Stressless Sheet Pan Meals

Would you rather be outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather than spending time in the kitchen? Want a quick and delicious dinner without much clean up? A sheet pan meal may be the stress-free answer to your dinner dilemma. Sheet pan meals cook your meat and vegetables in the oven on the same pan at the same time. Use foil or parchment paper to cover your pan to eliminate extra scrubbing. Just throw the cover away when you are finished. 

This versatile stressless cooking method works whether you are cooking for a few or a large group. One of my favorites is Simple Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables. If you are just cooking for one or two, the amount of each ingredient for the recipe can be reduced. However, the chicken and vegetables reheat well and are delicious when added to a salad or as ingredients in a soup or other dish. So why not cook some extra while your oven is hot? For best quality and safety, refrigerate leftovers and eat within three to four days. 

Recipes are only guides. Be creative. Use the vegetables you have on hand, what is in season or on sale, or purchase what you and your family will most enjoy. The possibilities of meat, vegetables, and seasoning combinations are endless. Strive to use vegetables of lots of different colors for the most attractive and nutritious plate. Just remember to cut them into similar size pieces and to give firm vegetables, which take the longest to cook, a head start in the oven. While they begin cooking, you will have time to get the rest of the meal prepped. 

There are several ingredients in Simple Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables, but don’t let that be discouraging. You are getting your whole meal in this one easy recipe with very few dishes to wash. The delicious taste and extra-fast clean up make up for the prep time. 

Simple Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste), divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 broccoli head (about 2 cups of florets and stems)
• 1 red or orange bell pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 zucchini squash
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 medium lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. To make cleanup easy, cover with foil a large baking sheet that has at least a 1-inch edge.
2. Scrub and peel sweet potato. (A vegetable peeler makes this job much easier). Cut potato in half lengthwise. Place the flat edge of the potato on the cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces, always working with the flat side down. 
   
3. Place the sweet potato in a large bowl or plastic bag. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat and then spread into a single layer on the baking sheet. (No need to wash the bowl or throw the bag away just yet. It can be reused to mix the oil and seasonings for other vegetables). Bake for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potato pieces are just beginning to soften on the outside but are still too firm to eat. 
4. Wash remaining vegetables and cut into bite-size pieces. It works well to cut the squash into half-inch slices and then cut each slice in half, making half-circle pieces. 
5. In the bowl that you used previously for the sweet potato, add the broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash. 
6. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. To save time and clean up, ask at the grocery store or meat market if they can cut it for you. Add to the vegetable bag or bowl.
7. Drizzle mixture with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the lemon juice, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat. 
8. Transfer the chicken and vegetable mixture to the sheet pan with the sweet potato. Use a spatula to stir the sweet potato and to spread everything into a fairly even layer.
9. Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, or until the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees and the vegetables are tender. Top with Parmesan cheese. 

Note: Due to the liquid that cooks from the chicken and vegetables, the vegetables will not be crisp like roasted vegetables, but they are still delicious.