Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This colorful harvest chicken bowl is hearty and tasty, with so many of your favorite fall flavors! Tender roasted sweet potatoes, apples, and chicken are layered over greens with feta, cranberries, pepitas, and a sweet-and-tangy maple Dijon vinaigrette.
How long it takes: 55 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large sheet pan, mixing bowl, small bowl or jar
Servings: 4
Fall in a Bowl
I love the flavors of fall and this salad (I guess it’s kind of a cross between a salad and a bowl) has so many of my favorites. Sweet apples and sweet potatoes, tart cranberries, briny feta, savory chicken, and a bright, tangy dressing all come together for the perfect fall meal bowl!
As a bonus, it’s meal prep friendly. You can roast everything ahead, keep the dressing in the fridge, and assemble when you’re ready.
What makes it special:
- All your texture bases are covered: I think one of the things that makes meal bowls so irresistible is the contrasting textures. Here, you’ve got crisp, tender, creamy, chewy, and crunchy, so you get lots of variety in every bite.
- Meal-worthy salad: Some salads leave you hungry a few hours later, but this bowl is a proper dinner.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here’s what you’ll need, along with some helpful notes.
- Chicken breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breasts are easy to prep, they cook quickly, and their mild flavor works well with the other flavors in this bowl. Chicken breast meat is high in protein and low in calories.
- Sweet potatoes: Although sweet potatoes are available year round, they definitely have a fall vibe. It’s up to you whether to peel them or not, but make sure you cut them into evenly-sized pieces so they all cook at the same rate.
- Apple: Choose an apple that stays firm when it’s cooked. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Fuji apples hold up well to roasting.
- Red onion: Any sweet onion will work here, but I love the color of red onions in this sheet pan dinner.
- Olive oil + seasonings: I keep this sheet pan dinner easy with dried thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, seasonings that you likely have in your pantry. Olive oil helps the seasonings stick and encourages golden caramelization.
- Maple Dijon vinaigrette: To make the homemade vinaigrette, you’ll need olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
- Arugula or spinach: Arugula adds a peppery bite that works especially well here, while spinach is mild and tender. Other tender greens could be substituted, if you prefer, or you can skip the greens and use a cooked grain for the base.
- Toppings: Dried cranberries, feta cheese, and pepitas add the finishing touches to this meal bowl. You can get creative here and choose different dried fruit, cheese, or nuts, depending on what you have or like.
My Favorite Sheet Pans
I use these for everything! I have four of them and they’re in constant rotation from my oven to my sink to my cupboard.
How to Make Harvest Chicken bowls
Roast the vegetables. Preheat your oven to 425°F and lightly grease a large sheet pan. Prep the vegetables and apple. In a small bowl, stir together the thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the apple and veggies with a tablespoon of olive oil and half of the seasoning mixture (save the rest for the chicken). Spread the sweet potatoes, apples, and onions in an even layer onto the sheet pan, and roast for about 10 minutes. They take a little longer than the chicken to cook so this gives them a head start.
Season the chicken. While the vegetables roast, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add it to the same mixing bowl. Toss it with the remaining olive oil and seasoning mixture until coated.
Finish roasting. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the chicken to the pan, mixing it in with the vegetables. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Recipe Tip
Don’t overcrowd the pan! Spread everything out so it roasts instead of steams. If you get carried away with cutting up vegetables like I usually do, you may need to split the vegetables onto two pans.
Make the dressing. While everything cooks, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and salt in a small bowl, or shake everything together in a jar until it emulsifies.
Assemble the bowls. Divide the greens among 4 serving bowls. Top with the roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, apples, and onions. Sprinkle with dried cranberries and feta. Drizzle with the maple Dijon vinaigrette, and finish with pepitas. The meal bowl can be served immediately, or at room temperature.
Recipe Variations
- Add grains. Cooked grains such as quinoa, farro, or brown rice make these bowls even heartier. To keep things easy, I like to use a microwavable bag of pre-cooked grains.
