Dinner’s Taken Care Of With Sheet Pan Honey Roasted Chicken Thighs

I will take any opportunity to incorporate fruit into a savory recipe. Roasting apple slices is such an underrated move—they cook down beautifully, releasing a sweet, subtly sour flavor and taking on an irresistibly soft, tender texture. 

In this sheet pan wonder, chicken thighs are roasted in a hot oven over a bed of apple slices, shallots, waxy potatoes, and fresh thyme. The results are veggies coated in a luxurious layer of schmaltzy gold and tender chicken thighs with golden brown, crackly skin.

When to Serve Honey Roasted Chicken Thighs

Intimidated by roasting a whole chicken? I hear that. Starting smaller with chicken thighs is a great way to practice your poultry cookery without having to sweat through preparing a whole bird.

While this chicken dish can serve as an easy sheet pan centerpiece for your Rosh Hashanah celebrations (hello, apples and honey), it can also double as a humble, autumnal weeknight dinner. 

The beauty of this dish is that it’s the whole meal. You’ve got protein, starch, and some fresh produce all cooking on the same sheet pan and coated in a garlicky, sweet sauce. If you wanted to prepare a simple salad to go alongside, I’m certainly not going to stop you, but it is not required.

Tips for the Ultimate Roasted Chicken

If you have the foresight, I would recommend letting the chicken thighs sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours in the fridge so it can really soak up the honey, lemon juice, and garlic. But if 15 minutes is all you have, that will do the trick.

The downside to cooking with skin-on chicken is that you only have one real opportunity to enjoy that crispy, crackly skin, and that moment is when it’s coming right out of the oven. If you plan to enjoy leftovers, I wouldn’t count on crispy skin (the horror, I know!).

Can I Make This With Chicken Breasts?

The benefit of using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs is that the skin will release chicken fat (schmaltz) while cooking, making the bed of potatoes, apples, and shallots below it that much more delicious. Thighs are also dark meat, which means they are fattier and more flavorful. 

If you want to substitute breasts, I recommend sticking to bone-in and skin-on if possible. The chicken may need to cook for longer, depending on its size and thickness. You can also swap for drumsticks.

More Easy Sheet Pan Dinners

• Sheet Pan Shrimp and Asparagus
• Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken with Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Capers
• Honey Mustard Sheet Pan Pork Chops
• Sheet Pan Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
• Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli With Miso Butter

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat.

Marinate the chicken:

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil and the honey, lemon juice, garlic, and thyme. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes on the countertop or up to 8 hours in the fridge.

Roast the potatoes:

On a large baking sheet, toss the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until slightly tender and lightly browned, 25 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients:

Remove the potatoes from the oven and spread the shallot and apple slices around the potatoes. 

Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it skin-side down atop the potato and apple mixture. Season the bottom of the thighs with salt and pepper. Flip the thighs so they’re skin side up and season the skin side with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the excess marinade over chicken, apples, and shallots, tossing to coat, while ensuring that the chicken is still sitting skin-side up and on top of the produce. Season the shallots and apples with salt and pepper.

Roast until the chicken is crispy:

Return the pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and registers an internal temperature of 165°F, the skin is golden brown, and the apples and shallots have softened slightly, another 30 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately.

Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

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