Easy prep one pan chicken and veggies for busy weeknights

One pan chicken and veggies is an easy prep dinner for your busiest weeknights. This easy chicken recipe will be a huge hit with the kids and is perfect comfort food.

I’m always intrigued by sheet pan recipes. I’ve seen my share of Tasty videos on Facebook promising that I can put everything on a single pan and bake it in minutes. I’ve tried a few and usually they are extremely disappointing. The veggies don’t cook properly at the same temp and time or the meat isn’t properly cooked through.

A friend recently shared an especially appealing breaded chicken one pan recipe and I thought I’d give it one more go.

After so many failed sheet pan dinners, I think I’ve finally discovered the tricks that make it a success. This chicken recipe was a HUGE hit with my entire family. It will definitely make our rotation again, which says a lot.

How to properly prepare a one pan chicken and veggies recipe:

Pound the chicken thin: When working with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you really need to pound them to a uniform thickness. Not only does it tenderize the meat but it ensures that the chicken cooks completely evenly and more quickly.
Don’t overcrowd the pan: Yes, we call this a ONE PAN recipe, but if the ingredients all touch and crowd each other, they will steam instead of roast on the pan. We prefer crispy edges. So, I took the recipe and spread it out across two separate pans. It all bakes at the same time so it is still a huge convenience.
Bake the chicken on a separate pan from the veggies: If you have to wash two separate pans anyway, keeping the meat separate from the veggies allows you to pull the chicken out of the oven when it is just-right and tent it with aluminum foil to keep it warm while the veggies finish if necessary.

Did I lose you at the idea that you need to pound your chicken breasts? That may seem like a fussy step, but this entire dinner is an easy-prep meal that you can fix the night before or the morning or afternoon of the day you want to make it.

I made this recipe on our busiest night of the week and it was just what our family needed that evening. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen it in my IG Story where I shared it as part of our #realtimedinners series. Not following me yet? You can find me on Instagram right here.

I took just a little bit of time to prep the meal ahead of time in the afternoon before driving Little Pea to dance class.

How to prep this one pan chicken and veggies for a busy night:

Pound the breasts and assemble the marinade. Toss the chicken to coat and store in the fridge in a lidded container.
Chop the potatoes and toss them with the olive oil and seasonings. Store in a zip-top plastic baggie with the air squeezed out in the fridge.
Wash, trim, and cut the green beans and store them in the fridge.

How to finish baking the one pan chicken and veggies when you’re ready to eat:

While the oven is preheating, coat the chicken with breadcrumbs & cheese. Place on a greased baking sheet. This may dirty another plate but should be super fast and can be done before your oven has finished preheating. By waiting to dredge them in breadcrumbs, it keeps the crumbs from turning mushy in the fridge.
Place the potatoes on a second baking sheet.
Bake the chicken and potatoes for 15 minutes.
Carefully flip the chicken over. Toss the potatoes on the pan and add the green beans to the veggie pan. Rotate the chicken and veggies pans in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
Test the temperature of the chicken. Remove it from the oven if it is at least 180 degrees. The veggies are done when the potatoes are golden brown and crispy.

The whole finishing process took a total of 35 minutes (including just waiting for the oven to preheat) and only included about 5 – 10 minutes of actual hands-on time.