Juicy chicken thighs meet ratatouille-style veggies in this sheet pan wonder! Perfectly roasted and bursting with flavor, this show-stopping and delicious one-pan meal will be your new weeknight favorite!
Ratatouille + Chicken Thighs = Perfection!
Get ready to level up your busy weeknight dinner game with this mouthwatering gluten-free sheet pan supper of chicken and veggies! I’m all about quick, delicious, and no-fuss meals, and this recipe ticks all the boxes. Think juicy, crispy-skinned chicken thighs that are perfectly cooked alongside a medley of roasted summer veggies—eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and summer squash—all seasoned to perfection with fresh herbs, garlic, and onions.
The perfect back to school sheet pan dinner!
Inspired by the flavors of ratatouille—you know, the featured French vegetable dish in the Pixar classic!—this dish consists of end-of-summer vegetables roasted melt-in-your-mouth tender and perfectly paired with roasted chicken—all in one pan. And the best part? The cooking time works beautifully for this sheet pan chicken recipe; just set your timer once and your chicken thighs and veggies will both be roasted to perfection, every single time. Trust me: you’ll be hooked!
Pro tips for the best ratatouille-inspired sheet pan chicken dinner
- Make sure you slice the veggies thinly! This way, the veggies will roast evenly and turn meltingly tender in the oven. If you don’t have a sharp knife (or need to bone up on your knife skills), use a mandolin slicer or the slicing blade on your food processor to help you out!
- Season each layer! To make sure the ratatouille vegetables are well-seasoned, make sure to sprinkle Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt + pepper) on each layer of veggie slices. No one likes bland veggies.
- Don’t skimp on the extra virgin olive oil! You only need a thin layer of oil on the pan itself, but I like to drizzle about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil atop the vegetables before roasting. This extra oil helps with the flavor and proper roasting of the veggies without making ’em too greasy.
Meal prep tips
You can assemble this sheet pan supper up to a day ahead and refrigerate it, covered with plastic wrap, until you’re ready to cook.
Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken thighs: I love bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because you can just season and toss them on the sheet pan without cutting them into bite-size pieces. I don’t recommend substituting boneless and skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless and skinless) because the veggies will still take about 45 minutes in the oven to get meltingly tender. If you decide to go against my advice, you’ll have remove the boneless chicken thighs or breasts from the sheet pan as soon as they’re cooked through (about 20 minutes) and continue roasting the veggies in the oven until they’re done. (Extra steps are a pain in the butt, so just do what I tell you, people!)
- Magic Mushroom Powder Seasoning: My OG umami-seasoning blend really takes this recipe over the top and makes the chicken and veggies super flavorful without any extra work. (Psst! Magic Mushroom Powder is now available from Amazon and iHerb!) No MMP? I’ve tested this recipe with just Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning and this sheet pan dinner still comes out great! [But if you use a different, finer grain salt (e.g., Morton’s kosher salt), remember to decrease the amount of salt you use.]
- Eggplant: Just about any type of eggplant will work, but try not to use a large Italian one because they contain a lot of seeds. Slice the eggplant crosswise into thin slices that are a little less than ¼-inch thick and make sure they’re the bottom-most layer in your vegetable stack so they’ll be sure to cook through.
- Tomatoes: Use Roma tomatoes or another meaty tomato. Don’t wanna slice tomatoes? Just toss on some cherry tomatoes instead! Or leave them out if you don’t like tomatoes.
- Summer squash and zucchini: Eat the rainbow—use one of each so your roasted veggies are more colorful! Or just use one if you’re feeling lazy / boring.
- Orange, yellow, or red bell pepper: Choose any color bell pepper you want!
- Onion: Any color onion will work, so I normally choose whatever half onion is languishing in my fridge (usually a yellow, white, or red onion). The key is to slice the onion super thin so they melt into the roasted vegetables.
- Garlic: I thinly slice the cloves instead of mincing them so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Fresh herbs: I season the ratatouille with minced fresh basil and thyme and then top the finished roasted vegetables with minced fresh Italian parsley for a pop of green and freshness. If you want to use dried basil and thyme, make sure to decrease the amount as stated in the recipe card below.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use EVOO for coating the baking sheet and drizzling over the ratatouille vegetables.
- Aged balsamic vinegar: For a pop of sweetness and tang, I drizzle aged balsamic vinegar on top of the roasted veggies at the end. Feel free to substitute fresh lemon juice, sherry vinegar, or your favorite acid.
How to make sheet pan ratatouille chicken and veggies
Heat oven to 400°F convection or 425°F conventional with rack in the middle.
