Recipe: One-pan Balsamic Chicken Veggie Bake

AFS Education

We are going to find some secrets to help you better understand the process of realistic meal prepping for you busy individuals. All you need for this recipe is one pan, a knife, a cutting board, and 30 minutes.

If you want to take this recipe a bit further to make it easier on you, buy these vegetables pre-chopped and ready to rock. You can also exchange any of these vegetables for any of your favorites such as Brussel sprouts, edamame, cauliflower, etc.

ONE PAN BALSAMIC CHICKEN VEGGIE BAKE

INGREDIENTS

·       1 ¼ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, tenders or thighs (if large, cut in half)

·       3 small heads broccoli, chopped into pieces (about 4 cups)

·       3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into skinny sticks (about 1 ½ cups)**

·       2 cups button mushrooms, halved if large

·       1 small red onion, diced

·       ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes

·       ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar

·       1/8 cup avocado or olive oil

·       4 garlic cloves, finely minced

·       3-4 tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped + additional for topping

·       1 tsp. fresh thyme (1/2 tsp. dried)

·       ½ tsp sea salt

·       ¼ tsp pepper

·       Avocado (garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1.    Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

2.    Combine balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Whisk to make sauce.

3.    Place chicken in zip-lock bag with about ⅓ cup of the balsamic sauce. Toss and move chicken breast around to coat. Set in fridge (may marinate for longer period of time if you wish).

4.    Meanwhile, chop veggies. **for more tender carrots, cut into skinny sticks. If you like carrots with a little crunch, cut them to the size

5.    Place veggies, EXCEPT for tomatoes, on the sheet pan. Pour remaining balsamic sauce over veggies and toss veggies to coat. Make sure all pieces are coated.

6.    Remove chicken from zip-lock bag, move veggies around to make spaces for the chicken. Place chicken on pan.

7.    Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from oven and add tomatoes and toss veggies. Place back into the oven.

8.    Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. This will depend on the thickness of the chicken. For example, tenders or small chicken breasts (as shown in photos) will need to bake for 5-7 additional minutes. To ensure chicken is done, you could also use a meat thermometer. Once thermometer reaches 165 degrees, remove pan from oven.

9.    Top with chopped fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Serving size: 4 servings (chicken breast) Calories: 300 Fat: 10g Carbohydrates: 16g Sugar: 9g Fiber: 4g Protein: 36g