If you’re looking for an easy chicken recipe for dinner, try this Balsamic Glazed Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner! It’s simple to make, healthy and will be a hit with the whole family.
The other day I opened the fridge… And closed it again. About fifteen times. The cold air kept blowing into my face with every close, which didn’t really make my situation any better: I had roughly zero clues about what to make for dinner that night.
Shocking, I know.
But the truth is… When you have a teething one year old who will. not. leave. your hips AND a three year old who, in her own words, is doing things “Mama finds not so nice”, you occasionally lose touch with reality.
Sure, I COULD have ordered pizza. Or thrown a block of cheese their way and called it a night (full disclosure: they would be all over that). But truthfully, when I’m most stressed/tired/exhausted I need nutritious food more than ever.
What we then need is a) a certain amount of self-butt-kickeritis (it’s a thing and I bet you know just how much effort it takes) and b) easy, healthy recipes everyone will eat.
Having kids has definitely taught me that kicking my own butt on an hourly basis is pretty much a necessary part of adulting, as hard as it is at times.
It has also taught me that a dinner I can throw on a sheet pan and into the oven, then forget about, is pretty much golden.
Now I have no problem coming up with creative ways to use vegetables during the summer. No I lied, I do have that, I’m getting better though.
But it can be downright hard to stay inspired with healthy choices during the winter months.
So I decided to leave out the usual winter suspects of carrots and potatoes (I have potatoes in my Sheet Pan Honey Garlic Lemon Chicken Recipe or in my Greek Lemon Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner if you prefer that) here and instead went for Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, red onions and some sliced apples.
A few words of semi-warning (which is more serious than advice but less so than a full blown warning):
My tips to make this balsamic glazed chicken sheet pan dinner foolproof:
Make sure to cut the vegetables in correlation to their respective cooking time.
I mean, cut them so they’ll cook evenly:
- You can leave the sweet potatoes on the chunkier side, as they cook quite fast when cut.
- The sprouts need to be cut into at least halves, large ones quartered.
- The apple and onion slices can and should be generous; they cook the fastest.
Do not peel the apples. The chances of them ruining your dinner by turning into a pile of mushy sadness are too big.
Season the raw veggies well, but don’t overdo it. The juices from the chicken will give additional seasoning and it’s always easier to add more seasoning in the end vs taking any away. Unless you count sobbing over an overly salted pan of expensive vegetables as one of your greatest hobbies (not that I’d know about anything like that…).
For the chicken you’ll make a maple balsamic glaze and leave it to marinate while chopping the veg. I know you could be super organised and put it into the marinade the night before, or even have it all prepped in the freezer (gasp, you enigma you) — but honestly, I’m not that kind of girl.
I’m generally a very habit driven person, and that does include my kitchen life. If I don’t put in my hour in the kitchen every night, I start slacking.
I guess I thrive under the “what’s for dinner” pressure? Either way, totally cool if you rock the meal prep train just as little as I do – that’s why you and me are internet friends, after all.
However you roll, this is a filling and nutritious meal you can make without much effort – just what you need on those days you’ve had your face in the cold, sad air exhaled by the closing door of your fridge one time too many.
Get the printable recipe here:
I first shared this recipe on FoodFanatic as Balsamic Glazed Chicken and Winter Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner.
