What To Consider When Choosing Veggies To Roast With Sheet Pan Chicken

There's nothing better than a sheet pan dinner — who doesn't love an easy cleanup? However, as much as we'd like to just throw the veggies we're craving onto the pan, next to the chicken, we have to consider cooking times so that one ingredient doesn't cook way faster than the other and we end up with burnt veggies or dry, overcooked chicken.

With this in mind, it's a good idea to know chicken cooking times. Typically, boneless chicken breasts take about 20 to 30 minutes, while bone-in chicken breasts take 35 to 40 minutes, both at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, chicken thighs — whether they're boneless and skinless or bone-in and skin-on — take about 30-40 minutes at a temperature between 375 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When you know these times and temperatures, you can use that as a jumping-off point for when choosing veggies for the sheet pan dinner.

Luckily, most vegetables can be oven-roasted at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. However, some veggies take less than 20 minutes — such as sliced bell pepper, zucchini, onion slices, and summer squash — so you'll want to avoid those unless you want to add them halfway through, using a second baking sheet (although that would defeat the purpose of a one-pan sheet dinner). Rather, it's best to opt for heartier veggies for your sheet pan chicken dinner.

Now that we know the cook time for chicken, let's talk about vegetable cook times — specifically, the cook times of veggies that will pair well with sheet pan chicken. For those thighs let's focus on veggies that take between 30 and 40 minutes, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. Or, if you're going with a boneless chicken breast, veggies that take between 20 and 30 minutes include carrots, eggplant, cauliflower, and broccoli.

Now that you know which veggies pair well with each type of chicken, you get to pick and choose what you'd like to pair together. Chicken thighs and sweet potatoes would be a great combo, possibly with some Brussels sprouts thrown into the mix. Or, you could go with a mix of sweet potatoes and white potatoes to pair with your chicken thighs. If you're going the chicken breast route, you could match it up with carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. Or, for a recipe that's ready to go (and even includes a condiment), you can refer to Tasting Table's recipe for sheen-pan maple-glazed chicken thighs and butternut squash.