Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken Recipe - Evolving Table (2024)

Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken and Veggies is one of the best dinner recipes because it is so quick and easy to throw together on busy weeknights! Cubed potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus spears are tossed in a basil pesto sauce, roasted in the oven, and paired with juicy, tender, baked chicken breasts. It’s a healthy one pan dinner the whole family will love!

Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken and Veggies

In times of desperation I often find myself turning to sheet pan dinners and even breakfast recipes!

If you have not yet experienced the magic of baking your ENTIRE dinner on one pan, then your life is about the CHANGE.

From Sheet Pan Thai Chicken and Veggies, Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, and even this Sheet Pan Breakfast Hash and Eggs.. life is so much simpler when you only have one pan in the oven.

And not only is it super easy to throw it all together on the SAME pan…

But clean up is also an absolute breeze!

Sheet Pan Dinners

When baking all of your dinner ingredients on one pan in the oven, there’s a basic process you’ll want to follow.

Cook your sheet pan dinners by baking the ingredients that take the longest FIRST.

So in this case today, we’re working with cubed potatoes that generally take a longer time to cook, versus asparagus spears that are roasted and ready in under 15 minutes!

It also helps to change the size of your ingredients so they can cook at a similar rate.

• For sturdier vegetables that generally take longer to cook (i.e. root vegetables such as carrots, beets, or potatoes) you’ll want to cut them into smaller pieces.
• For more tender and delicate vegetables (i.e. squash, asparagus, broccoli) you can cut them into large pieces so they don’t get overcooked.

And while you can try to plop everything on the pan at once, it does help to incrementally add your ingredients. This ensures they all cook up and are perfectly crisp and tender at the same time.

Best Type of Pan

When making sheet pan dinners it’s essential that you have the right kind of pan in order to have the best results.

A large 13″ x 18″ baker’s half sheet pan is the best type to use. It’s large enough to fit all of your ingredients while not being too large that the ingredients in the middle of the pan have trouble crisping up.

You’ll also want to pay attention to the color and thickness of your sheet pan. Darker sheet pans tend to cook foods more quickly than lighter colored pans. While thicker and more insulated sheet pans take a bit longer to cook your food than thinner pans.

Ingredients

The ingredients and their substitutions you’ll see listed below are relatively easy to find at your local grocery store:

• Chicken – Organic chicken breasts are tenderized with a meat mallet and cut into similarly-sized 4-ounce portions.
• Pesto – A homemade basil pesto is recommended, but you may also use a canned pesto or a house-made pesto you find at your grocery store. If using something other than the homemade kind, you may want to adjust the amount of salt and pepper you add.
• Potatoes – Yukon gold, red, or russet potatoes can all be used interchangeably in this recipe.
• Tomatoes – Roasted cherry tomatoes or grape can be used since they are sturdy enough to withstand being baked in the oven and while not loosing their shape. Other varieties of tomatoes are not recommended since they have a lot of juices that will make your finished dish extremely watery.
• Asparagus – Thicker stalks of asparagus will take a little bit longer to cook than thinner spears and are better to use when roasting in the oven.
• Mozzarella – If possible, purchase a ball of fresh mozzarella for the most flavor. You can also use a container of mozzarella fresca that has been pre-sliced or shredded mozzarella.

How to Make

The process for making this sheet pan caprese chicken and veggies is similar to other one pan dinners. But be sure you pay close attention to what vegetables go on the pan and for how long!

Also, in order to simplify how many dishes you need to clean at the end of making this meal, we’ll be reusing the same bowl to toss all of our vegetables.

1. Preheat oven to 425 °F.
2. Toss cubed potatoes in pesto and salt in a large bowl.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread potatoes out in a single layer. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. (step 1 above)
4. Add tomato halves to the same bowl the potatoes were in along with olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic cloves. Toss to combine.
5. Toss the tomatoes with the potatoes on the sheet pan. Push all of the vegetables to the sides of the pan to make space in the center.
6. Place chicken breasts down the center of the baking sheet and top each chicken breast with pesto and a sprinkle of salt. (step 2 above)
7. Reduce oven temperature to 375°Fand return the pan to the oven for 20 minutes.
8. Add asparagus pieces to the large bowl along with oil, salt, pepper, and 1 clove crushed garlic. Toss to combine.
9. Spread out asparagus along the sides of the baking sheet with the other vegetables. Place one slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each chicken breast. (step 3 above)
10. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and asparagus is tender. (step 4 above)

Serving and Storing

This caprese chicken and vegetables tastes delicious when served with a drizzle of Balsamic Glaze and a sprinkle of fresh basil.

You can also purchase balsamic glaze at your grocery store if you do not have time to make it at home.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.

This dish also freeze quite well for up to 4-6 months. However, the tomatoes will have a slightly different texture when thawed.

Meal Prep Directions

One of the best things about this recipe is that it also makes an easy dinner to meal prep for the week.

You can chop all of your vegetables and toss them in their corresponding pesto or olive oil sauces. Store them separately in airtight containers for up to 2-3 days before cooking.

The chicken can also be tenderized, cut into 4-ounce portions, and stored with the basil pesto for up to 2-3 days.

When you’re ready to cook, simply follow the instructions as outlined below.

FAQs

Can I substitute some of the vegetables?

Yes. You can try substituting the red potatoes for Yukon gold or Russet, use broccoli instead of asparagus, or leave some of them out completely.

What if my sheet pan isn’t big enough?

If you don’t have a sheet pan that is at least 13″ x 18″ you may find that you run out of room for all of the ingredients. To work around this simply use 2 medium-sized sheet pans and divide your ingredients evenly between the two.