Sheet pan chicken thighs and veggies are so easy to throw together, bake, and enjoy with your family. A healthy meal with tons of flavor for the win.
Sheet pan chicken and veggies are the bomb! We added brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and onion to ours and even my kids loved it. With a little seasoning and a bit of time in the oven you’ll have crispy chicken in no time. (affiliate links present)
- This is a really cheap dinner meal! Healthy too!
You can choose whichever chicken and vegetables you’d like. The trick is choosing veggies is to choose those that cook tender at about the same time. Meaning I wouldn’t choose broccoli and brussels because the latter takes a whole lot longer in the oven to get soft. The other would be mush when it’s done.
Are chicken thighs bad for you you might ask?
Both chicken thighs and breasts are good sources of lean protein. They do differ in the amount of calories, fat and saturated fat though.
- The same amount of dark chicken meat without the skin would provide three times the amount of fat vs. breasts. It still isn’t much though.
- If you’re looking for a tender, cheap cut this is it. Coming in at less than half as expensive typically, I feel chicken thighs are not given the appreciation they deserve.
- I use them often in recipes over and above breasts because they’re so inexpensive and don’t come out dry at all.
Our Instant Pot chicken thighs are a great example of this.
What is the best chicken marinade? That depends on whom you ask really. We just made one with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and 2 other ingredients. You could use a bottled sauce of your choice really. The possibilities for this are endless.
Are chicken thighs dark meat?
YES! Chicken breasts are the white meat, whereas thighs have a darker appearance. The texture of the meat is quite different as well. If you’ve eaten turkey legs, and pieces of breast at Thanksgiving you’d be familiar with the difference.
Both are relatively lean cuts commonly found in your local supermarket. Pieces with the skin, typically drumsticks and wings, have higher fat content.
- Baked chicken thighs are healthier than fried of course. We make air fryer chicken thighs quite often and that is a good method as well. Using hot air instead of oil the fat drains away from the meat in the cooking process.
What vegetables go good with chicken?
If cooking them together like these sheet pan chicken thighs you’ll have to choose carefully.
Sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and red onion work great with this particular easy dinner recipe. If cooking them separately I might choose a head of broccoli, spinach, or try jicama for a change.
- These veggies are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber but offer a minimal number of calories.
This is what you’ll need for this sheet pan meal:
- Chicken thighs
- this is how to cook frozen chicken thighs if you forgot to defrost them
- Veggies
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Honey
- Salt and pepper
- Thyme
- Baking sheet
Follow these basic steps to make this easy baked chicken thighs my family loves.
- In a bowl mix together honey, vinegar, thyme and olive oil. Pour this into a gallon freezer bag with your meat.
- Lay flat in your fridge for at least 2 hours to marinate.
- When done preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare vegetables and put into a bowl with last 2 tbsp of olive oil + salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat.
- Pour these on a sheet pan.
- On another sheet pan put thighs with skin side up on top
- Bake until roasted chicken pieces are crispy on top and veggies are tender, around 50 minutes total cooking time.
Can squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top and enjoy! If you love this recipe try our Instant Pot honey mustard chicken too!
If you love this sheet pan chicken dinner ideas, try these others too!
Wanna make another favorite sheet pan dinner? Try our sheet pan turkey for the holidays!
I swear once you try it this way that takes just about an hour it just might change your life. Ok, maybe just change the way you cook a bird from now on.
- We’ve made sheet pan fajitas that were fantastic, even my girls loved them.
- Steak and veggies on a sheet pan would be a great choice too some night.
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 c olive oil + 2 tbsp.
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled, halved, sliced into 1" pieces
- 1 lb brussel sprouts cleaned, trimmed, cut in half
- 1 red onion peeled, cut into 8 equal sections
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together vinegar, olive oil, honey and thyme. Mix well.
- Pour mixture into a gallon size freezer bags. Put chicken thighs into bag. Zip closed and move around so chicken is coated. Then lay flat and put in fridge for at least 2 hours to marinate.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare veggies as stated above.
- Prepare 2 large sheet pans with foil lined on top for easier clean up. Spray each with non stick spray or use non stick foil.
- Put veggies in a bowl and drizzle with last 2 tbsp of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste, toss to coat.
- Put vegetables on a sheet pan. Remove chicken from marinade and place on 2nd sheet pan.
- Cook for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are roasted to your desired tenderness.
- Serve some from each pan on a plate and enjoy.
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