Tray-Baked Balsamic Chicken with Peppers, Tomatoes, and Onions

January 22, 2015

Sheet pan balsamic chicken is the easiest dinner. Sheet pan balsamic chicken and veggies also make for great leftovers to add to salads the next day!Tray-Baked Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables | Sarcastic Cooking

I don’t know if I have maybe led on to this before, but I am really not a chicken kind of girl.

I am a literal chicken, yes.

You can ask my brothers about that one! When we were kids, my younger brothers both jumped off the top of the monkey bars one afternoon.

I stood up there until dinner time scared out of my mind but convinced that I was going to jump.

I did it finally as my mom was calling us in for dinner.

My brothers were far enough away so, lucky for me, they couldn’t see my chicken tears and my flailing fall looked like a jump to them.

But yeah, chicken through and through.

When it comes to eating chicken, I mean this is the food that sent me into vegetarianism.

Actually, to be more specific, it was bland breaded chicken patties.

I think about what Andy eats and try to add spices to everything to make sure he doesn’t get into a bland rut. If he wants bland food, I swear to God I will lose my mind.

Things not bland about this sheet pan balsamic chicken recipe:

  • The lemon and balsamic flavors.
  • All the caramelized veggies.
  • The garlic and herbs!

It is bad enough I have to scale back to cook for mister “my idea of gourmet is sliced hot dogs in mac and cheese.”

If Andy jumps on that ship, I will be all alone on flavor island.

Just poor old me and my version of Wilson the volleyball, Weezer. Ok, sorry this story is all over the place.

In my attempt to keep it bland for some and flavorful for myself, I came across this recipe from Jamie Oliver on Instagram.

Sometimes when you are hungry and looking for dinner inspiration, Instagram just happens to hear your hungry cries and answer you with an instant classic meal.

I have made this once a week since I saw it.

This meal is a hit with everybody. It is right up there with my two favorite pasta dishes (caprese and spicy) that switch off week to week.

Plus, how awesome is it that you just cut up a bunch of stuff, throw it on a pan, bake it, and, voila, dinner?!?!?!

Here is my secret.

I prep this dinner during nap time or even the night before and keep it in a plastic storage bag.

It takes no time at all. Then when it is dinner time, I pull it out of the fridge and bake it. I can still dedicate one arm to holding my baby and only have to set my glass of wine down to use the other hand to put the tray in the oven.

It is dinner magic.

Things to take away from this post; monkey bar chicken, flavor island, and sheet pan balsamic chicken.

I’m sorry; this is how my brain works.

Sheet-Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies | Sarcastic Cooking

Tray-Baked Balsamic Chicken with Peppers, Tomatoes, and Onions

The easiest, basically no prep dinner all on one baking sheet!!! Roasted balsamic chicken and vegetables makes the perfect weeknight meal!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut in half
  • 2 Pints Cherry/Grape Tomatoes
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 Yellow Bell Pepper seeded and chopped
  • 4 Small Shallots halved
  • 1 Bunch of Fresh Thyme
  • 3 Garlic Cloves smashed with the skin on
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
  • Juice from ½ Lemon
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Add the chicken breasts, chopped peppers, chopped onions, whole tomatoes, thyme, and garlic to a large rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Pour olive oil and balsamic over the ingredients along with the lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Use your hands or large tongs to mix all the ingredients together. Arrange the ingredients in one even layer.
  4. Bake in the oven for one hour, stopping midway to turn the ingredients over.
  5. Let cool slightly before serving. I highly suggest serving with some bread or a crisp green salad to sop up the cooking liquid!

If you like this sheet pan balsamic chicken deal, try sheet pan steak fajitas or sheet pan salmon and veggies. Also, shout out to the queen of sheet pan suppers, Molly Gilbert from Dunk & Crumble.

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  • Rhonda
    September 3, 2016 at 1:09 pm

    Will there be to much liquid with chicken

    • Stefanie
      September 4, 2016 at 9:45 pm

      Not in my experience. It definitely has enough excess for a sauce/glaze, but it isn’t swimming in liquid. Hope that helps.

  • Francesca
    February 1, 2015 at 3:57 am

    Glad you overcame your fear – this looks wonderful 🙂

  • Alan
    January 25, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    Stefanie,

    Long time listener, first time caller. I stumbled upon your site a few years back and I’ve made at least 20 of your recipes on this site. They never disappoint. Tried this one out tonight – it was delicious!

    • Stefanie
      January 26, 2015 at 6:38 am

      Thank you Alan! You made my day!

  • Joanne
    January 25, 2015 at 7:16 am

    Love that this is tasty enough for everyone (but not TOO spicy for some)! Sounds like an easy weeknight meal also = WIN.

  • Annie @ Annie's Noms
    January 23, 2015 at 6:45 am

    This looks just perfect! My dinner plans for tonight have just gone up in smoke, so maybe I’ll go and see if I have the ingredients for this in the house, looks so delicious!

  • Jennie @themessybakerblog
    January 22, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    This is anything but bland. I have no words for how delicious this dish looks. Pinned.

  • Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps
    January 22, 2015 at 11:35 am

    There is not many things worse protein-wise than bland chicken, I can see why it sent you into vegetarianism! This – this looks anything but bland and boring, and those colors! So vibrant and pretty.

  • Julia
    January 22, 2015 at 8:29 am

    mmmmhhmmmm sing it, sista! I love chicken and peppers, and love that the recipe only takes a few minutes to prep! I’ve been under-using my oven this winter (on account of the fact that it’s like sunny and warm on all.the.days), so I’m thinking my oven needs to see the light of this recipe. In triplicate, because: yum!

    • Stefanie
      January 22, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Oh warm weather and sunshine how I miss thee!!!