This greek sheet pan chicken thighs and vegetables recipe is a quick, healthy and delicious dinner option for people who want to enjoy mediterranean flavors at home. The chicken thighs and vegetables are marinated in an olive oil, thyme, lemon and garlic marinade before being baked in the oven. Tangy feta cheese gets crumbled over the top for a super tasty and easy dinner that will have you begging for more!
Why Serve Greek Sheet Pan Chicken thighs?
Well if ‘quick, healthy and delicious‘ didn’t convince you, how about the fact that you can use whatever vegetables that you have on hand? Or that you can serve a large family or group all on one sheet pan? Sheet pan greek chicken is a very versatile recipe, and can be easily adapted for any home cook.
I personally love this recipe because it takes minimal effort while yielding spectacular results! I mean, who doesn’t love a zesty mediterranean diet chicken recipe?!
What Makes This Healthy?
This is an easy mediterranean diet dinner recipe, that can also be enjoyed by anyone who wants to eat healthy without sacrificing flavor! Check out the benefits of these ingredients!
| Extra-Virgin Olive Oil | Extra-virgin olive oil is rich in the monounsaturated fat ‘oleic acid’ which may reduce inflammation in the body and may even have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer. It also contains many antioxidants which fight inflammation in the body and may decrease the risk of heart disease. |
| Lemon Juice | Lemon juice contains a fair amount of vitamin C, which is important for immune health. Vitamin C improves the absorption of non-heme iron, the type of iron found in plant foods. |
| Vinegar | Vinegar allows the body to be able to absorb more calcium, potassium and vitamins from food. It also contains a good amount of acetic acid, which boots digestive health. It also may help lower blood sugar levels. |
| Chicken Thighs | Iron and zinc are present in much higher volumes in dark meat than in white meat, and are both important for a healthy immune system. One typical sized chicken thigh without the skin will have around 28 grams of protein. |
| Thyme | Thyme has been studied for it’s anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant effects on the human body. Thyme contains thymol (a plant-based phenol) that is known to neutralize certain bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. |
| Garlic | Garlic is part of the allium family, along with onions. Similarly to onions, garlic contains antioxidants that improve oxidative damage from free radicals and may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. |
Chicken In Red Wine Sauce Recipe
Chicken in red wine sauce recipe is a delicious dish where hearty chicken is braised with wine, and a variety of vegetables and aromatics are added to the pot to enhance the flavor. The chicken is slow cooked on the stove top until the meat falls off the bone. It is similar to a traditional …
What Are Some Ingredient Substitutions For This Recipe?
I’m glad you asked! You all know me, I love giving you the freedom to use what you’ve got on hand. My recipes are merely the ‘muse‘ to your creative kitchen endeavors, so use what you’ve got and let me know in the comments how it turned out!
Ingredient Substitutions
| Chicken Thighs | Chicken Breasts. I will mention, though, that chicken thighs are less likely to dry out, so you don’t have to worry too much about over cooking them. Which can be beneficial if you are cooking veggies that take longer to cook. |
| Celery, Zucchini | Any vegetables that do well when roasted in the oven, such as yellow squash, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, cubed eggplant, cauliflower, parsnips, carrots, bell pepper. |
| Potatoes | Sweet potatoes, cubed butternut squash |
| Feta Cheese | Goat cheese, parmesan, mozzarella |
| Onion | Red onion, shallots |
Searing The Chicken Before Baking
In this recipe, there is an added step of searing the chicken prior to adding it to the baking sheet and finishing it in the oven. The reason why we do this is to briefly expose the chicken thighs to high heat in order to brown their surface, creating a tasty crust on the outside. Once that flavor is developed and we have transferred the chicken to the baking sheet, we deglaze the pan with some chicken broth.
All of that rich flavor that is held in the brown bits that are stuck to the pan releases, and you are left with a SUPER flavorful broth/sauce that tastes delicious when poured over the finished recipe.
Trust me, you DO NOT want to skip this part. (But if you HAVE to, you can technically just add the chicken to the baking sheet. I won’t tell. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.)
Make sure you don’t use a non-stick pan when searing the chicken! I recommend using a stainless steel pan or a cast iron dutch oven to do the trick. This is the one I use!
Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs And Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp olive oil to coat the pan
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes any variety of potato is fine
- 1 large zucchini, stem removed and chopped into cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- handful of feta cheese, crumbled
- thyme for garnish
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (water can also work, but will be less flavorful)
Ingredients For Marinade
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, rinds reserved
- 1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar
- 5 cloves peeled garlic, minced or pressed through garlic presser
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, stems removed and minced
- 1 tsp italian seasoning or dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp table salt or pink Himalayan salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
Make The Marinade
- Pour the olive oil into a medium sized bowl. Add the fresh squeezed lemon juice, wine vinegar, garlic, thyme, Italian seasoning and salt/pepper. Mix well.
- Save the lemon rinds from juicing for the baking sheet.
Marinade The Chicken
- Place the chicken thighs into a resealable bag. Pour over half of the marinade, reserving the other half. Close the bag and work the marinade into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinade in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, or overnight.
Cook:
- Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat a large stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp of olive oil (just enough to coat the pan) and move it around so it coats the entire bottom of the pan. Using tongs, add the marinaded chicken thighs to the hot pan. Allow them to cook on each side until beginning to turn golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
- Transfer the chicken to a parchment lined baking sheet. Immediately pour the chicken broth into the hot pan and turn the heat off. Using a wooden spoon, scrape off all of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Set the pan sauce aside.
- Toss the cubed potatoes, zucchini, onions and celery with the remaining olive oil marinade. Pour them onto the baking sheet around the chicken thighs. Add the reserved lemon rinds to the baking sheet.
- Cook until the chicken thighs are 165 degrees F, and the potatoes are cooked through, typically 35-40 minutes. When done, sprinkle the feta cheese over everything and garnish with thyme (optional).
- Plate the chicken and veggies, then pour the reserved pan sauce over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t use a non-stick pan to sear the chicken. We want bits of the chicken to stick to the pan to flavor it before we de-glaze it with chicken broth for the most flavor possible! A stainless-steel pan or a cast iron dutch oven is the best option for this step.
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