- Layer in another fall favorite. Instead of arugula, consider shredded Brussels sprouts or massaged kale. You could also skip the greens and substitute a grain instead.
- Use chicken thighs. They take a little longer to cook, but they’re juicy and flavorful. Choose boneless skinless thighs so you can cut them up easily.
- Swap the cheese. Goat cheese would work well or try shaved Parmesan. Be aware that using a different kind of cheese can change the flavor of this meal bowl, especially if it’s an aged cheese which tends to have a stronger presence.
- Try different nuts or seeds. Toasted pecans or walnuts would also work well. You’ll find that toasting nuts and seeds enhances their flavor in an amazing way.
Serving Suggestions
Bread: Complete your meal by serving no knead whole wheat bread or a slice of a good, crusty baguette with your harvest chicken bowl. My healthy cornbread recipe is easy to make and it can bake while you prep the veggies. A pumpkin muffin or apple cider muffin would go well, too.
Soup: Although the harvest chicken bowl is a complete meal on its own, a cup of soup like kabocha squash soup or roasted butternut squash soup would be really nice with it.
Dessert: A fall-themed dessert such as apple spice cake, pumpkin bars (love the cream cheese frosting on these!), or warm pear crisp would be the perfect finale to a perfect dinner.
Refrigerate: Store the roasted vegetable and chicken mixture separately from the other ingredients to keep everything as fresh as possible. The different components will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. (Once you add the greens and vinaigrette, the bowls should be eaten within a day.)
Reheat: Warm the chicken and roasted vegetables before assembling the bowls. For bowls that have already been assembled, you can eat them cold or remove the chicken and veggies to reheat them separately.
Harvest Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
For Sheet Pan:
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- 1 large Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple (Fuji, Jonagold, Braeburn, or Pink Lady work well, too)
- ½ medium red onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
For Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For Bowls:
- 3 to 4 cups baby arugula (baby spinach or another tender green would work, too)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup toasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large rimmed sheet pan with oil or nonstick spray for easy clean up.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into ¾-inch cubes. Chop the apple into 1-inch pieces (no need to peel it). Cut the red onion into 1-inch pieces.1 pound sweet potatoes, 1 large Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple, ½ medium red onion
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, thyme, garlic powder, and black pepper.1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, apple, red onion, 1 tablespoon olive oil and half of the seasoning mixture. Stir to coat everything with the oil and seasoning, transfer it to sheet pan, and spread into an even layer. Roast for 10 minutes.
- While the vegetables roast, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about ½ to ¾-inch. Add the cut up chicken to the same bowl you used for the vegetables, and mix with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and seasonings.1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the chicken to the pan. Spread the chicken into an even layer, mixed in with the vegetables. Return to the oven and roast for 18 to 22 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165°F and sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon salt until combined.¼ cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Assemble the Bowls:
- Divide greens among bowls. Top with roasted sweet potatoes, apples, onion, and sliced chicken.3 to 4 cups baby arugula
- Sprinkle with dried cranberries and feta. Drizzle generously with maple Dijon vinaigrette. Top with pepitas.½ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, ¼ cup toasted pepitas
- Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Notes
- Add a grain: To make the bowls even more hearty, add a cooked grain such as quinoa, farro, or brown rice. To keep things easy, use a microwavable bag of pre-cooked grains. If you like, skip the greens and add grains instead.
- Vegetarian: Omit the chicken, and roast extra vegetables, or add a can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained) to the sheet pan for extra protein.
- Chicken: Don’t worry if you have a little less chicken. This recipe will work for 1 to 1 ½ pounds of chicken. You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs but since dark meat takes a little longer to cook, add the chicken to the pan right away with the vegetables and roast it the entire time.
- Storage: Store the chicken and vegetable mixture separately from the greens, vinaigrette, and toppings. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To serve, reheat the roasted chicken and vegetables in the microwave, assemble the meal bowls, and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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