder, freshly grated nutmeg, fresh sage, sea salt and pepper.
Tip! For even faster assembly you can buy pre-cut veggies at the store!
The Best Veggies for Sheet Pan Meals
The vegetables in this meal are completely customizable but not all vegetables are great for sheet pan meals. The best vegetables will hold up well during roasting and will develop a delicious caramelized flavor. Here are some options:
- potatoes – I love roasted sweet potatoes, but white or red potatoes also work great.
- squash – any type of squash roasts really well! I’ve made roasted delicata squash, butternut squash, acorn squash and kabocha squash.
- carrots – I love roasted carrots! The end result is slightly crunchy but soft and caramelized at the same time.
- Brussels sprouts – is there any other way to enjoy brussels sprouts? Not in my mind!
- broccoli and cauliflower – both broccoli and cauliflower roast up so beautifully! If you aren’t a fan these veggies steamed, you need to try them roasted.
- onion – add a major flavor punch by throwing some onion on the pan with the rest of your veggies.
- asparagus – another vegetable that is best roasted! Roasted asparagus is a staple in our home.
- bell pepper – add crunch, zest and a slightly sweet flavor with sliced bell pepper.
How to Serve
While this recipe can absolutely be a meal on its own, you can also pair it with a side if you’re more of a volume eater like me! Here are some ideas:
- Serve with quinoa, brown rice or chickpea pasta if you need a grain to fill out your meal.
- Looking for more vegetables? Throw all of the ingredients on the sheet pan on a bed of greens and top with a dressing of choice!
- Don’t love the mixture of hot and cold temperatures? A side salad works great as well. This spinach salad or garlicky kale salad are both great options.
How to Store
This sheet pan meal is great for meal prep! I love making a big batch on the weekend so we have leftovers for lunch/dinner for the week ahead.
For leftovers, I recommend storing them all together in an airtight container. Leftovers will last up to five days in the refrigerator. To reheat, I recommend spreading the leftovers on a sheet pan and reheating in the oven. If you’re in a rush, the microwave will work but the vegetables won’t be as crispy.
Easy Sheet Pan Recipes
- Lemon Garlic Chicken Sheet Pan Meal
- Asian Chicken Sheet Pan Meal
- Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and Roasted Veggies
- Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner with Tofu
- Sriracha Cauliflower and Chickpea Sheet Pan Meal
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Shrimp Scampi Sheet Pan Meal
- Honey Mustard Chicken Sheet Pan Meal
One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1 lb. butternut squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ red or yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves , minced
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
- pinch of nutmeg
- 4-6 chicken thighs, bone-in or boneless
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Combine the Brussels sprouts, squash, onion, lemon slices and minced garlic in a large bowl.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg and toss to combine.
- Spread veggie mixture onto a large baking sheet.
- Combine remaining olive oil, apple cider vinegar, fennel seeds, red pepper, paprika, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and sage in a small bowl. Coat chicken with the marinade and arrange chicken on top of the Brussels sprouts and squash mixture.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until both the veggies and chicken are cooked through.
- Portion onto plates, squeeze any remaining juice from the lemon over each serving and enjoy!
- Leftovers will last up to five days in the refrigerator. To reheat, I recommend spreading the leftovers on a sheet pan and reheating in the oven. If you're in a rush, the microwave will work but the vegetables won't be as crispy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ll definetely make this recipe! However, I’ll use tofu instead of chicken! 🙂 But it looks so good…
I’ve been wanting to try the recipe with tofu as well. I think it will be just as tasty!
This looks incredible! I love that it’s easy and all in one pan too.
I recently started cooking chicken thighs once in awhile instead of breasts for a change up! I’ve only done them in the slow cooker so far, but I will be baking them 😉
I’m new to chicken thighs as well and haven’t tried them in the slow cooker yet. Gotta try that soon!!
Yum! I LOVE chicken thighs and actually like them way more than chicken breasts or drumsticks. They just stay way more moist and juicy!
YES!! And they’re cheaper too!
Do you think hicken breasts would work as well? It looks fab.
I think chicken breasts would work. They might dry out a little faster though.
