So yesterday Parks started preschool y'all...I mean it's only two days a week, but it was still a huge day for him (and me) if I am being honest!  I was full of mixed emotions as I dropped him off for his first day and you know what, he did great!  The day ended up flying by for me and it was one of those days where dinner needed to be simple and fast!  My easy chicken and veggie sheet pan dinner came to the rescue and is a regular around our house for just that reason!

I recently came to love sheet pan dinners about a year ago and couldn't believe I had not been making them all along!  They are literally the easiest meal to prepare but also the clean up is a breeze too!  I do not like doing dishes at all, especially after a busy day, so anytime I can cut the amount of dishes I have to do down, I am all about it.  I line my sheet pan with parchment paper so that after dinner is over, I simply toss the parchment paper and clean up is complete!  Doesn't get any easier than that!

My chicken and veggie sheet pan dinner is so great because you can swap out whatever vegetables you have on hand as long as they can be roasted for a good amount of time, so I like to stick with root vegetables and ones like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts.  Other than that, there are no rules when it comes to what you can put on your sheet pan to create new varieties of this meal every week!  

I make this dinner at least every other week because it is just that good guys.  I love using chicken thighs for the flavor, but you can use a whole chicken cut up, or even breasts if you prefer!  I have also done a chicken sausage and vegetable sheet pan meal before that turned out great!  You can really great creative with your protein and your vegetables here to keep reinventing the wheel over and over and that is what I love the most!

I prep the ingredients, toss them into the oven, and then Parks and I will go play while it cooks away and then dinner is done without me doing anything else to it!  It truly doesn't get any easier than this and I think you are going to love adding this dish into your weekly rotation of easy meals!  

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Chicken Thighs

• 10 Whole Carrots, Peeled and Ends Removed

• 1 1/2 Cup of Baby Tri-Color Potatoes (can sub any other potato too including sweet potatoes)

• 1 Onion

• 1 Tbsp. Avocado Oil

• 1 1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt

• 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves (can sub dried thyme)

• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Cut potatoes in half and slice the thicker carrots in half lengthwise, and chop the onion into 1 inch pieces so that they all cook evenly.

• Place all of the vegetables onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and toss with avocado oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and then toss to coat evenly.

• Season both sides of the chicken thighs with the rest of the salt and pepper.

• Wedge the chicken thighs in between the vegetables so that all of the ingredients have plenty of room. Be careful not to crowd the pan.

• Sprinkle thyme leaves on top of the chicken and bake for 35-45 minutes until the chicken skin is crispy and the vegetables are nice and caramelized.

• For the last two minutes of cooking, take the pan out of the oven and brush maple syrup over the chicken skins.

• Place back into the oven on low broil for 2 minutes keeping a careful watch so it doesn't burn and then remove from the oven.

• Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then serve immediately.

Note:  This recipe can be done with boneless and skinless chicken as well, but I love the flavor that the skin-on chicken gives the dish!  

Sometimes simple meals are the best and that is such a true statement with this recipe!  You are going to love how a few simple ingredients can taste so amazing!