Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken & Veggies
This Sheet Pan Mexican Inspired Chicken & Veggies is a great all in one meal that is loaded with flavour. With a hands on prep of less than 10 minutes this will quickly become a family favourite for weeknight dinner. This delicious sheet pan meal is Whole30, Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
WHY YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS SHEET PAN MEXICAN CHICKEN & VEGGIES
- It’s a sheet pan meal which means it’s an all in one meal with minimal clean up! Perfect for those busy weeknights when you are short on time.
- It’s packed with so much flavour! The chicken and veggies are all coated in a delicious blend of mexican spices that have the perfect amount of warming heat. The creamy green sauce has a nice zesty kick.
- You can serve it on it’s own, or for a more kid friendly option add it into tortillas and serve alongside salsa or cheese.
- It takes just 30 minutes to make start to finish with only 15 minutes of hands on prep.
HOW TO MAKE THIS PALEO OR WHOLE30
Skip the black beans to make this recipe both paleo and Whole30. If you are following the specific carbohydrate diet be sure to use dried black beans which have been soaked in water overnight before adding them to the sheet pan.
HOW TO SERVE THIS MEXICAN CHICKEN & VEGGIES
I love serving this Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken and Veggies with a side of cauliflower rice (or rice) that can absorb all of the delicious spicy sauce from the bottom of the tray. Alternatively you can serve it with tortillas or lettuce cups that can be filled with the chicken and veggies and enjoyed as a taco.
WHAT ABOUT GARNISHES?
There is so much flavour in this Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken that I like simply serving it drizzled in the green sauce and with a few sprigs of cilantro. You can also serve the chicken and veggies with pico de gallo or salsa, guacamole or sliced avocado and for those who eat dairy, a dollop of sour cream or grated cheese.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS SHEET PAN MEXICAN CHICKEN
- Chicken – either thighs or breasts work
- Bell Peppers – I like using a combination of red and yellow to make this dish more colourful, but feel free to use any mix of red, orange, yellow or green.
- Jalapenos
- Red onions
- Black Beans – I use rinsed canned black beans. If you are using dried black beans (for the specific carbohydrate diet) soak
- Limes – I like including 5 or 6 lime wedges with the veggies and baking them in the oven and using the remaining wedges as garnish when serving
- Cumin
- Paprika – I like using smoked paprika in Mexican dishes, but sweet or hot paprika can also be used
- Oregano – Mexican oregano has a hint of citrus whereas regular oregano has minty undertones. Ideally Mexican oregano should be used but regular works too.
HOW TO MAKE THIS DISH EXTRA SPICY
The quantity of ingredients listed in this recipe will make a medium spice dish but the heat level can easily be reduced or amped up depending on your taste. I would recommend only using 2 tsp of chili powder and removing the seeds from the jalapeño if you don’t like spice or are serving this to children. Alternatively if you prefer tingly lips and runny nose heat, use 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp of chili powder and 2 thinly sliced jalapeños with the seeds still attached.
WHAT CUT OF CHICKEN IS BEST
I prefer using chicken thighs for this recipe because they remain super moist when cooked and have more flavour than breasts. If using chicken thighs with the bone in, I would recommend increasing the cook time by 10 minutes and using a meat thermometer to ensure they have an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If using chicken breasts you may have to cook them for 5 minutes longer if they are larger in size.
WAYS TO SWITCH UP THE INGREDIENTS
Feel free to add in other veggies such as diced mushrooms, broccoli florets or cubes pieces of sweet potato or butternut squash. I like using red onions for their slightly sweeter flavour and vibrant colour, but yellow onions can also be used. If you are a vegetarian you can replace the chicken with large portobello mushrooms which become quite “meaty” when baked in the oven and brushed with spices.
WHAT SIZE BAKING SHEET SHOULD I USE
I recommend using a 12 x 17 inch size baking sheet. You never want to overcrowd a baking sheet because this will prevent the veggies and meat from browning and instead make them mushy. You can always use a sheet pan larger in size but don’t use one that is smaller, instead I recommend dividing the veggies between two sheet pans so that they can be spread out evenly.
WHAT’S IN THE GREEN SAUCE?
I could drink this green sauce with a straw, it’s so good! In a blender or food processor simply combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, cilantro, garlic and scallions and blend until smooth. Feel free to make it spicy by adding in a jalapeno or giving it a zestier kick with more lime juice.