Love one pan dishes!!! I have lemon rosemary chicken thighs up among others, it’s one of my favs! ALWAYS bone in and skin on…gotta get that crispy skin. Two thighs per person though unless them belong to a turkey 🙂 You might like this one – http://peachypalate.com/2014/08/08/crispy-baked-rosemary-lemon-chicken-thighs/
I’ll have to check out your recipe because the lemon rosemary combo sounds tasty. I used to hate meat on the bone but with chicken thighs it really does keep the meat from drying out. And I agree, most people will eat two thighs. It depends on my appetite and cravings whether I have one or two. Sometimes I like to load up on veggies and just have one. 🙂
This sounds so good! We do something similar but in a cast iron skillet. Always delicious and perfectly flavored… yum (still trying to get M into brussels spouts… sigh).
this is great. I would love you to stop by Food on Friday: Chicken over at Carole’s Chatter to add this to the recipe collection! Cheers!
Made this recipe tonight with chicken drumsticks and it was so good!! I love cozy, one dish meals like this. It was so easy to make and my boyfriend loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Made this recipe last night and it was amazing! Definitely will on our weekly rotation. Thanks for the recipe!
Woot woot! So glad you enjoyed it Kaitlyn.
I made this and it was absolutely delicious. I followed to recipe closely but just used half of the fennel seeds because I don’t cook with them much and was scared they may overpower other favors. Will definitely be making this again, it was amazing! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it, Kristen!
My hubby and I LOVED this! It is the perfect healthy comfort food. I didn’t have any nutmeg or fennel seeds so I left them out and added some baby bellas that needed to be used up. Delicious! We couldn’t stop raving about it and happy to have it on our dinner rotation now. Thank you!!
Made this for dinner last week and it turned out awesome! Used sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash, but otherwise followed your recipe to the letter, and it’s definitely a recipe I look forward to using throughout the fall and winter 🙂
What can be used in place of Brussels sprouts?
I’d use another hearty vegetable like carrots, parsnips, broccoli or cauliflower.
I made this recipe tonight, and it was delicious! I thought I grabbed the garlic powder for the chicken marinade, but I had chili powder in my hand. There was a little extra spice in the dish, but it turned out to be a great mistake. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Haha. Oops. I’m glad the chili powder was a great addition! 🙂
I just made this recipe tonight and made a few changes, I had two tiny chicken breasts so I also added a can of chickpeas. This recipe will become a staple, only when I make it again, I’ll change the balsamic vinegar for white balsamic vinegar because I thought it tasted a little too sour. Thank you for this great dinner 🙂
on epan dishes are great. esp since i hate doing dishes!!!! ha!
Totally agree!! The less dishes, the better! 🙂
Tastes great! So versatile on the veggies you can use. I improvised broccoli for Brussels. Its just ehat i had. But I also added potatos and mushrooms just had to add a bit more to the marinade for the veggies but thats all and a bit more cook time.
Followed recipe precisely. 1 sliced regular, not small lemon with skin left on made dish bitter. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds is too much and I like fennel seeds. basic concept and ingredients are good, but spices are wrong. i often do one pan roasted chicken thighs with these veggies and balsamic, olive oil and that would have been much better.
43 carbs per serving. That seems like a lot. Not sure how it’s that many carbs. I tried to add it up and didn’t get that many
Made this tonight, was amazing. It will definitely be in my regular rotation of meals!
Thanks 😊
Hi Nicole! I’m so glad you loved it. If you wouldn’t mind, would you be willing to leave another comment with a star rating of the recipe too? It can be the exact same comment if you want. The star ratings are super helpful. 🙂
What do I need to do to substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Reduce heat? Add chicken after first 15 minutes? Thanks for help
Hey Karen! Chicken breasts should work just fine. They might dry out a little faster though. I would maybe reduce the temp to 400 and the chicken probably only needs to cook for 25 minutes or so. I’d just keep an eye on the chicken and pull it when it seems done. 🙂
I have made this twice now& it is delicious! The first time I had sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash…turned out great! And I am using boneless chicken breasts instead that I butterflied so they weren’t so thick 🙂
That makes me so happy to hear, Lendy! I’m so glad you have enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it! 🙂
Way to much hot pepper. I had to throw it out. We love spicie food but this was I edible.
