Why It Works
- A zippy dressing of mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar does double duty as both a flavorful marinade and a glaze for the chicken thighs.
- Cooking the meal in two phases—baking, then broiling—prevents the croutons and asparagus from overcooking or burning, while giving the chicken time to brown.
- Frisée is hearty enough to stand up to the bold dressing and won’t wilt under the heat of the chicken.
As a recipe developer, I spend my days cooking, baking, and tasting. As much as I love my job, I’m ready to get out of the kitchen by six o’clock each day. This means I often rely on quick, simple, and, most importantly, dependable recipes for weeknight dinners. Sheet pan meals are a favorite, as they let the oven do most of the work and require just a few minutes of prep.
Recently, this easy chicken dinner has been a lifesaver: Juicy chicken thighs, crispy croutons, and tender, broiled asparagus are all cooked on a single baking sheet, then served over a bed of hearty frisée. A sweet, tangy salad dressing made with mustard, honey, vinegar, garlic, and oil serves double duty as a flavorful marinade, brushed on the chicken partway through cooking for extra flavor and a shiny finish.
Get More From Your Sheet Pan
While it’s tempting to throw everything on a sheet pan and hope for the best, there’s a more thoughtful approach to take. As Serious Eats editorial director, Daniel, wrote in his 10 Essential Rules for the Best Sheet Pan Dinners, “the act of orchestrating a more complex recipe on a single sheet pan requires a good deal of cooking intuition and technique.” Because different foods cook at different rates, preparing and assembling a delicious meal on a single sheet pan benefits from “a much greater degree of coordination, space management, and understanding of how different ingredients cook.”
With a bit of planning, you can have chicken that’s well-browned and juicy, croutons that are toasted but not burned, and tender asparagus that’s tender but not mushy. The key is to cook the meal in two different phases: I bake the chicken and croutons in a 450°F (230°C) oven until the bread is crisp and the chicken is cooked, then I swap the croutons out for fresh stalks of asparagus. The pan goes under the broiler, which provides just enough heat to brown the chicken and cook the asparagus until it’s sweet and tender.
Because the hottest areas of a sheet pan are around the edges, I arrange the chicken around the perimeter of the pan. Likewise, placing the cubed bread in the center prevents it from browning too quickly, though you’ll still need to flip the bread once to encourage even cooking. The same goes for the asparagus: Placing it in the center of the pan means it won’t overcook or burn before the chicken is done.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Getting the Chicken Right
In the first phase of cooking, the chicken is cooked to a safe internal temperature (165°F/74°C), and the croutons become golden and toasty, a process that takes approximately 15 minutes. The chicken is technically cooked at this stage, but for maximum flavor and browning, I flip the chicken thighs, glaze them, then place them under the broiler to continue cooking. As Serious Eats senior culinary editor Leah has noted, cooking your chicken thighs to 185 to 195°F (85 to 90°C) is actually “the key to peak tenderness.” The higher temperature breaks down collagen into gelatin, resulting in tender, juicy meat.
Reach for Hardy Greens
Frisée is hardy and slightly bitter, which allows it to stand up to the sweet, punchy dressing and won’t easily wilt under the heat of the cooked chicken. If you can’t find frisée, you can substitute other greens; a blend of hearty chicories, such as radicchio or endive, would work well. Though mixed greens are far more delicate than frisée or radicchio, they’ll work in a pinch, but keep in mind they’re far more delicate and likely to wilt. To avoid this, you can always place your chicken to the side of the salad, rather than on top.
Schmaltzy Croutons, Please
After the chicken and asparagus have been removed from the sheet pan, I like to briefly return the croutons to the pan and stir them around in the chicken juices—which gives them a nice savory flavor—before putting them on top of the salad.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
The One-Pan Chicken Dinner That’ll Save Your Weeknights
Cook Mode
(Keep screen awake)
For the Dressing:
1/4 cup stoneground mustard, such as Grey Poupon (2 ounces; 57 g)
3 tablespoons honey (1 1/2 ounces; 65 g)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar
2 medium cloves garlic (10 g), minced
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad:
1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, 4 to 6 thighs
3 cups crusty bread (6 ounces; 170 g), such as sourdough, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound (454 g) asparagus, ends trimmed
1 medium head frisée or mixed greens, washed and spun dry, cut or torn into large bite-sized pieces
For the Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt to combine. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking vigorously and constantly, until emulsified and creamy.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
In a large bowl, combine chicken thighs with 1/3 cup of dressing, tossing to evenly coat. (See notes.) Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Refrigerate the remaining dressing separately until ready to use.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
When ready to cook, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). On a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, arrange cubed bread in the center center. Drizzle bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil, tossing to evenly coat. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and arrange chicken thighs upside down around bread; reserve marinade for brushing. Lightly season bread and chicken with salt.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Bake, flipping bread once halfway through, until bread is crisp and chicken is cooked, brushing with reserved marinade halfway through, 15 to 17 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should register at least 165°F/74°C.)
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Using a kitchen towel or oven mitts, carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Adjust oven rack to upper third position, about 6 inches from the broiler. Heat broiler to high.
Using tongs, flip chicken and, using a pastry brush, brush top of chicken lightly with reserved dressing. Transfer croutons to a plate and arrange asparagus in a single layer in the center of the baking sheet. Drizzle remaining olive oil over asparagus, season with salt, and return baking sheet to oven. Broil, turning asparagus once halfway through, until chicken is well-browned and asparagus is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil while you dress the salad.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss frisée with enough reserved dressing to evenly coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into 1-inch thick pieces. Arrange on serving plates with salad and asparagus on the side. Return croutons to baking sheet and toss in pan juices, then garnish chicken, salad, and asparagus with croutons. Serve.
Serious Eats / Qi Ai
Special Equipment
13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, instant-read thermometer, pastry brush
Notes
Alternatively, chicken can be marinated in a zip-top bag. Place chicken and 1/3 cup dressing in a zip-top bag, seal, and massage chicken through plastic until evenly coated with dressing.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
