I’ve got a REALLY simple but hugely flavorful sheet-pan chicken recipe for you this week.
This chicken isn’t spicy — it’s *spiced.*
We’re tossing chicken, potatoes, and leeks on a large sheet pan with oil and spices, roasting it, making a very simple garlicky aioli (AKA just stirring grated garlic into yogurt), and chowing down. It’s easy, it’s flavorful, and I have a million ideas for how to use up leftovers, should you be lucky enough to have any.
It’s shawarma-ish, it’s cozy but healthy, it’s a delight.
Spin-Offs for Your Leftovers
Spiced Chicken Salad: Rewarm about 3/4 cup of chicken and veggies, chop them up really small, then toss with 1 head of thinly sliced romaine, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup feta, 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios, a spoonful of leftover aioli, the juice of 1/2 lemon, and a three-finger pinch of salt. Toss it all together. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as needed.
Spiced Chicken Quesadilla: Chop up about 1/2 cup of your leftover chicken and veggies. Throw a tortilla in a skillet over medium heat and sprinkle a bit of cheese on top, add the chicken and veggies, then more cheese and a second tortilla on top. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with aioli or salsa on the side.
Spiced Chicken Flautas: Chop your leftovers into really small pieces, then roll them into flour tortillas with cheese, spray with cooking spray, and bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Click here for a full chicken flautas recipe.
Spiced Chicken Bowls: Not quite enough leftovers for a full meal? Bulk it up! Make some couscous or rice, sauté some spinach, and serve the re-warmed chicken and veggies over top of it all.
This is also a great base recipe for many easy and flavorful sheet-pan suppers to come. Here are a few ways to tweak it to create a similar but different meal.
Sheet-Pan Pesto Chicken: Season those same sheet-pan ingredients with garlic, salt, and pepper only. After cooking for 30 minutes, grate Parmesan over everything, then broil for 1 minute (or continue roasting for 5). Instead of making the garlic aioli, serve with pesto.
Sheet-Pan Spiced Cauliflower: Just swap in 1 small head of cauliflower (cut into 2-inch florets) for the chicken! I also like to buy a bag of crispy chickpeas to serve with this meal for extra protein.
Sheet-Pan Harissa Chicken: Use harissa instead of the spices, like we did here. Omit the aioli and serve with lots of feta and chopped pistachios crumbled over top.
sheet-pan spiced chicken
Serves 4
Cook time: 45 minutes
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