You know the drill. It’s after 5 p.m., everyone’s getting hungry, and there’s nothing in the fridge but a crisper drawer of random vegetables and a pack of raw chicken. Perfect! You’re primed to make Greek sheet-pan chicken and veggies, one of our favorite easy weeknight dinners.
This meal is quick to put together, flexible on the ingredients, wholesome and, best of all, delicious. The bright, aromatic flavors of Greek cuisine make this humble dinner feel special.
Ingredients for Greek Sheet-Pan Chicken
- Chicken thighs: We like to use bone-in skinless chicken thighs for baked Greek chicken. Bone-in thighs stay juicy and flavorful even when exposed to the high heat of the oven, and they’re rich enough to season the entire pan of vegetables, too. You can substitute other chicken cuts instead, but keep in mind that very thick chicken breasts may take a bit longer to cook, while thinner cutlets will cook faster than the vegetables. So keep an eye on each component, and remove them from the oven when they’re done.
- Greek vinaigrette: No need to measure out oil, vinegar and spices for this snappy recipe. A generous portion of vinaigrette serves as both fat and flavoring for everything in the pan. Use bottled or homemade Greek dressing.
- Vegetables: Sheet-pan dinners are famously flexible, but we always like to include some potatoes. Cooking them right on the pan means that you need no extra starch to fill out the meal. Red potatoes roast quickly, take on plenty of flavor and have a tender texture, but feel free to use another type of potato, preferably a waxy kind (not a starchy one like Russet). We also use sweet red pepper, artichoke hearts and red onion in this recipe.
- Olives: A scattering olives adds another Greek touch to the vegetables. Use whatever type of olive you like best. If you don’t like olives, consider capers, which have a similar briny flavor.
- Feta cheese: A quintessential Greek food, feta adds protein, savory flavor and plenty of Greek attitude to this dish. Feta tastes best fresh and should go onto the food after cooking.
Directions
Step 1: Combine the ingredients
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, chicken and vinaigrette. Toss to coat.
Place the chicken and vegetables in a single layer on a baking pan. They should be touching but not stacked on top of each other or overly crowded. Sprinkle with pepper.
Step 2: Bake
Bake until a thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 170° to 175° and the vegetables are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. If anything is cooking too quickly, you can simply remove it from the pan early.
Step 3: Broil (optional)
If you enjoy a browned crisp on your food, do this extra step. If not, or if you’re in a hurry, skip ahead! Preheat the broiler. Slide the pan 3 to 4 inches away from the heat, and broil the chicken and vegetables until lightly browned, two to three minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. (Remember to turn off the broiler!)
Step 4: Serve
Let the dish cool slightly, and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese before serving.
Greek Sheet-Pan Chicken and Veggies Variations
- Change up the vegetables: This baked Greek chicken recipe is endlessly adaptable! You can use almost any vegetable in your crisper drawer, or even canned or frozen veggies. The only trick is to consider the cooking time of the vegetable. Tender asparagus, for instance, should be left whole, while hearty carrots must be thinly sliced so that everything cooks through at the same time.
- Add citrus: Slices of lemon taste surprisingly delicious when roasted, and they infuse the pan with fresh citrus flavor.
- Add beans: Rinsed canned white beans or garbanzo beans are a tasty addition to the pan, and they add more protein, too.
- Shower with herbs: After baking, sprinkle chopped parsley or oregano over the pan.
How to Store Greek Sheet-Pan Chicken
Store sheet-pan chicken and vegetables in the refrigerator, sealed in an airtight container or tightly covered with wrap. It will keep for up to four days.
Can you freeze Greek sheet-pan chicken?
If you’d like to make sheet-pan chicken ahead of time, we suggest leaving it uncooked.
Chop the vegetables, and combine them with the chicken and vinaigrette. Transfer everything to a freezer-safe bag, and seal tightly. The marinated veggies and chicken can be frozen together right in the bag for up to two months. Let thaw in the refrigerator, then bake on a sheet pan in the oven, or saute in a skillet.
As a bonus, freezing the recipe this way allows you to freeze full family meals in a large freezer bag or divide the chicken and vegetables into smaller bags for individual portions. Now you’ve got a quick lunch or dinner ready in a snap!
Greek Sheet-Pan Chicken Tips
What sheet pan do I use for this recipe?
Thin, sturdy sheet pans conduct heat well, making for crispy chicken and veggies. Use a baking sheet with a slight rim, so the dressing and juices don’t spill off the sides and scorch in the oven. You can also create a false rim by lining the sheet with aluminum foil and folding the edge up into an inch-high rim.
What should I serve with sheet-pan chicken?
The beauty of Greek sheet-pan chicken is that it serves as a complete one-pan meal, but of course, you can always add more. A Greek salad is always a good starter, and crusty bread can sop up extra sauce.