While the oven is heating up, grab your veggies and a sharp knife…
…or a mandolin to thinly slice your veggies.
Drizzle a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil (~1 tablespoon) on the sheet pan and use a brush to evenly distribute it on the surface.
Season the chicken thighs all over with Magic Mushroom Powder (or Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper).
Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in a single layer on one side of the greased sheet pan.
Time to layer the vegetables! First, tile the eggplant in a single layer on the sheet pan next to the chicken thighs.
Next, sprinkle half the sliced onions on top of the eggplant slices.
Season the eggplant and onions with some Magic Mushroom Powder (or Diamond Crystal kosher salt and black pepper). Add the layer of tomato slices on top of the eggplant and onions. Then, sprinkle on the remaining sliced onions and scatter on the garlic slices.
Next, scatter half of the minced basil and thyme on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle on some more Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt and pepper).
For the final layer of vegetables, alternate rows of yellow squash slices, zucchini slices, and bell pepper slices. Repeat until the top is fully covered with the yellow, green, and orange veggies.
Season the top of the vegetables one last time with Magic Mushroom Powder (or Diamond Crystal kosher salt and black pepper), scatter on the remaining minced basil and thyme, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil evenly over the vegetables.
Pop the sheet pan into the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes.
At the 30 minute mark, flip the chicken skin-side up and rotate the pan 180°.
Continue roasting the sheet pan for 15 to 20 more minutes or until the chicken thigh is fully cooked (use an instant read thermometer to check that the thickest part of the meat has reached 175°F).
The chicken skin on the thighs should be nicely browned and the roasted vegetables should be fork tender.
Drizzle balsamic vinegar and garnish minced Italian parsley over the top of the roasted vegetables before serving.
Dish up the chicken and the vegetables into a bowl and enjoy!
How to save leftovers
If you have any leftover sheet pan chicken and veggies, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I usually toss my leftovers into an Anyday glass container and pop them in the microwave when I want to reheat and eat!
More chicken sheet pan meals
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
Heat oven to 400°F convection or 425°F conventional with rack in the middle.
Drizzle a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil (~1 tablespoon) on the sheet pan and use a brush to evenly distribute it on the surface.
Season the chicken thighs all over with 1½ teaspoons Magic Mushroom Powder (or with 1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper). Place the chicken thighs, skin-side down, on one side of the greased sheet pan.
Time to layer the vegetables! First, tile the eggplant in a single layer on the sheet pan next to the chicken thighs.
Next, sprinkle half the sliced onions on top of the eggplant slices. Season the eggplant and onions with ¼ teaspoon Magic Mushroom Powder (or Diamond Crystal kosher salt + ⅛ teaspoon black pepper).
Add the layer of tomato slices on top of the eggplant and onions. Then, sprinkle on the remaining sliced onions and scatter on the garlic slices.
Next, scatter half of the minced basil and thyme on top of the vegetables. Season with ¼ teaspoon Magic Mushroom Powder (or Diamond Crystal kosher salt + ⅛ teaspoon black pepper).
For the final layer of vegetables, alternate rows of yellow squash slices, zucchini slices, and bell pepper slices. Repeat until the top is fully covered with the yellow, green, and orange veggies.
Season the top of the vegetables one last time with ¼ teaspoon of Magic Mushroom Powder (or ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper), scatter on the remaining minced basil and thyme, and drizzle 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil evenly over the vegetables.
Pop the sheet pan into the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, flip the chicken skin-side up and rotate the tray 180° to ensure even cooking.
Continue roasting the sheet pan for 15 to 20 more minutes or until the chicken thigh is fully cooked, (use an instant read thermometer to check that the thickest part of the meat has reached 175°F) and the chicken skin is nicely browned. The vegetables should be fork tender and ready to eat.
Drizzle balsamic vinegar on top of the roasted vegetables and scatter minced Italian parsley on top. Enjoy!
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- Make sure you slice the veggies thinly! This way, the veggies will roast evenly and turn meltingly tender in the oven. If you don’t have a sharp knife (or need to bone up on your knife skills), use a mandolin slicer or the slicing blade on your food processor to help you out!
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- Season each layer! To make sure the ratatouille vegetables are well-seasoned, make sure to sprinkle Magic Mushroom Powder (or salt + pepper) on each layer of veggie slices. No one likes bland veggies.
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- Don’t skimp on the extra virgin olive oil! You only need a thin layer of oil on the pan itself, but I like to drizzle about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil atop the vegetables before roasting. This extra oil helps with the flavor and proper roasting of the veggies without making ’em too greasy.
Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 39g | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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