CAN I MAKE THIS IN ADVANCE?
Yes definitely! You can make the green sauce up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge. All of the veggies and chicken can be cooked a day in advance and simply reheated right before serving. I recommend reheating the tray by placing it in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes until everything is warmed through.
WHAT ABOUT LEFTOVERS
Leftovers will last for up to 3 days in the fridge. I love chopping them up and adding them into a salad and using any leftover green sauce as a dressing. You can freeze the cooked veggies and chicken for up to 3 months and reheat it in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop.
Here are a few other sheet pan recipes that you might enjoy:
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken
- Salmon Nicoise Traybake
- Sheet Pan Chicken Piccata
- Spanish Chicken & Chorizo Traybake
- Summer Sheet Pan Frittata
- Sheet Pan Moroccan Chicken
- Salmon Teriyaki Traybake
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 large Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper cut into strips
- 1 large Red Bell Pepper cut into strips
- 1 Red Onion thinly sliced
- 1 Jalapeno thinly sliced
- 1 Lime cut into wedges
- 1/3 cup Black Beans (optional)
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Lime juice
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 6 chicken thighs or 3 chicken breasts cut in half
Green Sauce
- 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
- 1/4 cup Cilantro
- 3 Scallions
- 1 Clove Garlic
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
- Place the sliced bell peppers, red onion, jalapeno, lime wedges and black beans on a 10 x 17 inch baking tray.
- In a bowl whisk together the olive oil, crushed garlic, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Pour half of the sauce over the veggies on the baking tray and and toss them to ensure that they are all well coated. Arrange the veggies in a single layer on the tray and place the chicken thighs between the veggies. Brush the remaining sauce over each of the pieces of chicken.
- Place the tray in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking make the green sauce. In a blender combine the mayonnaise, cilantro, scallions, garlic and lime juice. Blend until smooth.
- Once the chicken and veggies are done cooking, garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges before serving.
Nutrition
Ain’t no way you’ve used 6 chicken thighs and this is only 3g protein per serving? 1 thigh is about 28g. 28×6 = 167 divided by 4 servings = 42g per serving.
Despite the wonky nutrition info, it’s tasty! 🙂
Recipe is amazing !!! However instead of using one bowl and splitting the spices in half for chicken and veggies, I make two bowls and use one entire one for the chicken , and half of the other one for veggies(a little more than half if needed )! The dish is sooo tasty with plenty of spices that way. I also add a little extra beans.
Also the green sauce is really the cherry on top it is soooo good. Sometimes if the scallions are too branchy 3 might be too much and make it bitter , I use 2 scallions instead sometimes. Wonderful dish my Mexican husband said it was like takeout.
Absolutely delicious! Beat part was how simple and quick it was to make!
Fantastic recipe! I have to follow the highly restrictive diet recommended for kidney disease , and had begun to weigh the last 74 years of avid cooking against a year or two of extra existence. Then I came across your web site and realized I didn’t have to make a choice. Mexican chicken needed no tweaking except for omitting the bit of salt. Neither my husband nor I missed the salt at all and the recipe was delicious. I’m going to try many of your healthy recipes with the few adjustments I’ll have to make to stay within my limits.
Thank you so much. and I hope other CKD people will find your site.
Fantastic recipe. I use shallots instead of scallions for personal taste. Everyone loved it.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was very delicious. My husband said he would have this instead when he felt like some nachos. I used 2/3 of the amount of spices because I only had 2 pieces of chicken breasts, and added mushroom pieces, sugar snaps, cherry tomatoes, broccoli stems and olives near the end, and it was still very tasty even with the extra vegetables. I also just used yoghurt instead of making the sauce and got away with it.
The Mexican chicken and vegetables and green sauce were absolutely delicious!! I was concerned it might be too spicy but it was just right. My husband also loved it. I wonder what else to use the green sauce on. It was so good.
My husband said “try more recipes from your site” and I will.
This was so easy and delicious!
I always love the recipes from both the website and cookbook. This was a new one to add to our regular rotation.
Hi, it looks nice and delicious, as a food lover I love to try new dishes. I always prefer to eat healthy food and take a proper diet to fit and healthy. The ingredients of the dish sound perfect for a healthy diet. Thanks for sharing it.
This was SO GOOD! Very quick & easy to make. Also don’t skip out on the green sauce – I almost did due to laziness but it was really easy and made the dish pop. Will be making this again!