Quick, Easy & Delicious Apricot Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe

 

 

I wanted to make my daughter and I something simple for our supper that wouldn't take a lot of time or make a huge mess today. You cannot beat a sheet pan supper for ease of preparation and simplicity! I love sheet pan suppers!  Everything cooks together simply on one pan. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

If you are cooking for only one or two people, it really doesn't get much easier!  If you are cooking for more people, you can always spread all of the ingredients over two baking sheets. It is very easy to combine proteins and veggies with a simple sauce, seasonings, etc. and then roast them together.

 

I have found that most ingredients lend themselves beautifully to this style of cooking!  Today I have used some chicken breasts and an assortment of root vegetables, plus a bit of frozen broccoli.

The chicken is glazed with a simple apricot and mustard glaze using two kinds of mustard. The vegetables are cut into cubes and roasted with a bit of oil and some seasoning.  I threw some frozen broccoli on for the last bit of cook time to add some color and healthy variety!

Altogether this was a fabulous "meal-in-one" which went together quickly and easily with very little effort.  It was delicious. If you wanted to you could add a salad to complete the meal, but it really isn't necessary!

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR

SHEET PAN APRICOT CHICKEN DINNER

There is nothing too out of the ordinary here. Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way.

For the Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp garlic pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp light olive oil

For the vegetables:

• 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into half moons
• 1 small turnip/rutabaga/Swede, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 TBS light olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic pepper seasoning
• 1 cup of frozen broccoli florets

For the chicken glaze:

• 2 TBS apricot jam
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard

 

My chicken breasts were not evenly sized. I cut them in half so that each person could have half of the larger piece and half of the smaller piece.

Feel free to use any seasoning mix that you enjoy. I used garlic pepper as that is something which we like.

I took the frozen broccoli out and let it sit in a bowl while the meal was going through the initial cooking so that it wouldn't be totally frozen when I scattered it over everything else.

I used Bonne Maman Apricot Jam and Maille brand mustards.

 

KITCHEN SAFETY

WHEN HANDLING RAW CHICKEN

Handling raw chicken carefully is crucial to kitchen and health safety.  Too not do so carries the risk of food poisoning or worse. Here are some safety points to consider!

• Always thaw raw chicken overnight in the refrigerator, and store it carefully separated from anything else. It is not safe to thaw it at room temperature. Store raw chicken on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to prevent its juices from leaking out and contaminating any other food.
• Use separate cutting boards and utensils for chicken to avoid cross contamination.
• Chicken needs really diligent handling as it often carries harmful bacteria which can easily be spread around the kitchen. There is no need to wash raw chicken prior to using it. This often spreads bacteria needlessly. Simply pat it dry with some paper kitchen toweling and dispose of the paper toweling promptly.
• Wash your hands carefully after handling raw chicken to avoid spreading any bacteria to other things. Do not use the same utensils, plates, cutlery, etc. with other ingredients if you have used them to handle the raw chicken. Also take care to clean any surfaces such as countertops, sinks, etc.
• Do not use the same kitchen tools and plates with the cooked chicken that you have used with the raw chicken. It is not safe.
• Ensure that cooked chicken reaches the internal temperature of 165*F/75*C.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered container. 

  

HOW TO PREPARE A

SHEET PAN APRICOT CHICKEN DINNER

It really is not rocket science!

1. Preheat the oven to 450*F/240*C/ gas mark 7. Line a medium lipped baking tray with some baking parchment. Set aside. (Make sure it is a fairly heavy bottomed tray to prevent warping.)
2. Pat the chicken dry with some paper toweling. Rub with the oil and then the seasoning. Place onto the baking sheet. (Do NOT rinse the chicken in water.)
3. Toss the potatoes, carrots and swede/rutabaga/turnips together in a bowl with the olive oil and seasoning. Spread out onto the baking sheet next to the chicken. 
4. Roast in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, stirring the vegetables once.
5. Whisk the glaze ingredients together until well combined.
6. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Spoon the glaze over the chicken pieces. Scatter the frozen broccoli over top of the roasted vegetables.
7. Return to the oven and roast for a further 5 to 6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and nicely glazed and the vegetables are beginning to caramelize. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165*F/75*C.
8. Serve the cooked chicken with the vegetables.
9. 
   

NOTE - If desired you can pop the sheet pan under the hot grill/broiler for a few minutes to caramelize things up nicely.

 

HINTS AND TIPS

FOR SHEET PAN DINNER SUCCESS

Sheet pan suppers are a simple and versatile way to get a delicious full supper onto the dinner table quickly and easily!  Here are some hints and tips for sheet pan success!!

• Use a heavy based, quality, lipped sheet pan to prevent pan warping and a resulting mess in your oven. I can remember some of the cheap sheet pans that I had when I was first married, warping in the heat of the oven and things bouncing off them onto the oven floor.  Quality and strength counts.
• For easy clean up you can line the sheet pan with a silicone liner, aluminum foil or baking parchment. 
• Spread all of the ingredients out evenly on the baking sheet. This helps to prevent ingredients from steaming, resulting in a much better texture and some caramelization.
• Time the cooking of your ingredients by adding things which take longer to cook first and adding others as time proceeds.
• Cut your vegetables into like sizes for even cooking.
• You can use a cooling rack on the sheet pan for larger items which will enable the air to circulate under them and give a crisper finish.

 

A FEW OTHER

SHEET PAN DINNERS 

YOU MAY ENJOY

SHEET PAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS - A delicious mix of smoked sausage, mixed peppers and onions. All baked together on a sheet pan until the sausage is golden brown and the vegetables lightly caramelized. Delicious in a toasted bun or on the side of a baked potato, with pasta, etc. This simple supper is tasty, tasty, tasty! 

SHEET PAN ROASTED SEA BASS DINNER - No fuss, no muss, and little to no clean up involved. It is also perfectly sized for just two people, but of course you can increase the amounts to serve more if you wish. What you end up with is two beautifully roasted pieces of fish and beautifully caramelized onions, crispy roasted potatoes, and roasted tomatoes. This not only looks fabulous, but its healthy and delicious as well!

 

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Yield: Serves 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Sheet Pan Apricot Chicken Dinner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 18 MinTotal time: 33 Min

Tender and moist pieces of chicken roasted to perfection with an assortment of root vegetables on a sheet pan. The chicken is glazed with a light apricot glaze. Altogether very delicious. No fuss, no muss.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp garlic pepper seasoning
• 1 tsp light olive oil

For the vegetables:

• 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into half moons
• 1 small turnip/rutabaga/Swede, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 TBS light olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic pepper seasoning
• 1 cup of frozen broccoli florets

For the chicken glaze:

• 2 TBS apricot jam
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450*F/240*C/ gas mark 7. Line a medium lipped baking tray with some baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Pat the chicken dry with some paper toweling. Rub with the oil and then the seasoning. Place onto the baking sheet.
3. Toss the potatoes, carrots and swede/rutabaga/turnips together in a bowl with the olive oil and seasoning. Spread out onto the baking sheet next to the chicken.
4. Roast in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, stirring the vegetables once.
5. Whisk the glaze ingredients together until well combined.
6. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Spoon the glaze over the chicken pieces. Scatter the frozen broccoli over top of the roasted vegetables.
7. Return to the oven and roast for a further 5 to 6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and nicely glazed and the vegetables are beginning to caramelize. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165*F/75*C.
8. Serve the cooked chicken with the vegetables.

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