Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken & Chickpeas

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A roasted chicken thigh sits on a bed of roasted chickpeas and tomatoes on a white plate. The entire portion is coated in an amber-colored sauce and is garnished with chopped, fresh parsley.

I cannot say enough about this easy sheet pan dinner. 

No, really. I just love it.

The amber-colored marinade sits in a small, clear mixing bowl. It's surrounded by other small bowls filled with fresh, cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley sprigs and whole chickpeas.

This is a healthy, make-ahead recipe that uses just a few inexpensive ingredients. Once you put everything together, all that’s required is just a few hours for the ingredients to marinate and the result is a hearty, no-fuss meal that’s packed with flavor.

It’s also a versatile recipe and if you wanted to throw in some other vegetables, like zucchini, fresh corn or diced butternut squash, you most certainly could. You could also omit the meat entirely and mix in more veggies and it would become a satisfying vegetarian main dish.

Fresh chicken thighs, chickpeas, whole cherry tomatoes and parsley are coated with the marinade in a large resealable bowl, ready to chill for at least two hours.

I came across this recipe around a year ago in a Redbook magazine and it was the picture of the dish that immediately caught and held my eye. This meal boasts some pretty amazing color when it comes out of the oven!

Plus, I have a serious weakness for the smoky spices (especially smoked paprika!), and I couldn’t wait to give it a try after I read though the recipe. As it was written, the recipe immediately peaked my interest and my tummy, but ultimately I made a few changes to better suit our tastebuds.

The original recipe called for four cloves of garlic, and that turned out to be an overpowering garlic experience for us the first time I made this dish. Seriously, even hours after we ate we all had major garlic breath…it wasn’t pretty, y’all. But, it was pretty darn funny.

Needless to say, we didn’t have any vampires invade our home that night…bleh, bleh, bleh!

However, I still loved the idea of this sheet pan dinner and all it’s amazing flavor, so I tried it again a few days later with a few tweaks. I reduced the amount of garlic down to a much tamer single large clove and that worked out much better for us. Also, the original recipe doesn’t call for it, but I added in a few tablespoons of lime juice to the marinade. I think a little pop of citrus compliments all the rich, smoky spices, earthy chickpeas, and the sweet cherry tomatoes. This recipe has been a steady hit since we balanced out the flavors to suit our personal taste.

I’m definitely planning to post more make-ahead sheet pan dinners here on the blog as they have become one of my favorite dinnertime short cuts.  I hope you all enjoy this one too.  xoxo-M

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Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken & Chickpeas

Recipe by Marcelle at A Little Fish in the Kitchen Course: Fall Favorites, gluten-free, poultryCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

45

minutes

Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken and Chickpeas is a healthy, make-ahead recipe that requires just a few inexpensive ingredients. This sheet pan supper is packed with flavor and it’s pretty easy on the eyes to, this meal boasts some pretty amazing color when it comes out of the oven!

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 large clove garlic, minced

  • 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley or cilantro, coarse chopped

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1 tablespoon paprika

  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (to taste)

  • 1-1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 2-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any excess fat

  • 2 cans (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed

  • extra chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions

  • In a small bowl, mix together the oil, paprika, garlic, parsley, cumin, red pepper, salt, black pepper and lime juice. Fold in the fresh herbs and set marinade aside. Β 
  • Place the whole trimmed chicken pieces, chickpeas, and tomatoes together in a large resealable bowl. Pour marinade over the chicken and vegetables. Toss all ingredients with marinade and make sure everything is well-coated. Cover bowl and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, but it can marinate for several hours or overnight if you prefer. Β 
  • When you are ready to cook it, pre-heat the oven to 450Β°. Pour the contents of the bowl onto a large sheet pan and spread the chicken and vegetables out as evenly as possible. (I always try to scoot any veggies out from underneath the chicken thighs so that the meat is touching the pan. I believe every ingredient will cook more consistently if they’re all in one even layer on the pan) Β 
  • Place sheet pan in the oven and roast for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Β 
  • Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 

8 Comments

  1. Thank you, Grace! I hope you enjoy it! πŸ™‚

  2. I hope you all like it, David! Thank you!! πŸ™‚

  3. What a nice dish — great combo of flavors. And you're right — it's pretty! And pretty healthy, too. Good stuff — thanks.

  4. love a sheet pan supper and this one has two components i always have on hand and love to eat! πŸ™‚

  5. It looks really great, Marcelle – and you know me, I would just leave the garlic out or maybe switch to some shallots. The chickpeas really make it so healthy! We are really in a roasted chicken thigh stage these days, so this will get added to the rotation.

  6. Thank you, Angie! We've enjoyed it very much πŸ™‚

  7. I love it too and it's packed with healthy lean protein! A perfect dinner!

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