If you need something fresh for family dinner or weekly meal prep this Sheet Pan Balsamic Glazed Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad is a winner, winner chicken dinner.
Sheet pan dinners are a great weekly menu staple because they cut down on clean up. I line my sheet pan with foil and fully cover the sides, and then lay a piece of parchment paper down to prevent the food from sticking. When the meal is done, simply remove the paper and foil and toss in the trash.
Staying organized makes easy meals easier.
When I make dinner or any meal really, I try to think about the best use of my time and space. I had to do this a lot when I catered large meals. I start every morning of a catering job by putting together an action plan. A few simple questions help me put the whole day in order. What can be made early and set aside? What items can be prepared together to reduce time cleaning up in between? Finally, what makes the most mess or requires the most care to prevent contamination. I make the same judgments before preparing a home meal to be as efficient as possible. Preparing dinner for 200 and preparing dinner with a 4 and 2 year old underfoot takes roughly the same amount of energy and mental preparation.
What can be done ahead?
I start this meal by prepping the lettuce. This is the make ahead portion. If the lettuce is washed, cut, and put in the fridge it will have time to crisp up and chill out until dinner is served. I also line the sheet pan and preheat the oven to 375*.
What can be done together?
The second step is processing all of my vegetables for roasting. In a large bowl or colander, rinse your vegetables in turn. Think about how they should be cut so that they cook in the same amount of time.
I start with my onion because it doesn’t need to be washed. Remove the skin and slice into quarter inch thick rings or half moons. Next, rinse the brussel sprouts, remove the bottoms and any mared leaves, then cut in half. Rinse the eggplant and dice half of it into 1” cubes. Wipe the portobello mushrooms and slice them in ¼” slices. Wash the red bell pepper, remove the seeds and ribs, and slice long ways into ¼” slices. Lay all of the vegetables in the pan as you go to clear the cutting board and make space for the next item.
Before moving on mince parsley and garlic for my marinade/salad dressing and mix all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.
I chose to lay the pepper slices in the middle of the sheet pan to be a bed for my chicken breast tenders. I elevate the chicken in the pan in a way that allows heat to circulate around it for an even cook. The sliced peppers make a nice makeshift grill pan. They also produce moisture while they cook, and keep the chicken from drying out.
Cleaned and chopped vegetables layer out over the sheet pan in near sections.
What takes the most care?
Chicken is the obvious answer to this question. Preparation is actually very simple because I used chicken breast tenders that came cut to size. Handling is just a matter of unpackaging and placing on top of the bell peppers. I drizzled 2/3rds of the marinade over the top of the chicken and everything else. Then I use my hand to mix each item and spread the marinade evenly over everything. Even though I didn’t have to cut the chicken, I still take time after handling it to wash my hands and sanitize my cutting board and work area.
Pan with chicken and vegetables layed out for roasting and coated in balsamic marinade.
Once this is done, just pop your sheet pan in the preheated oven for 20 minute. I turn the broiler on low for three to five minutes to help brown the chicken and help the sugars in the balsamic marinade turn into a nice glaze.
Sheet Pan Balsamic Glazed Chicken and Roasted Vegetables
Don’t forget about your lettuce! Once your balsamic glazed chicken and roasted vegetables are fully cooked, remove them from the oven and serve over a bed of dressed lettuce. Use the remaining marinade as your salad dressing.
Alternative Preparations
My girls don’t really eat lettuce yet, so I make a side of rice to go with the chicken and vegetables. You could also make a side of brown rice or quinoa to make up your meal prep containers for the week.
“The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.” – Martina Navratilova
Balsamic Glazed Chicken And Roasted Vegetable Salad
Ingredients
Balsamic Marinade
- 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley Sub 3 tbsp dry
- 2 Cloves garlic Minced Find
- 1 Tbsp Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tsp Course Black Pepper
- 1/2 Tsp Paprika
Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner
- 1.25 Lbs Chicken Breast Tenders
- 2 Cups Brussel Sprouts
- 2 Portobello Mushrooms
- 1 Small Yellow onion
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1/2 Globe Eggplant
Instructions
- Start by thoroughly cleaning the lettuce. Remove the butt end and placr lettuce in a large bowl of ice water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. The dirt will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Take out and pat dry with a clean towel. Cut into bite size pieces. Place in a bowl and cover with a paper towel. Refigerate until the meal is ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 375 and line a sheet pan with foil and parchment paper. Cover the entire pan with foil and wrap foil around the edges. Lay a piece of parchment along the inside to prevent sticking.
- Process your vegetables and lay them in the sheet pan. Leave space down the center for your pepper and chicken. I begin with the onion because it doesn’t need to be washed. Peel and slice into 1/4” slices.
- Wash the Brussels sprouts and remove the ends and any damaged leaves. Cut in half or quarters if they are very large.
- Rinse the eggplant and cut half o it into 1” cubes.
- Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Remove the stems and cut into 1/4” strips.
- Wash the red bell pepper. Remove the stem, seeds, and ribs. Slice into 1/4” slices. Lay the pepper down the center of the pan to act as a makeshift grill pan.
- Rinse your parsley leaves and pat dry. Roll the leaves into a tight ball on the cutting board and work the knife through the bundle back and forth until you have a fine mince. Peel and mince garlic. In a small bowl mix parsley, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and spices together.
- Remove chicken from package and lay it on top of the red bell pepper strips.
- Drizzle 2/3rds of the marinade over the top of the chicken and vegetables. Using your hand or tongs gently toss the vegetables and chicken to get an even coating of marinade all around.
- Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn the broiler on low and let the chicken brown for 3-5 minutes. This will help the sugars in the balsamic to turn into a glaze.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Serve chicken and vegetables atop crisped lettuce dressed with the remainder of the marinade/dressing.
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