Seasoned Chicken and Vegetables {Air Fryer or Oven}
Seasoned chicken and vegetables is a quick, colorful dinner made with tender chunks of chicken, fresh veggies, and a herby Creole flavor that can be easily tweaked for your own favorite seasoning blend. Whether you cook it in the air fryer or roast it in the oven, this easy family meal is budget-friendly, meal-prep friendly, and perfect for a busy weeknight.
As the summer vegetables start popping up in farmer's market stands, this is an easy chicken sheet pan recipe you're going to want to save for your dinners in the weeks ahead.
Perfectly seasoned tender chicken and chunks of fresh veggies make the perfect DIY meal kit to keep prepped and ready to cook in your fridge.
You could chop and season everything up in advance and just keep it ready to spread out on the baking sheet and bake! Perfect for busy summer nights.
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Easy Clean-Up: Everything is tossed together in one bowl and clean up happens in a snap.
- Flexible Cooking Options: Make your appliances work for you, cook this is the oven or air fryer while the other one preps other dishes!
- Prep Ahead: Let the dish marinate ahead of time for even more flavor and to save time.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins: I love how easy it is to chop tenderloins but you could use chicken breasts or thighs for this dish, too.
- Zucchini & Yellow Squash: I used both but you could double up on one or the other, too.
- Red Bell Pepper: I forgot to add it to the photo above. You could use orange or yellow bell peppers too.
- Red Onion
- Minced Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Creole Seasoning Blend: This is an easy spot to make delicious variations. Be sure to see my notes below on how to tweak it.
Seasoning Variations
I used an herby Creole seasoning blend to keep the spice level down on the sheet pan dinner when I prepped it for my family but there are some really ways to change things up.
You could easily substitute the same amount of seasoning with one of these delicious options:
- Greek Seasoning Blend: A good option if you want to serve the dish with a side of tzatziki sauce and pitas.
- Cajun Seasoning: A slightly spicier option with similar flavor notes to Creole.
- Jamaican Jerk Seasoning: I love my jerk pork and pineapple sheet pan dinner made with Caribbean jerk seasoning, this would be a great chicken version.
- Chile Lime Seasoning: Like Tajin. This would be a good option if you want to make a batch of Mexican rice to go with the dinner.
Prep the Veggies
The secret to a well cooked sheet pan dinner starts with how you chop the veggies.
It is very important that you cut them to similar sizes so that they cook evenly.
Chop the veggies to roughly 1-inch chunks.
If you're prepping a meal kit, add the chunks of veggies to a large zip-top bag.
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Season the Chicken
Chop the chicken into 1-inch pieces as well and add them to a mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the seasoning of your choice over the top and toss to coat with a fork.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Add the prepared bag of veggies and the bowl of chicken to the fridge and let it rest until you're ready to cook dinner.
The chicken and vegetables can be prepped ahead like this up to 48 hours in advance if you'd like to get some meal prep done and out of the way.
Season the Veggies
When you're ready to cook your dinner, add the vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Add the minced garlic, kosher salt, and olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat evenly.
Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat again. The seasonings from the chicken will spread over the veggies, too.
Oven Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil.
Spread the chicken and vegetables into an even single layer.
Cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F in the center and the veggies are charred on the edges and tender in the center.
Air Fryer Instructions
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
Arrange the chicken and veggies in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches so the food doesn't steam and can get roasted on the edges.
Cook for about 10 minutes. Toss the chicken about half way through to make sure it cooks evenly. Repeat as needed with the remaining batches.
You can return the first batches to the air fryer to reheat for a minute after the final batch has finished cooking.
NOTE: I have a convection oven style air fryer with multiple racks. You could split this in half and cook two trays of the dinner at once in an air fryer like this.
Meal Prep Tips
I made a big batch of this easy recipe to fill up my meal prep dishes for the fridge.
I loved being able to grab a dish for a quick lunch during the workweek. It reheats so well in the microwave.
You could freeze your meal prep containers but I would recommend thawing them in the fridge overnight so they don't overcook in the microwave when you reheat them.
Serving Suggestions
When I made this pan of chicken and vegetables for dinner, we enjoyed it as a light meal all by itself.
To round out the menu for a larger appetite, you could serve it alongside roasted sweet potatoes, a scoop of rice, or bake a batch of cast iron cornbread!
More Sheet Pan Recipes
Looking for more easy clean-up sheet pan dinners? Here are a few of my favorites:
📖 Recipe
Seasoned Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning or seasoning blend of your choice
- 1 zucchini cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 yellow squash cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 small red onion cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions Start Cooking
- Chop the vegetables in roughly uniform 1-inch chunks. If preparing a meal kit, store them in a zip-top storage bag in the fridge.
- Chop the chicken in 1-inch large pieces and add them to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over the top and toss to coat. If preparing a meal kit, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
- When ready to prepare your dinner, add the vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Add the minced garlic, kosher salt, and then drizzle the olive oil over the top. Toss everything together. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss again so that the seasonings coat the veggies as well.
Air Fryer Instructions:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. You'll want the chicken and veggies to cook in a single layer so you may need to work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
- Spread the chicken and vegetables in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes. Toss once while cooking to ensure everything cooks on both sides.
- Repeat with the second batch. Once everything is cooked, you can return the first batch to the fryer and warm it through for 1 minute before serving.
Oven Instructions:
- Place the chicken and veggies in a single layer on a large sheet pan.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roast the sheet pan chicken for 15 -20 minutes or until the chicken registers 165°F and the veggies have begun to char at the edges.
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