Name: One Sheet Pesto Chicken and Veggies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 5 lb trimmed boneless chicken thighs; 1 large zucchini (cubed); 1 large yellow squash (cubed); 1 large eggplant (cubed); 1 yellow pepper (cubed); 1 red pepper (cubed); 1 red onion (cubed); 5 cloves garlic; 1 bunch green onion (chopped); 1 packed cup basil; 1 packed cup spinach; 1 shallot; 1/4 cup nutritional yeast; 1/3 cup cashews; 1/3 cup walnuts (or all cashews); juice of 2 lemons; 2/3 cup olive oil

Load up on your veggies and protein with this delicious One Sheet Pesto Chicken and Veggies recipe. It's simple to prepare, tastes delicious, and gives your body loads of nutrients!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Recipe Name: One Sheet Pesto Chicken and Veggies
Ready In: 55 minutes
Serves: 8 servings
Main Ingredients: trimmed boneless chicken thighs, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, yellow pepper, red pepper, red onion, Pesto
Why You'll Love It: Load up on your veggies and protein with this delicious One Sheet Pesto Chicken and Veggies recipe. It's simple to prepare, tastes delicious, and gives your body loads of nutrients!

A simple one sheet recipe

Chicken and veggies are a classic combo, but sometimes you need to mix up the flavor a bit. Enter: pesto! This one sheet pesto chicken and veggies dish makes dinner simple, and it leaves you with only one pan to clean up! Plus it tastes great, making it a win-win.

To make this dish, we'll be using chicken thighs along with a rainbow of veggies. Then, we'll top it all off with a delicious homemade pesto created with garlic, green onion, basil, spinach, shallots, cashews, and more!

Ingredients in one sheet pesto chicken and veggies

This one sheet chicken recipe has two sets of ingredients: the main dish (chicken and veggies) and the pesto! Keep reading to see how you can mix and match the veggies to your liking.

Main Dish

Chicken thighs: First up, you'll need 5 lbs of trimmed, boneless chicken thighs.
Veggies: Then, you'll need some veggies! Use 1 large of each of the following, cut into cubes before adding to the pan: zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, and red onion.

Pesto

Garlic: First up for the pesto is 5 cloves of garlic! If using powder, use 1 and ¼ tsp.
Green onion: Next, add flavor with 1 bunch of chopped green onion.
Basil: 1 packed cup of basil adds so much to the final taste!
Spinach: Include 1 packed cup of spinach to sneak in those greens.
Shallot: Throw in some oniony flavor with the addition of 1 shallot.
Nutritional yeast: ¼ cup of nutritional yeast makes a world of a difference!
Cashews: ⅓ cup of cashews work to thicken up the pesto while subtly contributing to the flavor.
Walnuts: Follow the cashews with ⅓ cup of walnuts, or, optionally use all cashews.
Lemon juice: Next, you need a bit of liquid to achieve the right consistency. For flavor, use the juice of 2 lemons.
Olive oil: Last but not least, include ⅔ cup of olive oil.

Tools needed to make this pesto chicken recipe

You'll need five main kitchen tools to make this chicken and veggies recipe. Before starting, gather a baking sheet, parchment paper, cutting board, chopping knife, and a high-speed blender.

To measure out the ingredients, you will need ⅓ cup, ⅔ cup, and 1 cup sized measuring cups.

How to make one sheet pesto chicken and veggies

This recipe is simple! Essentially, it involves cutting the veggies, mixing the pesto ingredients, and then assembling everything on a pan!

To begin, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare the chicken and veggies by trimming and chopping as needed. Lay the veggies on the parchment paper and then place the chicken thighs on top.

In a high-speed blender, blend the pesto ingredients. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. If the mixture is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water until the blending continues.

Pour the pesto on top of the chicken and veggies, and then use your hands to toss everything. Make sure each piece is fully coated, and then make sure all of the chicken pieces are on top of the veggies. Transfer to the oven.

Bake for 32-35 minutes, or until the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Additional vegetable options

When it comes to veggie-heavy dishes like this, the ingredient lists are pretty flexible. In fact, this makes the perfect meal for clearing out your fridge, as you can pretty much throw in any type of veggie! In addition to those listed in the ingredients above, feel free to use or substitute with any of the following:

Tomatoes
White Onion
Yellow onion
Green bell pepper
Carrots
Potatoes

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

Do you love one-pan dinners? They make cooking and cleaning up such a breeze! Here are some more meals you can make in one dish.

Photos by Moriah Sawtelle and recipe by Erin Antoniak.

Erin Antoniak