I've made you guys wait long enough. In my last post, we talked about the my all-purpose fresno chili sauce and you guys loved it. A lot of you pointed out that it was like peri-peri sauce. And you were of course 100% right on the money. I drew the inspiration from peri-peri chicken, which is, if you haven't tried it, amazing. My fresno chili sauce uses a more accessible fresno chili pepper, but don't be fooled. The sauce is every bit as good and packs a similar level of heat!
In fact, it's so good that I had to to use it to make a one and done sheet pan dinner, complete with marinated chicken and roasted veggies. I've started keeping chicken marinated in the fresno chili sauce ready to go in the freezer, portioned for quick meals on days when I'm just not able to spend much time making a meal. When it comes actually assembling the sheet pan dinner, I just cut some veggies- whatever you have in the fridge is the right veggie- and toss it all together.
The chicken definitely needs some time to marinate so I like to give myself at least 4 hours for the flavors to really develop. Ideally, I like to prep the chicken the day before, because the longer the chicken sits in the sauce, the better it becomes. I like to use bone-in chicken because even after it roasts at a high temperature, it still stays pretty moist. If you end up using breasts, you'll have to cut back the cook time for the chicken. Even more if they're boneless chicken breasts.
Another manna and spice pro-tip: you can also marinate this chicken and GRILL it. Yasss! Roast the veggies in the oven- or grill them- and throw that chicken on the grill, now that we're pretty close to bbq season. Just don't forget to brush the finished pieces with some of that reserved sauce, if you like spicer chicken. And serve the sauce as a side, if you're a spice seeking daredevil. But for me, mild or spicy, this chicken is me living my best life. Period.
Manna out. Spice is sticking around though.
Fresno Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 6-8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs or legs (You can use skinless if you prefer)
- ½ cup all-purpose fresno chili sauce + more sauce for brushing chicken and as a dipping sauce
- FOR THE VEGETABLES:
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and cut into large strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into large strips
- 1 orange bell pepper, cored and cut into large strips
- 2 sweet potatoes, washed and cut into wedges
- 2 onions, peeled and cut into eights (keep the root on, it keeps the onions intact)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
Instructions
- Wash and clean the chicken and pat dry. Toss the chicken in the fresno chili sauce and let marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Toss the veggies in olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Spread on a sheet pan in an even layer.
- Place pieces of chicken on the sheet pan with the veggies.
- Roast in the oven 40-45 mins, until chicken is completely cooked. If the chicken is burning, cover loosely with a piece of foil.
- Remove from oven and brush sauce on chicken if desired.
Notes
*Chicken can be marinated and frozen for up to 3 months. To cook, simply thaw and follow roasting directions.
**I've used both skin-on and skinless chicken and they're both equally delicious. The skin-on chicken is a little bit fattier but the skin crisps up and is delicious!
Heidi says
It’s delicious made it was on the dinner menu 2 weeks in a row!!
★★★★★
Sadiya says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Heidi!