One pan + 20 minutes + clean ingredients = a recipe winner in my book.
This dish is both wonderfully convenient and delicious. It’s one of my go-to meals for those busy weeknights when the minutes seem to fly by twice as fast. With this super easy, quick, and clean meal you’ll have time to make dinner and to enjoy a relaxing night at home. (Or time to catch up on that to-do list – more power to you!) From prep to clean-up, this dish can be wrapped up in just 30 minutes.
The best thing to me about this dish is just how many colors are mixing and mingling together. Red, green, yellow…this meal makes me happy just looking at it. So many colors and textures – yum! And you know what they say – eating foods in a variety of colors is an easy way to make sure your body is getting all the vitamins it needs. That whole ‘eat the rainbow’ trick you learned as a kid has some weight to it after all! Throw in some lean protein, like chicken, and you have one nutrition-packed pan.
20 minutes in the oven and this dish comes out with those perfectly charred vegetables and tender, juicy chicken. Now that is some weeknight magic!
What’s that? You’ve had chicken six times this week and just can’t bear to have it again? No problem. I’ve also made this dish with shrimp and it is just as delicious. Keep in mind, if you go with this substitute, shrimp cooks much faster than chicken. Season your shrimp in a separate bowl and then after the vegetables have a 15-minute head start in the oven, throw the shrimp into the pan for the last 5 minutes to roast.
One more great thing about this dish – I just can’t help myself. If you’re a gardener or a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), this is the perfect way to incorporate all the delicious produce available to you in the warmer months. Now that’s not to say you can’t make this dish any time of year, BUT is there really anything better than those summertime zucchinis? So tender with a hint of sweetness, they are definitely one of my favorites.
Side note – if you’ve never heard of a CSA, you have to check out if there’s one available near you. Fresh, local food picked during peak season and delivered to your doorstep, it just doesn’t get any better. Our wonderful CSA even includes recipe ideas to try with the produce provided in that week’s box – love it! And if you’re like me, and you sometimes need a gentle push to try some new vegetables, this is a great way to do it. (Who knew eggplant was so delicious??)
With a dish like this one, you can easily mix and match the vegetables that you have available to you. And change it up throughout the year! Simple recipes do not have to be boring. I love simple food and the flavor from in-season produce speaks for itself.
OK, back to the food.
At first glance, it may seem like a lot of chopping and prep work is involved for this recipe, but I promise it does not take long at all (especially if you can wrangle someone to help you ) But seriously, even if you’re prepping by yourself, 5-10 minutes max to get everything ready. Since we’ll be roasting everything in one pan, aim for similar sized pieces so it all cooks evenly.
One idea I always have in the back of my mind, but never seem to accomplish, is prepping for dishes like this during my Sunday meal-prep time. These ingredients can easily be chopped and stored in the fridge for a couple of nights until you’re ready to cook them. Someday I’ll get there…someday.
One last thing before we jump in, it may seem tempting to skip the very last step of drizzling lemon juice over everything, but don’t do it. That half of a lemon really works some magic in this recipe – it takes your already flavorful pan of food and just turns up the volume.
Let’s do this!
(Make this next: The Best Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber Salad Ever)
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup Brussels sprouts
- 2 medium zucchini, halved and cut into large pieces
- 3 bell peppers, cut into large pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (get it here)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- salt, black pepper to taste
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Preheat oven to 500ºF.
- Place the chicken, broccoli florets, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, bell peppers, red onion and garlic in a large rimmed roasting pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Toss to combine.
- Place the pan in the center of the oven.
- Roast, stirring once halfway through roasting, 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and veggies are charred.
- Remove from the oven, drizzle with lemon juice and serve.
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