Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables is a basic recipe that can be used with just about any vegetable and herb/spice blend for a quick and easy dinner. If you’re on a low-carb diet, choose non-starchy low-carb vegetables such as green beans, bell peppers, eggplant, cauliflower and broccoli. Otherwise, feel free to include potatoes, sweet potatoes or winter squash.
One of my sons just went off the college meal plan this year and is now responsible for cooking all his meals. Figuring out what to eat three times a day can be daunting, especially when there are so many other things going on at school. So, having an easy recipe that can be cooked altogether and finished in the same time should be a go-to recipe for everyone.
This is one of the easiest chicken recipes I can think of and the best part is that cleanup is minimal. I used to make some variation of this roasted chicken dish almost every week when my kids were young. It’s especially appealing because you can use virtually any vegetable or a combination, and the vegetables cook in the oven at the same time as the chicken.
What Vegetables Should I Use?
The vegetables you select will depend on your taste and dietary restrictions. However, I suggest including vegetables with different colors to make the final dish look more vibrant. Red bell peppers, purple or gold cauliflower, sweet potatoes or winter squash are all beautiful vegetables that will brighten up your final presentation.
For these photos, I used a combination of broccoli florets, red bell peppers, green beans, eggplant and potatoes, but you could also include carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and asparagus.
Shortcut: You can buy pre-cut vegetables (and pre-trimmed green beans) at most supermarkets. I found these at Shop Rite.
Non-Starchy Vegetables
I try to follow the Daniel Plan Plate, which is 3/4 non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 starchy vegetables or grains, and 1/4 lean protein. Pan roasted chicken and vegetables is a customizable recipe and makes it easy to follow the Daniel Plan Plate.
Generally speaking, non-starchy vegetables are low-carb also. However, some non-starchy vegetables such as carrots and beets are higher in carbs than other non-starchy vegetables. So, depending on your dietary restrictions, you may or may not want to include them in the recipe.
Non-starchy or low-carb vegetables include:
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Bell peppers
- Fennel
- Green beans
- Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Carrots (higher in carbs than most non-starchy vegetables)
- Beets (higher in carbs than most non-starchy vegetables)
Starchy Vegetables
Starchy vegetables are higher in carbs, but some people can include them in their diet. If you’re following the Daniel Plan Plate, starchy vegetables should comprise no more than 1/4 of your plate.
Starchy vegetables include:
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Winter Squash
- Parsnips
What Size Should I Cut The Vegetables?
The key to ensuring everything in pan roasted chicken and vegetables finishes cooking at the same time is to cut the harder vegetables (e.g., carrots, potatoes) smaller because they take longer to roast, and to lay the vegetables in a single layer so they cook evenly. Of course, you can use just one or two vegetables, but I think it’s a smart idea to roast a big batch of a bunch of different vegetables, so you have extra for additional meals. I used two baking trays because I made a double batch of roasted vegetables – the oven is already on, so why not make the most of it.
Leftover roasted vegetables would be perfect for Tuna Nicoise Salad. or tossed with cooked quinoa for dinner the next night.
What Chicken Should I Use?
Chicken parts (on the bone with the skin on) are inexpensive and have more flavor than boneless chicken when roasted. Buying chicken parts also makes it easy to choose white (breast) or dark meat (thighs and drumsticks). Â I leave the skin on when roasting chicken because it naturally protects the chicken, keeping it from drying out. You can remove it before serving if you like.
If you prefer using boneless chicken, you may need to drizzle more olive oil on top to prevent it from drying out. Also, it will take less time to cook boneless chicken through, so the vegetables will need to be cut into smaller pieces.
Either way, I prefer dark meat because it is juicier and doesn’t dry out as easily as breast meat, but it also has more calories, so choose what works best for you.
I suggest making more chicken than you will eat at a single meal, saving the leftovers for meals throughout the week. Extra vegetables and leftover chicken (remove meat from the bones) can be tossed with pasta, added to ramen noodle soup, made into quesadillas, or made into chicken vegetable soup for a second or third meal.
Pan roasted chicken and vegetables can be made for one person (with leftovers for the rest of the week) or four people (for a family style dinner).
You can switch things up week to week, using different vegetables and changing the spice/herb blends you use to season the chicken. Some of my favorite seasoning mixes are Greek seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and Fajita Seasoning. I also like Penzey’s Old World Seasoning and Northwoods Seasoning.
Easy Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken parts on the bone
- 10 cups assorted vegetables carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, bell peppers, beans, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, winter squash
- 3 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- Your favorite spice mix or simply use salt and pepper
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-
Cut carrots into 1" pieces, cut sweet potatoes and regular potatoes into 1/2" slices, if using.
-
Cut broccoli and cauliflower into florets, if using.
-
Cut red bell peppers into large slices, if using.
-
Cut eggplant into 1" pieces, if using.
-
Trim green beans, if using.
-
Drizzle some olive oil all over the bottom of a foil lined baking tray. Lay vegetables and chicken on baking tray in a single layer. You may need to use two baking trays. Drizzle more olive oil on top of vegetables and chicken. Sprinkle with spice mix, or season with salt and pepper. Turn chicken pieces over and season with more spice mix, or salt and pepper.
-
Roast for 30-35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Recipe Notes
Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes can be added if you can have starchy vegetables
For more easy roast chicken recipe ideas, try these recipes:
- Roast Chicken with Cumin and Cilantro Scallion Salsa
- Easy Herb Spiced Roasted Chicken
- Chimichurri Sauce (delicious served over roast chicken)
Easy College Dinner Recipes with Printable Weekly Meal Plan and Shopping List
18
This is EXACTLY what I would love for my dinner! You know what? I have some chicken wings in the fridge and I am going to make a good use of them and fix myself a dinner with your recipe. Thanks for sharing, Jeanette.
Thanks Angie – so glad you are going to try this easy recipe for dinner. You can use any vegetables you have on hand, and your favorite spice/herb mix.
I love simple recipes like this that look delicious and can be used for more than one meal! I’m adding this to my menu!
I LOVE how easy this is, and how fun that you’ve created it for your son 🙂 I’m all about easy these days, so I’ll definitely be making this for my family soon!
Roasting is by far my favorite cooking method for almost everything. Love that you kept the bones on the chicken for thi one too. I feel like it adds so much more moisture and flavor!
This is how to make a dinner to please everyone!!! LOVE!
Simple and delicious! What a perfect dinner recipe!
So many wonderful tips and suggestions! I love batch cooking since I don’t have time to cook during the weekdays so this is perfect!
This is fabulous. It is important to follow the recipe though, so you get the sticky glaze. Increasing it to a sauce is an entirely different taste and that is NOT this recipe. 
So glad you enjoyed this Adam – thanks for your input!