Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Bake with Veggies

Looking for an easy & amazing one pot weeknight dinner which is high in protein & fiber but low in calorie? You have hit the right spot with this sheet pan chicken bake loaded with veggies!

Life has been a whirlwind lately and all I am depending on for my high protein meals are recipes like this – a sheet pan chicken bake – a one pan recipe that comes with minimal prep!

This is a one pan recipe where you marinate the chicken & veggies and bake them in the same baking sheet all at one go.

Rest assured, you can trust the process that everything will come out perfectly cooked – not under or overcooked!

As a cherry on the icing, the veggies become extremely flavorful as they soak all the juices of chicken that oozes out while baking. Absolute win-win!

What is Sheet Pan Chicken Bake?

I was literally hunting for quick recipes that do not need any supervision – the ones which I can either shove inside the oven or into my air fryer.

That’s when I came across this recipe of sheet pan baked chicken from one of my favorite blogs – Downshiftology!

Lisa’s blog is simply amazing and I have already tried ample recipes from her collection; so I was very sure this one would also turn out as stunning as she made it.

All you need is your favorite portion of chicken – thighs or drumsticks and your favorite veggies which are crunchy and colorful to make that gorgeous presentation on your dinner table!

The spices, aromatics and herbs are quite simple and I had modified them a little to suit our tastebuds; but all in all this is an absolute ten on ten recipe and you must try it at the earliest!

Don’t forget to check Lisa’s recipe too if you haven’t already!

Ingredients for Sheet Pan Chicken Bake

Chicken drumsticks: Since my family and I love chicken drumsticks the most, I used them in my sheet pan chicken recipe.

You can use any other portion like chicken thighs or chicken breast fillet. Skip chicken wings for this one (you can check out ample chicken wings recipes in my blog!).

If using chicken breast fillet, add them over the veggies halfway through cooking time as they cook much faster than the portions with dark meat.

Veggies: Veggies are the star of this sheet pan chicken bake and you can be as creative as you like!

Pile your baking sheet with colorful veggies of your choice and make a stunning dinner for yourself and your family!

I used red and yellow bell pepper for that crunch, zucchini for the green goodness, cherry tomato for the tangy kick and onion for that sweet smokiness!

Then scatter a handful of black olives towards the end of baking for a Mediterranean touch!

Dry herbs: The primary flavor of this sheet pan chicken bake comes from dry herbs and I used dried oregano and dried thyme in mine.

The combination of oregano and thyme hits the right spot in terms of depth of flavors and mindblowingness all at the same time! Try it!

Aromatics: As you know, adding garlic in any chicken dish cooked in my kitchen is a mandate. It simply extracts and mingles the flavors of the meat with other ingredients beautifully making them irresistibly addictive!

Dijon mustard: We usually use this in the salad dressings as a thickener but in this sheet pan chicken bake, it adds a pungent kick taking it to a completely extraordinary level!

Paprika/chilli powder: This one is optional but if you are fond of spicy food like us, add a dash of your favorite chilli powder in the marinade and enjoy the heat!

Lemon: A drizzle of lemon juice will soften the meat and help penetrate the flavors of the spices deep inside the meat.

Oil & Seasoning: Use a generous amount of a good quality olive oil for best flavors and add salt & pepper to taste in the marinating mixture to extract maximum flavors of all spices & aromatics.

How to make Sheet Pan Chicken Bake?

Step 1: To prepare the marinade, take all the marinating ingredients in a mixing bowl – olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, Dijon mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Step 2: Whisk them rigorously to make a smooth and uniform marinating mixture.

Step 3: Now take the chicken drumsticks in a large mixing bowl and pour about ⅔ of the marinade on top. Then use your clean hands to toss the chicken in the marinade making sure they are all nicely coated on all sides.

Step 4: Leave the chicken to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 220 C / 425 F and place the wire rack at the middle of the oven.

Step 5: While the chicken is marinating, add all the vegetables to the sheet pan – zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and cherry tomatoes.

Step 6: Drizzle the remaining marinade on top and toss them together to coat with the flavorful marinate thoroughly.

Step 7: Spread out the marinated vegetables over the sheet pan in a flat uniform layer. Then carefully place the marinated chicken drumsticks on top of the veggies leaving a gap between two pieces.

Step 8: You can spoon over the leftover marinating liquid over the chicken drumsticks.

Step 9: Now bake the chicken and veggies in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then take the baking sheet out and sprinkle the black olives all over the pan.

Step 10: Return the baking sheet back to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and the chicken drumsticks are cooked through.

Pro tip 1: You can check the internal temperature of the thickest part of chicken drumsticks in a meat thermometer and if it reaches 165°F, your chicken is perfectly cooked.

Pro tip 2: Since every oven cooks slightly differently, you may need to do some adjustments to make your chicken drumsticks golden enough on top.

You can raise the rack high in the oven and turn on the top broiler for the last minute or two.

Alternatively, if the tops are cooking too quickly, you can lower the rack in the oven or cover the sheet pan with an aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes.

Step 11: Take the baking sheet out and let the chicken and veggies rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Step 12: Then garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve your high-protein, high-fiber dinner into individual plates! Enjoy!

More delicious baked chicken recipe from Flavor Quotient

Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Bake with Veggies

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

Author: Priyanka

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 2-3 Servings

Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks - 6
Zucchini - 1, medium, halved lengthwise and cut into half-moons
Red bell pepper - 1, small, diced into 1-inch pieces
Yellow bell pepper - 1, small, diced into 1-inch pieces
Cherry tomato - 1 cup, halved
Onion - 1, large, cut into wedges
Black olives - ½ cup, pitted

For Marinade:

Extra-virgin olive oil - ¼ cup
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves, grated
Dried oregano - 2 tsp
Dried thyme - 1 tsp
Dijon mustard - 1 tbsp
Paprika / red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt & pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Fresh parsley to garnish

Instructions

To prepare the marinade, take all the marinating ingredients in a mixing bowl - olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, dried oregano, dried thyme, Dijon mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Whisk them rigorously to make a smooth and uniform marinating mixture.
Now take the chicken drumsticks in a large mixing bowl and pour about ⅔ of the marinade on top. Then use your clean hands to toss the chicken in the marinade making sure they are all nicely coated on all sides.
Leave the chicken to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 220 C / 425 F and place the wire rack at the middle of the oven.
While the chicken is marinating, add all the vegetables to the sheet pan - zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and cherry tomatoes.
Drizzle the remaining marinade on top and toss them together to coat with the flavorful marinate thoroughly.
Spread out the marinated vegetables over the sheet pan in a flat uniform layer. Then carefully place the marinated chicken drumsticks on top of the veggies leaving a gap between two pieces.
You can spoon over the leftover marinating liquid over the chicken drumsticks.
Now bake the chicken and veggies in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then take the baking sheet out and sprinkle the black olives all over the pan.
Return the baking sheet back to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and the chicken drumsticks are cooked through.
Take the baking sheet out and let the chicken and veggies rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Then garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve your high-protein, high-fiber dinner into individual plates! Enjoy!

Notes

Pro tip: Since every oven cooks slightly differently, you may need to do some adjustments to make your chicken drumsticks golden enough on top. You can raise the rack high in the oven and turn on the top broiler for the last minute or two. Alternatively, if the tops are cooking too quickly, you can lower the rack in the oven or cover the sheet pan with an aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes.