I’ve been in Philly the last few days for a food and nutrition conference. I’m here as press for my work as a food and nutrition editor. It’s been a little dreary and rainy, my iPhone was stolen the night I arrived, and I spent my birthday here yesterday going out with colleagues I’ve never met before, BUT… I have learned a lot and I do love having a hotel room to myself. And I get to hear Abby Wambach speak today, so that’s exciting! (I also got a new iPhone, the 11 pro. So happy birthday to me! ) Moving on… Today’s recipe for sheet pan harvest chicken and vegetables is a fall must!
It’s loaded with favorite fall vegetables, mustard-brushed chicken breasts and plenty of warm spices. Plus some fun toppings tossed right on the pan in the form of bacon, walnuts and dried cranberries. They really bring the dish home. Dinner time dilemmas solved! Oh, and if this seems familiar here on Family Food on the Table, it kinda is. It’s basically a sheet pan version of my one pot easy harvest chicken skillet, which is another fall favorite. Both have tender juicy chicken, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, walnuts and dried cranberries, all well seasoned and topped with crisp salty bacon. These are definitely some of my favorite flavor combinations. Especially when the weather cools down. (You might also like this sheet pan chicken and apples with potatoes and rosemary and goat cheese. So yummy!)
(See also my harvest rice salad, which is a similar combo of my favorites, as is my quinoa bowl with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts.) I love how hands off this dinner is, too. Once everything is prepped, you pop it into the oven to get nice and roasted and well browned. All the flavor and not much effort required! (If you love sheet pan meals like I do, check out this family friendly sheet pan honey mustard chicken that has potatoes and broccoli. Or this sheet pan Indian chicken that’s super flavorful. Or all 10 delicious recipes featured in this sheet pan chicken dinners round-up.)
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make harvest sheet pan chicken. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on sheet pan harvest chicken and veggies:
I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you could sub boneless chicken thighs if you prefer. You may just need to increase the cooking time until they reach an internal temperature of 165. If you have really big chicken breasts, you can do just 2-3 and then slice them after they’ve cooked and rested, to stretch them out to 4 people. You can use a regular onion or a red onion for this recipe. Both are delicious. You can substitute pecans for the walnuts if you’d like – or use your favorite nut. I try to use fresh thyme, but you can substitute dried thyme. Or try another herb like rosemary.
Also, I should note that we are using TWO sheet pans for this meal. Trust me, it’s the way to go. You want to keep the veggies together on their own sheet pan so they have plenty of room too spread out in an even layer. That way they roast and don’t steam.
The chicken needs to be separated on another sheet pan. The chicken breasts can give off water and you don’t want that to ruin your roasted veggies by getting them soggy. Plus, there’s not enough room for everything on one pan. (Unless you’re halving the recipe and even then, I’d still use two to avoid the soggy roasted veggie situation.) And to be sure, you definitely need a rimmed baking sheet. This one is inexpensive and sturdy. Also, while I think the Dijon and paprika coating on the chicken adds great flavor, it’s not necessary. I’ve made this before without it (just seasoning the chicken breasts) and the chicken was still delicious. And because I love sheet pan meals so much, I wanted to share some of my other favorites. Check them out! Easy Sheet Pan Dinners Check out these easy, delicious sheet pan dinners for some weeknight meal inspiration! Sheet pan Mediterranean chicken and veggies Continue Reading Sheet pan chicken and broccoli with bell peppers Continue Reading Sheet pan turkey sausages with sweet potatoes and okra Continue Reading Salmon, potatoes and asparagus sheet pan dinner Continue Reading Roasted one-pan salmon and potatoes with green beans Continue Reading But back to this one here today… cause it’s ready to serve!
I hope you give this easy harvest chicken dinner a try to welcome in fall and to make dinnertime easy! And if you love this recipe, please give it a 5-star rating and leave me a comment. I love hearing from you! Enjoy! XO, Kathryn P.S. You can browse more easy chicken dinner recipes and a collection of healthy one-pot chicken dinners for more cooking inspiration.
I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts but you could sub boneless chicken thighs if you prefer. You may just need to increase the cooking time until they reach an internal temperature of 165. I always recommend using a thermometer instead of playing the guessing game. If you have really big chicken breasts, you can do just 2-3 and then slice them after they’ve cooked and rested, to stretch them out to 4 people. You can use a regular onion or a red onion for this recipe. Both are delicious. You can substitute pecans for the walnuts – or use your favorite nut. I try to use fresh thyme, but you can substitute dried thyme. Or try another herb like rosemary.
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