This Whole30 Chicken Thighs sheet pan dinner is an entire flavorful, healthy, and easy to make meal on one single sheet pan! Whole30 or not, make it tonight!
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you guys! I didn’t intentionally set out to create this as a Whole30 compliant recipe, but as I was developing the flavors and ingredients, I realized…hey, this is Whole30 compliant! I know January is a big month for Whole30, so I decided to get it out to you guys ASAP!
Regardless of if you’re doing a Whole30 or not (I’m not!), this recipe is a total winner. If you’re looking for more dinner inspiration, check out our list of easy Whole30 recipes!
And….it’s all made on one pan. That’s what I do best, you know? Avoiding extra dishes at all costs. Oh, and making good food.
About this Whole30 Chicken Thighs Sheet Pan Meal
The evolution of this recipe began with chicken thighs with a little fresh chimichurri on the top, but as much as I love chimichurri, sometimes it can be bold and overpowering. It also can appear intimidating to make, especially for our friends who aren’t as comfortable in the kitchen .
I thought why not take some of the flavors of a classic parsley and lemon chimichurri and make them into a little rub for the chicken? I also add Dijon and garlic powder to kick the flavors up a notch.
Putting the good stuff on as a rub and not as a sauce after the chicken has cooked allows the flavors to soak into the chicken as it cooks. Brilliant, huh?
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of fresh parsley just before serving brightens the dish and adds fresh flavor.
Recipe Tip
Love garlic? 1-2 cloves of minced garlic are great in this recipe in place of the garlic powder.
Not that it’s uncommon for me to do this, but I was definitely eating this for lunch on the day I photographed it. I’m not sure it was even noon. Sometimes I even sit on the floor of my studio and eat, but I think I waited to start eating until I was back downstairs and had put the stuff I wasn’t going to eat into the fridge.
I’m a bit of a crazy person about food safety, and by the time I finish photographing something, it’s about time for it to chill out in the fridge, you know?
This is a great meal for the meat and potato lovers in the crowd. The smashed potatoes get perfectly crispy on the outside, but are soft and silky on the inside.
Based on the popularity of my Parmesan roasted green beans, I thought they’d be a great vegetable to round this out and make it a complete meal. Add the beans part way through the cooking time. They don’t take long to cook at all and you don’t want to overcook them.
Recipe Tip
While the potatoes are cooking in the microwave, prep the parsley mixture/rub for the chicken and put the chicken on the sheet pan (don’t forget to preheat your oven!). While the potatoes and chicken cook in the oven, you’ll have plenty of time to prep the green beans. I know the recipe looks long and complicated at first glance, but it really is quite simple and quick.
More sheet pan dinners
If you love one pan dinners as much as we do, make sure to also check out these:
- Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner with Cabbage and Carrots
- Mini Turkey Meatloaves Sheet Pan Dinner
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Walnut Crusted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner
- Crispy Chicken Thighs with Dijon and Dill
- Apple Gouda Stuffed Chicken with Smoky Sweet Potatoes
- Hasselback Chicken with Spinach and Artichokes
Whole30 Chicken Thighs Sheet Pan Dinner with Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 1 pound baby yellow potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, more to taste
For the chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the green beans:
- 1/2 pound fresh green beans, washed and dried
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
To finish:
- Fresh lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Microwave potatoes in a microwave safe bowl, covered in water, for 8-10 minutes, or until fork tender but still firm (soft enough to smash/flatten). Let cool for 5 minutes and then carefully drain.
- Rub a little bit of olive oil on rimmed baking sheet and place potatoes onto oil. Carefully smash/flatten with a potato masher or a fork. Rub potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil (a brush also works well for this), and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken next to potatoes. In a small bowl, mix together parsley, olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto each chicken thigh with a spoon or your hands.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix green beans with olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove pan from oven and add green beans in a single layer, if possible.
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until beans and potatoes are cooked and internal temperature of chicken reaches 165ºF.
- If desired, broil for 3-4 minutes on high to brown potatoes and make them extra crispy. Watch carefully to prevent burning!
- Squeeze with lemon juice (as much or as little as you like, alternately, you could serve it with lemon wedges). Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Make sure to choose a Whole30 compliant Dijon mustard if following the Whole30 plan. Many contain white wine and/or sugar, so read your labels.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
We loved this! I modified it a bit by cooking the chicken on the grill (it is summer :). The lemon/parsley/dijon mustard sauce was SO GOOD on it still! This will definitely become a regular meal on the rotation for the family – thank you!
So glad to hear that! Great idea to do the chicken on the grill. We’ve been grilling everything we possibly can, too.
As a RDN, I have noticed that a large majority of your entrees are high in calories. With obesity/ overweight running at high rates, would it be possible to turn down the calories AND fat in your recipes?
Hi MaryAnn! I respect your feedback, but this is a complete meal (protein, starch, vegetable, fat) and is only 577 calories per serving. Three meals of this would put an individual under 1800 calories for the entire day, which is most definitely not too many. I do offer a variety of recipes on my site (over 1000!), and they can be sorted by special diet. I’m sure everyone can find something to love and to achieve their personal health goals.
Can boneless skinless chicken breast be used for this?
I haven’t tried it, but it should work! You may have to adjust cooking time slightly depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
I don’t think I’ve ever left a comment on a recipe, and I probably use an online recipe for 1-2 meals daily – this was just THAT GOOD!! For a simple, weeknight dinner, it packed in an insane amount of flavor and goodness. I didn’t have lemon zest, so used a squirt of lemon juice instead and had to use freeze dried herbs, which I imagine didn’t make much of a difference, but this will definitely be going into the normal rotation! Loved it and can’t wait to try more of your recipes. So excited for leftovers for lunch (it was insanely difficult to leave leftovers and not eat it all last night, but I’m sure glad I did!!!)
Wow, what high praise! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you like this recipe so much and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. It means a lot!
Delicious and very easy to make. My entire family including my two teenagers and a picky 10 year old. Slam dunk! Perfect amount of food for a hungry family of 5. Thank you!!
That’s the ultimate compliment! I’m so glad everyone liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
This was delicious loved it, definitely making it again and I shared the recipe with my family and friends ❤️
Thank you!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing the recipe, and thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
This looks great and I’m going to make it tonight! I wanted to let you know that this recipe isn’t actually Whole30 compliant using the Dijon mustard. Dijon mustard is made with white wine, so it’s not allowed. I’m just going to use a different mustard.
I hope you loved it! Many dijon mustards do contain white wine, but some don’t. This is the one I use. Maybe it’s not “true” dijon, but it gets the job done. :)
This was DELICIOUS! Thanks for the suggestion, Rachel.
Oh my gosh, you are QUICK! I’m so impressed. I’m glad you liked it! :)
This was so easy and so good. I made it for a friend with a newborn and she said her family gobbled it up, leaving no leftovers (and I even doubled it for her big family!)
looks really yummy
Thank you! We loved this one!