Eat the Rainbow: Sheet Pan Chicken & Veggies

I love sheet pan recipes! First, they are pretty hard to eff up. Second, and more importantly, they are such an efficient way to fuel your body. You have protein + veggies + fat all in one pan. Just add a whole grain and you have a balanced plate in the time it takes to watch one episode of Queer Eye. There are endless possible combinations for sheet pan dinners but today I am sharing a vibrant chicken and vegetables recipe to help you eat the rainbow ❤️🧡💛💚.

Style & Substance

A tip I am always giving to my clients is to add color to your plate. Besides making your meals more ‘grammable, a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet provides you with loads of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help support all kinds of systems, pathways, and reactions in the body. Our bodies need these nutrients to stay healthy and getting them from food is the ideal source.

This recipe includes red pepper, sweet potato, broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash. Here is what they have to offer beyond flavor and texture:
❤️ Red Pepper: Packed with antioxidants and a great source of Vitamin C, which supports your immune system
🧡 Sweet Potato: Has anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in beta-carotene, which we need for skin and eye health
💚 Broccoli: Full of fiber, which is great for digestion and gut health, and a nutritional powerhouse, containing 7 vitamins and minerals
💛Zucchini and Yellow Squash: A rich source of Vitamin B6, which can help reduce symptoms of PMS and keeps the nervous system healthy

Making it a Meal

You can easily scoop this straight out of the pan, sprinkle it with some parm, and go to town. However, if you want to add even more nutrition or get a few more meals out of the dish, you can turn it into a grain bowl by serving it over quinoa, rice, or farro or toss it with your favorite pasta and some pesto or olive oil + lemon juice + salt and pepper.

Recipe

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Total Time: 45 Minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 sweet potato - diced into cubes
About 2 cups broccoli florets or 1 small head broccoli cut into florets
1 red bell pepper - cut into strips
1 zucchini - cut into 1/2 inch half moons
1 yellow squash - cut into 1/2 inch-thick half moons
2 medium sized chicken breasts (1 - 1 1/4 lbs) - cut into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - divided
1 TBSP lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
3 TSP Trader Joe’s Every Day Seasoning
1 TSP garlic powder
1 TSP onion powder
1 TSP Salt - divided
1/2 TSP Black pepper
Grated parmesan cheese (fresh or powdered)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. While the oven heats up, wash and cut your vegetables. (Seems like it will take forever but I timed it. It truly only took 13 minutes!)

3. The sweet potatoes need a little extra time to soften up. Place them in a bowl, drizzle with 1 TBSP olive oil, and sprinkle with 1/2 TSP salt. Toss to coat and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes.

4. While the sweet potatoes roast, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and the remaining vegetables. Pour in 2 TBSP olive oil and lemon juice and add Every Day Seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and remaining 1/2 TSP of salt. Toss to coat.

5. When the sweet potatoes are done, transfer the chicken and vegetable mixture onto the sheet pan.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. The chicken should be cooked through and the vegetables tender.

7. Sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy!

Notes:

1. This tastes best fresh out of the oven. If you are cooking for one, you might want to half the recipe so you are not left with a ton of leftovers.

2. Fresh parmesan and lemon juice are great, but feel free to use the bottled versions if you already have them in your fridge or pantry.

3. I love the salty, slightly spicy blend in TJ’s Everyday Seasoning, but you can easily substitute for the same amount of Italian Seasoning or 1 TSP each of basil, oregano, and thyme.

Adapted from Well Plated.