HONEY BALSAMIC CHICKEN THIGHS & VEGETABLES (SHEET PAN DINNER)
I know we’re all busy, especially this time of year! That’s why I’ve come to love sheet pan dinners like this finger-licking Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs & Vegetables. It’s ready in just 30-40 minutes and requires just one pan (woohoo)! I made it over Thanksgiving for our visiting family and they requested the recipe immediately 😉 I just know you’ll love it, too.
Did you know? Chicken thighs have more more fat that chicken breasts, but they are still a decently lean protein source with 26 grams of protein and 11g of fat per thigh. With animal proteins, look for at least twice as many grams of protein compared to grams of fat. Animal fats in general are not the healthiest fat source (source).
For the chicken thighs
When buying chicken thighs, I always get skinless which have less saturated fat. I also look for “no antibiotics ever,” which means the birds were kept in sanitary conditions apart from diseased birds (not needing antibiotics). Even better, certified “organic” means the birds have access to the outdoors and were fed organic, vegetarian feed (versus other chicken parts). The label “natural” just means the end product is minimally processed and has no artificial additives. It says nothing about the quality of the meat or whether the birds were raised humanely.
For the thighs, I used a simple marinade of honey, balsamic vinegar, dried rosemary, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Feel free to use three times as much fresh rosemary or fresh mined garlic if you prefer!
For the vegetables
I also did some organic carrots and Brussels sprouts with baby red potatoes. Potatoes are on the EWG’s “dirty dozen” list with high pesticide residues, so definitely get those organic if you can. I washed and cut the veggies into bite-sized pieces; then tossed with olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Other ideas for vegetables include sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, parsnips, radishes, broccoli, onion, fennel… or even asparagus, tomatoes or green beans (add more tender vegetables in the last 15 minutes of roasting time),
Two ways to prepare
Once your chicken has marinated for a few minutes and your veggies are prepped and ready, you have two options for this sheet pan dinner:
Option 1: You can sear the thighs in a skillet over medium-high for about 2 minutes to get a nice crisp, then roast everything together on the sheet for 30 minutes.
Option 2: You can throw everything onto the sheet pan “as is” and roast for 30 minutes, then crank the oven up to broil for the last 5 minutes.
Both work! I’ve found the first option to be more reliable for getting crispy chicken, but the second option is admittedly more convenient. I just doesn’t work as well in some ovens…
Either way, you can look forward to tender roasted vegetables and succulent roasted chicken thighs with a thickened honey balsamic glaze over top. Yumm!
Here’s the printable recipe for Honey Balsamic Chicken Thighs & Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner. I hope you’ll rate and comment below if you try it 🙂
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