Anyone else LOVE (and NEED) quick weeknight meals as much as I do? I’m guessing the answer is YES! I’m ALL ABOUT quick weeknight meals (as long as they’re healthy, that is!) and this Garlic-Mustard Chicken and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner is the perfect fit when you need to get a healthy dinner on the table quickly!
I’m a big (no, HUGE) fan of sheet pan dinners, and if you’ve looked at the recipes I have posted over the past 6 months or so, you’ll know I’m not blowing smoke! Here are some of the main reasons why I love a good sheet pan dinner…
- 1 Pan = Less Mess. Using one pan to cook all the food means the clean-up is quick! And as much as I love a good quick and easy recipe, it has to be quick and easy to clean or it doesn’t really help in the end! Right?!?
- Cooking Method = Roasting. Roasting is absolutely one of my favorite ways to cook almost anything. When it’s done correctly, the food turns out flavorful, tender and juicy. Yum!
- Shorter Ingredient List…usually, anyway. When you’re cooking all the food on one pan, the idea is to keep things simple, but I don’t want to compromise on flavor. I believe you can do that with a short list of ingredients, so for my sheet pan dinner recipes, I keep the ingredient list short and sweet (well, not actually sweet as in sugar, of course!). Ha!
- Fancy Equipment Need Not Apply. As I mentioned above, sheet pan dinners use just one pan (and the oven), and it’s about as basic of a pan as you can get. You probably already have something that will work, but if not, check out this very basic (but good quality) half sheet pan
Why I Leave the Skin on the Chicken for this Sheet Pan Dinner?
When you read through the recipe below, you’ll see that I have you pull back the chicken skin, spread a garlic-mustard-herb mixture over the chicken meat and then lay the skin back over that mixture. Then the chicken gets roasted. It’s not difficult…trust me!
I know, chicken skin is not healthy, and I recommend you don’t actually eat it. I will tell you at the end of the recipe to pull the skin off the chicken and throw it away. Don’t worry, the garlic-mustard mixture will stay on the chicken so you get all the flavor.
The reason I have you lay the skin back on top of the meat for the roasting step is to keep the top of the meat insulated from the direct heat. The garlic-mustard mixture will help prevent the top of the meat from drying out, but not as much as the skin will. So, the skin helps prevent the meat on top from drying out and looking like leather.
Another way you can help prevent the top of the chicken pieces from drying out when roasting chicken is to marinate the chicken. I use this method in other sheet pan dinner recipes, and then you can roast the chicken without the skin.
What About You?
Do you like sheet pan dinners or not? I know certain cooking styles aren’t for everyone (like how not everyone likes crockpot meals, for example, or having leftovers), and I want to know if you’ve ever tried making a sheet pan dinner and whether you loved it or not! Leave your comment below!
For those of you who love sheet pan dinners, here are a few recipes to add to your list:
- 5 Ingredient Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken with Broccoli (Sheet Pan Dinner)
- Ginger-Orange Shrimp and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
By the way…this Garlic-Mustard Chicken and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner uses just 8 ingredients besides a few pantry staples and optional garnishes. Sound good? Give it a try and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
Garlic-Mustard Chicken and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner
With only 8 non-pantry ingredients, you won’t spend your whole evening making this Garlic-Mustard Chicken and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner! It’s a perfect weeknight meal that is family-friendly too.Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)
- 1 tablespoon coarse mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 8 medium carrots, scrubbed or peeled
- ½ cup coarsely chopped red or white onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound small red potatoes, about 2-inch diameter
- Chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley (optional)
- Lemon wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Loosen the skin from the top of the chicken thighs by sliding your finger under the skin or by using a kitchen scissors to help cut the skin away from the meat. Pull the skin off the top of the meat, leaving the skin attached along one side of each thigh. Set chicken aside. In a small bowl combine mustard, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.
- Spoon mustard mixture evenly atop chicken thighs, spreading it evenly over the exposed meat. Lay the skin back over the meat to cover the mustard mixture. Set chicken aside.
- Cut carrots lengthwise in half. Lay carrot halves, flat sides down on a cutting board. Cut carrot halves crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Add carrots and onion to a large shallow baking pan (such as a half sheet pan). Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat; spread to an even layer in the pan.
- Roast carrot mixture, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, scrub potatoes. Cut potatoes in half. Lay potatoes, flat sides down, on a cutting board. Cut crosswise into about ¼-inch-thick slices. In a medium bowl toss potato slices with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
- Add potato slices to carrot mixture in pan. Toss to coat; spread to an even layer in pan. Place chicken thighs atop vegetables.
- Roast, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (180°F when tested with an instant-read thermometer).
- Carefully lift the skin off the chicken (it should easily pull away from the meat on the side it is still attached); discard skin. Serve chicken and vegetables sprinkled with parsley and served with lemon wedges, if desired.
Notes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
