Sheet Pan Chicken and vegetables

Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables is a meal all in one pan and easy to prepare.  Sometimes we need to make a quick, but healthy meal.  My nonna was one who could whip up a meal in minutes  She always had a lot of fresh vegetables on hand that became the centre of the dish. Potatoes are a  staple in an Italian kitchen; after pasta they are a favourite. I love them roasted and this dish brings out their flavour with some simple spices.

Remembering Stories about Chickens

There are more stories about chickens growing up as an immigrant.  One day the chicken farmer delivered two chickens to our house on Alexandra St. in Sault Ste. Marie, but he had a surprise.  In a crate he had two baby chicks.  They were the cutest thing we had ever seen; one was for my brother and one for me.  We had an old porch at the back of the house with a crawl space, and it was our job to take care of them.   The chicks lived there cared for by my brother Rollie and me.

We fed and nurtured them and they were our pets; we chased them around the yard.  I think we even tried to make a leash for them.  One day we came home from school and went straight to the backyard to find that the grown chickens were gone.  That night they were served for supper and needless to say we didn’t eat anything.  The immigrants in the early days often repeated their lifestyle from the old country.

Today, we would not think of bringing livestock into our neighbourhoods.  I do remember the laughter those baby chicks created; it also gave us a sense of responsibility and an understanding of partaking in bringing food to the table.  I treasure the memories and those experiences.

The vegetables spiced and oiled on the pan.

The chicken rubbed with spices and oil and placed over the vegetables goes into a 375 F oven for 50 minutes.

Print

Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables

A full meal in one pan.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 3

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The Vegetables

• 10 baby potatoes
• 2 peppers, one red one yellow
• 1 sweet large onion
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp olive oil and more for drizzling

The Chicken

• 3 Chicken Breasts
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Original Blend
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Presentation

• olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

The Vegetables

1. Wash the potatoes and cut them in quarters.

   Slice the peppers and onions.

   Snap the asparagus.

   Put all the vegetables in a bowl and add all the spices.

   Add the olive oil and toss.

   Spread onto a sheet pan.

The chicken

1. Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil on the chicken to coat.

   Sprinkle the chicken breast with 1 tbsp of Mrs. Dash and the garlic powder.

   Rub everything into the chicken.  

   Place the chicken over the vegetables.

   Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tbsp of Mrs. Dash.

   Drizzle everything with more olive oil.  

   
   

Cooking and plating

1. Cook in a 375 F oven for 50 minutes.

   Serve on a platter or individually.  

   Place vegetables on the bottom and top with chicken. 

   Add a few vegetables over the chicken and drizzle with olive oil.  

Recipe Notes

Always have more olive oil for drizzling.  It keeps the chicken moist and crisps the vegetables.  

These vegetables stay crispy and the chicken is moist.  

If you don't eat meat you can cook these vegetables alone and serve with rice or noodles.  

Thinking about the fresh chickens my grandparents bought, I did a search on the best chicken to buy and found an interesting article from the globe and mail :https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/the-best-chicken-youll-never-have/article20738802/

What do you think???