Loaves and Dishes: One pan chicken and veggies

Wendi Spraker

This week some friends and I were discussing eating plans, meal kit services and the amount of prep required to eat healthy and follow a basic diet plan.

Let me preface this by saying, these friends are excellent cooks in their own right. They have no problem whipping up a delicious dinner in the spur of a moment. However, one friend is seeing a nutritionist with prescribed meals and wants to have all of her meal prep for the week done on Sunday. Another friend is diabetic and trying to follow an appropriate eating plan.

Personally, I have a two phase diet plan. Firstly, I try to eat as little as possible without feeling hungry and secondly, I avoid purchasing things I can’t handle (for example, I recently found out that at 56 years old, I do not yet possess the self control required for keeping a bag of Cheetos in the house). Consequently, I won’t be purchasing any more Cheetos until I’m reasonably certain that I’ve grown up and can restrain myself well enough to avoid eating the entire bag in one sitting.

This conversation made me revisit one of my favorite recipes on my website. A one pan chicken and veggies wonder! The problem? It involves a lot of chopping and peeling in the original version. I’ve rewritten it here so that you can avoid most of the chopping and instead you can mostly dump it all in the pan, season and bake. Come back in about 35-45 mins to a delicious dinner. Isn’t that easy? (If you want to see the original version, simply Google “loaves and dishes one pan chicken.”

Like my friend who meal preps on Sunday, you can have this ready to go and in the fridge so you can pop it in the oven or you can simply spread it all out and bake it whenever you are ready. Pair it with some hearty rice and a salad for a delicious meal!

I shared this meal with friends on Sunday evening and it was a hit. I hope it will be a hit at your house too!

One Pan Chicken and Veggies

12 heads of brussel sprouts trimmed — cut in half

12 baby red potatoes — use the ones that are less than the size of a golf ball

18 baby carrots carrots.

2 Tbs vegetable oil

4 tsp Italian Seasoning

½ tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp kosher salt divided

2 tsp pepper divided

1 tsp sugar

2 tbs unsalted butter

3 ½ lbs bone in skin on chicken (we prefer thighs, but any will work)

Instructions:

Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle of the oven and preheat to 475.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with either aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with non stick spray (this part is important).

Cut the brussel sprouts in half (top to bottom) and remove the stem end. Place the brussels and the rest of the veggies on the sheet pan.

To the veggies on the sheet pan, add 2 Tbs vegetable oil and then sprinkle on 4 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, onion powder and garlic powder, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp pepper and 1 tsp sugar.

Using your hands, mix all of the spices, salt, oil and veggies together on the pan until everything is well coated

Arrange the veggies so that the brussel sprouts are in the middle with the cut side down. This part is very important or the brussels want to disintegrate.

Dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel and lay them in the center of the baking sheet on top of the brussel sprouts with the skin side up and sprinkle the chicken evenly with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.

Melt the butter in a coffee mug in the microwave. Once melted.

Using a Bar-B-Que brush, paint the chicken skins liberally with the butter mixture. If you have any left over, just pour it into the baking sheet pan. Then sprinkle the chicken skin with salt and pepper.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake at 475 for about 35 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken is cooked through. Dark meat should register 175. Breasts 160. When correct temp is reached, remove from the oven, transfer the chicken only to a serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil and rest for 5-10 minutes. When ready to serve, transfer the veggies to the platter with the chicken and toss the veggies in the pan juices.

Chance of Rain: 4%

Sunrise: 06:51:50 AM

Sunset: 07:51 PM

Humidity: 70%

Wind: NE @ 4 mph

UV Index: 0 Low

Clear skies. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.

Chance of Rain: 4%

Sunrise: 06:52:37 AM

Sunset: 07:49:36 PM

Humidity: 58%

Wind: NE @ 6 mph

UV Index: 9 Very High

Partly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.

Chance of Rain: 7%

Sunrise: 06:53:25 AM

Sunset: 07:48:11 PM

Humidity: 64%

Wind: ENE @ 3 mph

UV Index: 9 Very High

Clear skies. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.

Chance of Rain: 8%

Sunrise: 06:54:12 AM

Sunset: 07:46:46 PM

Humidity: 63%

Wind: N @ 3 mph

UV Index: 9 Very High

Clear. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.

Chance of Rain: 6%

Sunrise: 06:54:59 AM

Sunset: 07:45:21 PM

Humidity: 58%

Wind: NNW @ 4 mph

UV Index: 9 Very High

Clear skies. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.

Chance of Rain: 5%

Sunrise: 06:55:47 AM

Sunset: 07:43:55 PM

Humidity: 57%

Wind: NNE @ 4 mph

UV Index: 9 Very High

A mostly clear sky. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.

Chance of Rain: 6%

Sunrise: 06:56:34 AM

Sunset: 07:42:28 PM

Humidity: 64%

Wind: NE @ 4 mph

UV Index: 8 Very High

Partly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.