Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken and Vegetables

Name: Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken and Vegetables
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1.5 lb chicken breast; 4 cups sweet potatoes (peeled, raw, diced (about 2 medium to large sweet potatoes)); 2 cups red onion (diced); 1 lb broccolini (or broccoli); 1 tsp olive oil; 2 tbsp BBQ sauce (I use Stubbs); 1 tbsp honey; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp coriander; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp brown sugar

May 10, 2021 By Steph 23 Comments

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One of the easiest, hassle-free methods of cooking is roasting everything on a sheet pan. Sheet pan meals are easy to throw together, versatile, and quick to clean up. This sheet pan BBQ chicken and vegetables features flavorful, moist chicken breast, diced sweet potatoes, sweet red onion, and broccolini. Combined with a smoky spice mixture and tangy barbeque sauce, this easy sheet pan meal is anything but boring.

What’s better (and easier) than a sheet pan meal?

Really, nothing! Ok, maybe the crockpot is easier than a sheet pan meal, but a sheet pan meal is definitely a close second. When the weeknights are busy, a sheet pan meal is your best friend. I have gotten a lot of requests lately for sheet pan meals, because as the Spring rolls around and the world starts to open up again, everyone is getting busy with sports and after school activities.

Even though I love to cook, there’s nothing I enjoy more than an easy, nutritious meal. This meal has it all, built on one sheet pan: protein (chicken), starch (sweet potatoes), veggies (broccolini and red onion) and most importantly, lots of flavor.

Building a good sheet pan meal

I think there is a common misconception about sheet pan meals, that everything has to cook at once. That’s simply not true. In fact, it’s definitely not recommended if you are using things that take longer to cook, like potatoes.

So although everything ultimately cooks on the same sheet pan, they are done in piece meal, because no one wants overcooked chicken, or undercooked potatoes.

For this recipe, the potatoes get a head start in the oven for a good 15 minutes before the other ingredients join the party. So they start out spread out on the sheet pan, and then they get scooted over to make room for the other ingredients.

Other components to a good sheet pan meal: flavorful seasoning, interesting textures and flavor combinations. Let’s face it, roasted chicken and vegetables can be quite boring, if they’re not getting some help from lots of good seasonings.

What you’ll need to make sheet pan BBQ chicken and vegetables

chicken breast (full, not thin sliced)
sweet potatoes
red onion
broccolini (this is also called baby broccoli): broccolini is like a hybrid vegetable, and to me, it’s a cross between broccoli rabe and broccoli; I absolutely love it!
- if you can’t find broccolini, broccoli is fine
olive oil
olive oil spray
naturally low sugar BBQ sauce (like Stubbs original)
- I like using this BBQ sauce because it is very low calorie and low sugar, naturally. It does not contain any artificial sweeteners or sugar replacements, so if I want to make it sweet myself, I add honey (which is what I do for this recipe!)
honey
paprika
onion powder
garlic powder
coriander
brown sugar
kosher salt

How to make sheet pan BBQ chicken and vegetables

To make this recipe, start out by preheating the oven to 425F.

While the oven is preheating, it’s the perfect time to prep your vegetables and other ingredients (you can also do this the night before or morning of, to make your dinner prep even easier).

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Wash and trim the broccolini (you’ll want to trim off the woody edges). Dice the red onion.

In a small bowl, combine the spice rub ingredients. One tablespoon of this mixture will go onto the sweet potatoes, and the rest will coat the chicken later on.

Cooking the sweet potatoes first

Toss the diced sweet potatoes in the olive oil, and then in 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture.

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. This will make for easier clean up later on, and it helps prevent the ingredients from sticking to the sheet pan. Spray the parchment paper or foil with olive oil spray, and then add the sweet potatoes. Roast for 15 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are getting a head start on cooking in the oven, slice the chicken into 8 pieces. You can use the rest of the spice mixture to season the chicken, and use your hands to massage it into the meat. Also, take this time to combine the BBQ sauce with the honey.

Cooking the other vegetables and the chicken

After 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven. Scoot the potatoes to one side of the sheet pan, spray the sheet pan with olive oil spray, and then add your other ingredients. Spray the vegetables with more olive oil spray, and add a pinch of salt to the broccolini and the onions.

Return the sheet pan to the oven, and roast for another 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the sheet pan once more. Take this time to toss the vegetables (to ensure even cooking and no burning or sticking) and brush the BBQ sauce and honey mixture onto the chicken. Return the sheet pan to the oven for another 10 minutes.

At this point, the vegetables will be cooked to perfection, and the chicken will be cooked thoroughly, and tender.