Fall is my favorite season for so many things. It’s my favorite time of year to be outside with beautiful colors and crisp temperatures. It’s also my favorite holiday season (Halloween/Thanksgiving) and it’s my favorite time of year to be in the kitchen! This Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner is a wonderful way to get dinner on the table this time of the year.
The weather is starting to change finally here in Denver and I thought I’d kick off the fall cooking season with this easy Autumn Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner with sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts.
It’s a full meal on its own, but you could also serve it with rice or something if you wanted to make it even heartier. The vegetables are the real star here, believe it or not. They get slightly caramelized and are so delicious.
Ingredients for this sheet pan dinner
Here are the basic ingredients for this sheet pan dinner.
- Chicken breast -I like to use chicken breasts for this dinner because the cooked chicken is easy to slice and serve. See the substitutions below for otherideas though.
- Sweet potatotoes – These act as a carb or starch for the dish, but I also love the tiny sweetness they give to the dish.
- Brussels Sprouts. I just love crispy, roasted brussels sprouts, especially in the fall.
- Peppers – I used a yellow pepper but any color works well.
- Leeks – Sliced leeks work great to add some sweet onion flavor to the dish.
- Rosemary – All around great fall herb to use on roasting dishes like this.
Tips for making a great sheet pan dinner
Here are a few tips to make sure you nail this dish.
- Use a sturdy sheet pan that has higher edges on it. Some sheet pans can be flimsy and this dish ends up having some weight to it.
- Make sure to season the vegetables really well before spreading them out on the baking sheet. Try to get them in an even layer so they bake evenly.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking and make for easier clean up.
- Depending on the ingredients you are using, you might have to add ingredients in phases to make sure nothing is overcooked. If you use my ingredients, everything cooks at about the same time.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken. Don’t overcook it or it will dry out. You are shooting for 165˚F in the thickest part of the chicken breast.
- Serve the sheet pan dinner over rice and feel free to add any sauce you like this awesome green sauce!
How long to bake this chicken dinner
I don’t like to give super solid baking times for recipes like this because the truth is that it can vary greatly depending on your exact ingredients and the sheet pan you are using, and your oven!
More important than time is temperature. Make sure your chicken is cooked through and hits at least 165˚F in the thickest part of the breast. Also, ensure that your vegetables are tender and caramelized in parts.
All of that said, at 400˚F you will probably need to bake this sheet pan for around 30-35 minutes.
Substitutions and ideas
This is an incredibly flexible recipe. Here are a few ideas for you!
- Chicken Thighs – I prefer chicken breasts for dishes like this, but chicken thighs work equally well. You could use bone-in or bone-out thighs.
- Load up on vegetables. Root vegetables like carrots, golden beets, or parsnips would go great on this sheet pan.
- Add green vegetables like green beans, zucchini, or broccoli about halfway through the baking process as they need less time to cook.
- Sprinkle the sheet pan with parmesan cheese to create a parmesan crust on the sheet pan!
Instructions for this Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
Like I said, for me this sheet pan dinner is all about the veggies. I used a mix of sweet potatoes, yellow peppers, brussels sprouts, and leeks.
Keep the veggies in pretty big chunks so they don’t get too soggy while they roast. I just halve the sprouts and cut the potatoes into about 3/4-inch cubes.
Toss everything with a good glug of olive oil (officially a few tablespoons) and big pinches of salt, pepper, and a little seasoned salt.
The seasoned salt is kind of my secret weapon in this sheet pan dinner. It brings everything together and rounds out the flavors. Use it liberally.
Before baking, nestle in a few chicken breasts along with some aromatics like garlic and rosemary.
The cooking part is the easiest part. Stick it in a 400 degrees F. oven for about 30-35 minutes. Don’t stir anything or worry about it.
The only thing you need to check on the sheet pan is the chicken. Rather than cutting into it, I’d recommend using a meat thermometer to test for doneness. It should register 165 degrees F. in the thickest part of the chicken.
Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. It should be super juicy and delicious.
Betsy and I loved this dinner but I was also surprised at how much my kiddos loved it. Believe it or not, I even got Theo to try some Brussels Sprouts by teaching him how to peel off the leaves and eat them. Make it a game and it works, right?!
Not much more to this recipe. It’s a simple one, but definitely a keeper and a great way to ring in chilly temps.
Storing and reheating the chicken for later
For busy weeknights, this might be too much of a lift, but you can definitely make it in advance. In fact, if you have room, you can store the entire dinner on the sheet pan in the fridge and then just warm it up for a few minutes in the oven.
The finished sheet pan dinner will store fine in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Fall Veggie Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1 large sweet potato
- 10-12 brussels sprouts
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and cube sweet potato, cut brussels sprouts in half, and chop pepper and leek. Toss everything with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and half of the black pepper.
- Spread out veggies on a lightly oiled sheet pan.
- Nestle two large chicken breasts in the veggies. Drizzle with extra oil and season the chicken well with extra seasoned salt, kosher salt, and pepper on both sides. Also add in garlic cloves and rosemary for aromatics.
- Bake sheet pan for 30-35 minutes until chicken is cooked through and reaches 165 degrees F. in the thickest part and the veggies are soft and blistered in parts. You don’t need to stir the veggies during baking. Just let them go.
- Slice the chicken and serve with the veggies.
Nutrition
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Other sheet pan dinners
Sheet pan dinners are something any busy home cook should learn to love. For some alternative sheet pan meals, check out this chicken sheet pan supper with yogurt sauce or this Tandoori sheet pan chicken dinner.
Sick of chicken? This sheet pan salmon recipe is in constant rotation at our house and this sheet pan sweet potato hash is a great fall brunch dish! Or for something completely different, check out my Sheet Pan English Breakfast I made for Simply Recipes!
Emily
I’m just learning to like brussel sprouts I always found them really bitter but the rest of my family really loves them. I’ll need to try this out soon!
Michelle
I just came back from a long work trip and I was looking for something super easy to make… but with veggies. (Not a lot of veggies happening when I travel unfortunately!) This recipe popped up and it’s perfect!
Matt
The brussel sprouts are finally, well, sprouting from my garden. Over in Michigan, the weather has been so warm that the plant just keeps growing, waiting for cold weather to start creating the vegetables. I am going to make this once I can harvest a couple dozen. What a great, easy meal. And I have tons of seasoned salt I never use, so glad to put that to use, too.