Hey Pat – So sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t turn out for you. Did you just use 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper? You can definitely alter the amount of spices used based on your taste preferences.
One of my favorites! Love it!
I’m looking at making this for a larger group. Do you recommend? Group size is about 20 people. Thanks in advance.
Hey Melody! It would definitely work for a large group, you’d just have to times everything by 5 for 20 people. 🙂
Can I use frozen brussel sprouts instead of fresh?
Hey Jessica – I think frozen would be just fine!
I made this for the fam and I suggest serving this with a loaf of bread or some crackers to help with the heat haha. Or just add less red pepper flakes. Overall a great and flavorful recipe that was fun to try with little cleanup.
We really like this recipe. We don’t like spicy so omit pepper but I see someone added chili powder and we might try that as we like chili powder. It’s great either way.
This was SOOOO good! I couldn’t find sprouts this week, why, I have no idea, so i used broccoli. DELISH!
My absolute favorite easy dinner recipe! Quick and flavorful.
Ahh yay!! Thanks for the review, Sydney. I so appreciate it!
It’s a MIRACLE, I have finally found a way to cook Brussels sprouts and like them!! This was delicious and will definitely be in our regular dinner rotation. I did leave out the lemon because I didn’t have one, and I don’t think I’ll add it because I loved all the flavors without it.
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! Recently I have been loving butternut squash and I was looking for some different ways to have it- this was perfect! I added potatoes and carrots to this meal and it turned out great. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this dish, Kara! Thanks for the review, I so appreciate it!
I made this recipe tonight for dinner and the entire family enjoyed it (even kids that don’t like brussels). This is a great busy weeknight dinner. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful recipes you share!
Woo!! So glad this recipe was a hit with your family. Thanks for the review, Deanne. I so appreciate it!
Seriously my favorite easy and flavorful dinner. I love making it for friends – it feels like such an impressive meal despite it’s one-pan simplicity.
Woo!! So glad you loved this recipe, Sydney. 🙂 Thanks for the review!!
Made it, loved it, Ate It All Week (hubs not as big a fan…so aside from dinner 1 night, I enjoyed lunch 4 days)
I just Doubled It and made it again- freezing for me, sharing with family. FABULOUS
So glad you loved this recipe! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it.
Is the roasted chicken with butternut squash and Brussel sprouts also soy free? And is Vegan Broccoli Raisin Salad soy free?
Hi Chris! Yes, this recipe is soy free!
I just made this for dinner tonight and my usually picky toddler, devoured it!!!! And it was so easy to make! This will definitely be a weekly dinner
Woo!! I love hearing this, Kearston! Thanks for making this recipe and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Nutmeg is not listed in the ingredient list but is mentioned in the first step of the directions. To use or not to
Use is the question! Recipe sounds delicious.
Hi Kara. I highly recommend adding the nutmeg if you have it. It’s in step 3 of the instructions!
Why is there so much sodium in this recipe? It looks awesome and I will make it but I’m just curious if I could cut something out to make it lower.
Thank you!!
I would just cut down on the salt if you’re worried about the sodium levels!
I would love to be able to pin these amazing recipes to Pinterest!
How can I collect them?
~Anita
Hey Anita – You should be able to just click on the photo and pin it. 🙂
So easy and the flavors are so good – I impressed my wife and she wants me to make it again! This is now in our meal rotation!!
Ah yay!! So thrilled this recipe was a hit, Bill. Thanks for the review! It means so much to me.
Not sure what I did wrong. The chicken was food. The veggies were SPICY, even for my husband who likes when his food makes him sweat. The hot level made the meal feel really unbalanced.
Hey Tabitha – Sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t turn out for you. Did you add extra red chili flakes?
Love this recipe! So easy to make and very filling. Even my husband is a huge fan! It’s also so easy to change up the veggies so you don’t get tired of it. I like to serve it with brown rice on the side!
Yay! I love to hear that, Caroline. Thank you for coming back to leave me a review and comment!
I LOVE this recipe! I make it probably once a month.
WOO! I am so happy to hear that this recipe is a hit! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving your review + star rating, I really appreciate it.