Sheet pan dinners are your savior when the day has you beat and the very last thing you want to do at 6pm is go home and cook. You’re already starving and about to reach for the tortilla chips to take the hangry edge off. 

If you have a protein in the refrigerator, some veggies in the crisper, olive oil and seasonings in the pantry, all you need is a sheet pan, a tiny bit of patience to wash and chop the veggies, and the oven will transform these humble ingredients into a comforting, convenient dinner. 

The secret to an easy sheet pan dinner: Pick protein and vegetables that can be cooked at the same temperature for roughly the same amount of time. Chop or dice the veggies about the same size to ensure even cooking. When everything is chopped, drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with any spices, dried herbs, or sugar-free seasoning blends. 

That’s basically it. Don’t Door Dash dinner again tonight. You can have a healthy, hearty, suitable-for-every-taste dinner on the table in 30 minutes. Serve right off the sheet pan and let your people pick and choose what they want to eat.

Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. dried thyme

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Place chicken breasts and cut vegetables onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and seasonings. Toss with tongs to coat.

Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove from the oven and serve.

Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner Meal Variations

If chicken is your main squeeze, we got you. Make bland breasts more brazen with these ideas.

Chicken Fajita Sheet Pan Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts or skinless, boneless thighs
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes or chili powder
• ½ tsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped, optional
• Guacamole, for serving, if desired
• Almond flour, jicama, or cauliflower tortillas, for serving
  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Place the chicken and veggies on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings. Toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove sheet pan from oven and let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes under a foil tent or clean kitchen towels. Cover the veggies to keep them warm as well.

After the chicken has rested, uncover and slice. Serve the chicken and fajita veggies with a sprinkle of cilantro, guacamole, and tortillas (if desired). 

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Mediterranean Chicken Sheet Pan Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 red onion, cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large tomato, quartered
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup pitted black or green olives
• 2 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese, optional
  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Place the chicken and veggies on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, and sprinkle with herbs and seasonings. Toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Toss the olives with the roasted veggies and serve the chicken sprinkled with feta cheese, if desired. 

<p class="pro-tip">Read more about the Mediterranean diet</p>

Caprese Chicken Sheet Pan Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts 
• 4 large sun-dried tomatoes, each cut in half
• 4 slices fresh mozzarella
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. dried basil
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 4 large basil leaves
• 1 heirloom or beefsteak tomato, sliced
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar of Modena
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil 
• ¼ tsp. coarse sea salt, optional
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, optional
  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Slice through the middle of each chicken breast until you’re about ¾ of the way through the breast. You don’t want to cut all the way through the breasts; you want a flap that’s open on one side so you can tuck ingredients inside the breasts. Season the breasts with 1 tsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, ½ tsp. dried garlic, ¼ tsp. dried basil. 

Place chicken breasts on baking sheet. Open each flap and add half of the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and the sliced mozzarella to each breast. Fold the flap back over to close each chicken breast.

Bake chicken breasts for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, wash and dry the asparagus. Cut off the rough bottom ends from each spear. Toss with 1 tsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, and ½ tsp. dried garlic. Place the asparagus on the sheet pan opposite the chicken breasts and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve each chicken breast topped with tomato slices, a drizzle of ½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil and ½ tsp. balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired. Add 2 leaves of fresh basil per chicken breast. Serve with a side of roasted asparagus.

Chicken Masala Sheet Pan Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. plain whole milk yogurt or coconut yogurt, optional
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts 
• 1 white onion cut into ½-inch thick pieces 
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes 
• 1 small head cauliflower cut into small florets 
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 2 tsp. salt 
• ½ teaspoon each of garam masala, ground ginger, garlic powder, turmeric, red chili powder or flakes, ground cardamom, and cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped, optional 
  

Instructions

If you have time, marinate chicken in 1 cup of plain or coconut yogurt for 30 minutes before baking. Prep veggies and remove chicken from marinade (if you decided to marinate it). 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Season chicken and veggies, and toss to coat. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve the chicken with the blistered tomatoes on top and a generous dollop of plain whole milk or coconut yogurt, and the cauliflower and onions on the side. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if you have it.

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Chicken Pot-Without-the-Pie Sheet Pan Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts 
• 1 Tbsp. dried buttermilk powder or coconut milk powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 large leeks, washed well and cut into ¼-inch disks 
• 4 large carrots peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces 
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, cut in half or quarters 
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 cup frozen green peas
  

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with buttermilk or coconut milk powder and 1 tsp. salt. Let sit on sheet pan at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Add the veggies to the sheet pan with the chicken, season them and toss to coat. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and add frozen green peas to the sheet pan. Bake for another 5 minutes then remove from oven and serve.