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!
Oh wow, this was tasty. Truly surprised me how flavorful and yummy it was. We didn’t have parsley so subbed dry rosemary. YUM.
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Love this simple delicious recipe! The flavor was amazing and my whole family loved it.
So happy to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
This is easy to make and the chicken especially has a delicious flavor! I cook the green beans on a separate cookie sheet because we like a lot of veggies.
This is a simple go- to dinner we all enjoy.
So glad you like this one! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Delicious and healthy and easy and 1 pan to clean up? That’s a hit!
Win win win! So glad you liked this recipe, thanks for leaving a comment!
Sooo delicious! I cooked the pan on another sheet because I was making a lot and I’m glad I did because there was a lot of liquid from the chicken. The chicken was outstanding!!!!
When roasting veggies I also season them and cover them with oil in a bowl because I think it spreads the oil and seasoning more evenly.
The entire family loved it!
So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and a review, it means a lot!
Maryann Turlington I’m not sure how Rachael felt after reading your review, however… I am assuming RGN is short for Regional District Nurse? If this is correct, I find it difficult to believe that you have the audacity to preach about nutritional content or obesity for that matter. It seems to me that people in your profession are alarmingly and surprisingly in the majority when it comes to eating poorly. The pandemic has put a fair amount of you on the silver screen, from all over the globe and let it be said that very few, if any, appear to be eating healthily. Obesity seems rife in your profession and it seems unfair that you would focus your negativity on Rachael’s dishes. It would fit you better to eat well balanced meals, such as she suggests, perhaps after a few months, you’ll be in the position to comment. Perhaps giving nutritional advice to your colleagues would be more beneficial.
Absolutely delicious! Flavour bomb in every bite – YUM! For someone who doesn’t look forward to eating chicken, this blew my mind and had me going back for more. Cannot wait to make again. Roasted carrots and brussel sprouts were perfect additions (in lieu of green beans, which my husband and I do not enjoy).
Your comment brought a smile to my face! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a review, it means a lot!
Thanks for a great recipe and cooking method. I subbed rosemary and little celery seed for the parsley (I knew I forgot something at the store!). Great meal.
So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for leaving a comment!
It was really delicious and very easy to make. My only question is why did I get so much liquid from the chicken as it was cooking? I used boneless/skinless chicken thighs and no additional liquids in the recipe, but the entire sheet pan was almost filled with the chicken juice that it made the potatoes really soggy.
Hmm, that’s a bummer! I think it kind of depends on the kind of chicken you buy, to be honest. If you want to, next time you could use two separate pans.
Do you use fresh parsley or dried in your recipe? I didn’t see anywhere that said one way or another. (Maybe I just missed it.)
Fresh! :)