Lemon Pepper Sheet Pan Chicken

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my new Series: Sunday Supper. Sunday’s recipes will be easy one pan meals. From sheet pan recipes and one skillet meals; to slow cooker recipes; Sunday Supper is your go-to place for planning your easy Sunday meal. A great end to your weekend and beginning to your week! The inaugural Sunday Supper recipe is Lemon Pepper Sheet Pan Chicken.

It’s hard to beat roast chicken and sheet pan roasted chicken simplifies the whole meal-making process. I used bone-in, skin-on thighs. You can use boneless, skinless thighs. Or use breasts if you like, just note the cook times will be different – more like 15-20 minutes, rather than 30-35 minutes.

The Prep

Chicken might be the star of the show, but the supporting cast is no less impressive when seasoned with lemon, pepper and salt, roasted until tender. The first step is to thoroughly dry your chicken pieces and give them an even sprinkle of salt, pepper and lemon zest. Set them aside while we prep the veggies. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Chop the potatoes into roughly 1″ cubes; the carrots into 2″ pieces. We will halve the onions and slice the halves into wide strips. The garlic cloves get a smash and rough chop. Slice the lemons into thick wheels. Set the lemons aside until we have the veggies on the sheet pan.

Pro Prep Tip

I want to mention my trick for easy, tidy veggie prep. Keeping your prep station organized and clean makes prepping smooth and efficient. I place a thick dish towel under my cutting board; with a section of the towel exposed above, and the length of it hanging below. Just-washed veggies go on the top part of my towel to drip dry and keep my board dry and uncluttered. The length below allows me to dry my hands and knife after rinsing between veggies. If I need to rinse my board between veggies, I rinse and replace it, wet side down.

The Mix

Now that our veggies are prepped, they get mixed with the olive oil and seasonings in a large container or bowl. This ensures everything gets an even coating before they hit the sheet pan. I have 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons thyme. Adjust these ratios to your taste.

The reason I use my 12-quart Cambro to mix this is because of the spinach. I have half a bag of spinach, about 6 ounces. I want to mix the other veggies with the oil and seasonings before I add the spinach to the mix because I don’t want to bruise the spinach too much in the mixing process. My Cambro is the biggest bowl-like thing I have! If your bowl isn’t large enough you can certainly add the spinach in batches.

Gently toss with the spinach, then pour out onto your sheet pan. Lay the lemon slices on top of the veggies and the chicken thighs on top of that. Add more lemon zest over the top of everything and pop the sheet tray in the oven for 30 minutes.

Check the temp of the chicken at the 30 minute mark and if the temp is at 165, pull it out and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. If it’s not at 165, then keep checking every 5 minutes or so until it is.

The onions, lemons and carrots get a beautiful caramelization! If you want more substantial greens with this, try Dinosaur Kale, Chard or mustard greens instead of spinach. Personally, I like how the spinach gets crispy, like thin kale chips; they add a nice textural difference. Plus they are salty and full of flavor!

Plate it up!

Plate a generous helping of the veggies and set a chicken thigh on top. Make sure each portion gets a lemon wheel and squeeze a little lemon juice over the whole thing, if you like. Top with some chopped parsley too!

Sunday Supper

I hope you have enjoyed this first Sunday Supper – and that you try this Lemon Pepper Sheet Pan Chicken! I think my favorite aspect of a one pan meal like this, done on a Sunday, is that it sets you up for the week with leftovers. Unless, of course you’re feeding a family of four. But if you’re not, it’s great to not have to think about what to make on Monday! Not only that, but if you’re into meal prep, this type of recipe is a great way to portion up meals for the week ahead.

Remember you can find me on Pinterest, Instagram and facebook too! And if you’re looking for another great Sunday Supper, try my Red Wine Braised Short Ribs! Thanks again and have a wonderful Sunday! xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Lemon Pepper Sheet Pan Chicken

(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 15-20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 30-40 Minutes – Total Time: 1 Hour

An easy one-pan dinner, this recipe is full of zippy, fresh lemon flavor; mellowed by the creamy roasted potatoes, sweet onions and carrots.

Ingredients

• 4-6 Chicken Pieces (Thighs, Drumsticks or Breasts) * Note the cook time difference if using breasts. Plan for about 10 minutes less
• 4-5 Medium Potatoes, 1" cubes
• 5-7 Small to Medium Carrots, 2" pieces
• 1 Medium Onion, halved and cut into strips
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves, smashed and rough chopped
• 6 oz. or half a bag of Fresh Spinach
• 3 Lemons: zest of 1 Lemon and 2 other Lemons sliced into wheels
• 3-4 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp. Salt + more to taste
• 2 tsp. Dried or Fresh Thyme

Instructions

1

Thoroughly dry your chicken pieces and give them an even sprinkle of salt, pepper and lemon zest.

2

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

3

Chop the potatoes into roughly 1" cubes; the carrots into 2" pieces. Halve the onions and slice the halves into wide strips.

4

The garlic cloves get a smash and rough chop.

5

Slice the lemons into thick wheels and set the lemon slices aside until we have the veggies on the sheet pan.

6

In a very large bowl or container, mix the olive oil and seasonings with the veggies, adding the spinach at the end. Gently toss to coat the spinach and pour veggie mix onto a sheet pan.

7

Top with lemon wheels, then top with chicken pieces. Sprinkle more lemon zest over top.

8

Bake for 30-35 minutes, check the temperature of the chicken, it's done when the thermometer reads 165. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.