One dish is all it takes to create this spice-rubbed sheet pan chicken dinner. Easy to make, even easier to clean up, with delicious results.
The world of meat cookery can often be a complex place. Overnight marinades. Extended waits while the grill heats up. Smoking a brisket for 16 hours. You get the drift. When the opportunity presents itself to create an uber tasty all-in-one meal with barely any prep time, you take it! It’s all about balance, really.
Sheet pan dinners are a great solution to those who are adverse to effort. It’s a one pan/dish meal that can be set and left to it’s own devices in the oven. You can also recreate this recipe easily in a smoker or pellet grill, for another layer of flavor. For this sheet pan chicken dinner recipe I used a whole chicken, because I like giving my diners the option of white or dark meat. To save yourself even more time, you could just substitute the whole chicken for thigh pieces, which stay nice and juicy while roasting.
Recommended equipment:
Gerber kitchen shears: These shears are essential if you plan to break down a whole chicken. They make the job far easier and less perilous if you’re not confident with a chef’s knife. They come apart easily for cleaning, which means you can get into all the tough areas to ensure they are thoroughly cleaned and sterile.
Hardcore Carnivore Red: this is the rub I used on my chicken. No surprises there, considering it’s my own brand! You can use any preferred rub for this recipe, but I do recommend something that has a lovely bright Red color to help with final appearance.
Spice-Rubbed Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (see note 1)
3–5 golden beets
1 red onion
1 head cauliflower
3–5 red potatoes
2 heads garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tablespoon Hardcore Carnivore Red seasoning plus extra
3–4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 450f.
- Prepare the vegetables. Trim the cauliflower head into florets. Skin and slice the onion into wedges. Peel and slice the potato and beets into thirds or quarters.
- Remove and discard the giblets and neck, from the cavity of the chicken, the pat dry with a paper towel. Use shears to remove the backbone, then cut the chicken into quarters.
- In a large bowl, place the cut vegetables and chicken pieces. Add the oil, red pepper flakes, Red seasoning and salt. Toss to combine and coat well. Pour everything out onto a sheet pan (half sheet is recommended), and spread out evenly.
- Place the sheet pan into the oven and cook for 45-55 minutes, until the chicken has reached 165f at the thickest part.
Notes
Note 1: If you prefer not to break down a chicken, you can substitute the whole for chicken quarters or thighs.
