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    Sheet Pan Chicken and Brussels Sprouts

    Sep 21, 2017 · 45 Comments

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    Sheet Pan Chicken Breasts and Brussels Sprouts is gluten free low carb chicken recipe perfect for the Fall. Chicken breasts are marinated in the most delicious balsamic sauce that is infused with flavors from thyme, lemon, garlic and paprika!

    Sheet Pan Chicken with Brussels sprouts


    Sheet Pan Chicken Breasts with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon are cooked for 30 minutes in the oven with all the ingredients being tossed onto one baking sheet. Once this amazing dish goes into the oven – it fills your kitchen with the most incredible Fall aromas!

    Perfect sheet pan chicken dinner for busy weeknights and busy weekends too. This fall recipe is gluten free and low carb.

    Chicken Brussels Sprouts Ingredients

    • You will need 1.5 pound of chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs.
    • 1 pound of Brussels sprouts, halved.
    • 1 apple. I used Granny Smith apples and sliced them very THICK.
    • 5 Bacon strips, sliced into smaller pieces.

    Equipment

    You will need a relatively large baking sheet, such as this one with rolled edges and stainless steel oven safe cooling rack. Although it’s large, but at the same time it’s not too heavy. The rack that it comes with is really useful – you can use it to roast a whole chicken or duck too!

    Sheet Pan Chicken Breasts with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

    What kind of chicken works best

    Thick chicken breasts. Make sure you get thick chicken breasts. This is VERY IMPORTANT. If you use thin chicken breasts, it WILL turn out too dry – in that case reduce cooking time. 

    If your chicken breasts are thin, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to not cut it in quarters it at all – cook thin chicken breasts whole to avoid over-drying.

    Use chicken with no added liquids. Nowadays we have so much choice in everything and chicken is no exception. Chicken with no added liquids work best – some chickens out there are sold infused with the chicken broth – all that liquid will get released onto the pan when cooking and we don’t want that to happen.

    Use chicken with no injected liquids

    Air chilled chicken is the best choice here. That’s the kind I used in this recipe. The reason for using air-chilled chicken breasts is to avoid liquids that come with conventional chicken breasts that are always water chilled.

    Air chilled chickens are not processed through water chilling and will have no added liquids. I switched to air chilled chickens a couple of years ago and notice their availability more and more in the supermarkets.

    Until the switch, I didn’t realize that here in America, U.S. poultry industry uses antimicrobial baths that can include chlorine to keep salmonella and other bacteria in check. In Europe, chlorine treatment was banned in the 1990s out of fear that it could cause cancer. Air-chilling chickens has been in use in Europe for decades and we are seeing this trend emerging here too.

    How to prepare chicken breasts

    Quarter your THICK chicken breasts by cutting each breast into 4 pieces and place the pieces them into a bowl or container with marinade. Marinate for 10-15 minutes while cutting up the veggies.

    Sheet Pan Chicken Breasts with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

    How to make balsamic marinade

    You will need a medium bowl or container to prepare the balsamic sauce. Blend ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of sea salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed, 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, stripped from the stem and juice of ½ fresh lemon.

    Blend with a whisk until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

    How long to marinate balsamic chicken

    I marinated the chicken breasts only for 5-10 minutes while cutting up Brussels sprouts and apples. You can marinate longer and even prepare them ahead of time by marinating the chicken breasts overnight.

    What herbs to use

    I used fresh thyme here, which needs to be stripped from the stem before mixing it with chicken or veggies. You can also place whole thyme sprigs on sheet pan chicken breasts to give it a bit of thyme flavor.

    What kind of apples work best

    • Make sure to use the right kind of apples here – those that hold their shape very well when cooking. Look through the comments and you will see that some readers had disappointing results when using wrong kinds of apples.
    • I recommend the following apple choices: Gala, Granny Smith, Michigan Russet, Golden Delicious, Baldwin, Cortland, and Idareds.
    • Do not use Red Delicious or Fuji – baking these will result into a mushy, overly-sweet mess.
    • Another important thing to remember is that apple needs to be cut up in thick slices. Apple slices will cook much faster than other elements of sheet pan chicken breasts and you want them to be sizable to get a good texture and not fall apart in the oven.
    Sheet Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

    How to prepare veggies

    It’s time to preheat oven at 375 F and start veggie prep.

    Cut up 1 pound of Brussels sprouts (I quartered bigger ones and halved smaller ones). Peel and core an apple and cut it up in thick slices.

    Place Brussels Sprouts and apple slices in a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, stripped from the stem and mix everything well – you want the veggies to be covered in olive oil.

    Place “olive oily” Brussels sprouts and apples on the baking sheet. Add marinated chicken and chopped bacon in between the veggies.

    Sheet Pan Chicken Breasts with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

    Brush any remaining marinade over sheet pan chicken breasts, sprouts, apples and bacon. It will look like A LOT of stuff on the sheet pan, but I promise it will all shrink (especially the apples), while baking.

    Bake Sheet Pan Chicken Breasts with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon for 25-30 minutes at 375 F (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through.

    Wait, one more thing. Broil the sheet pan chicken breasts at the end of baking time to get a few caramelized edges and brown up the exterior of the chicken. This can add flavor, but is not necessary!

    More delicious chicken breast recipes:

    • Low Sodium Asian Style Lettuce Chicken Wraps
    • Easy Chicken Stir Fry
    • Chicken and Quinoa Skillet with Garlic and Mushrooms

    More delicious Brussels sprouts recipes:

    Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Butternut Squash
    Warm Quinoa and Brussels sprouts Salad in Honey Mustard
    Zesty Brussels sprout Coleslaw with Horseradish
    Brussels sprouts and Bacon Gratin

    Print Recipe
    4.54 from 45 votes

    Sheet Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Bacon

    Chicken is marinated in the most delicious balsamic sauce that is infused with flavors from thyme, lemon, garlic and paprika!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: sheet pan chicken dinner
    Servings: 4 servings
    servings
    Author: Olya

    Ingredients

    Balsamic Marinade:

    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 2 large cloves garlic, (crushed)
    • ½ lemon, (squeezed)
    • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, (stripped from the stem)

    For the pan:

    • 1.5 lb thick chicken breasts, (boneless and skinless)
    • 1 lb brussels sprouts, (halved and quartered)
    • 1 Granny Smith apple, (peeled, cored and THICKLY sliced)
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil for the veggies
    • two sprigs of fresh thyme, (stripped from the stem)
    • 5 bacon strips, (cooked and chopped)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven at 375 F.
    • BALSAMIC MARINADE: You will need a medium bowl or container to prepare the balsamic sauce. Blend balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, paprika, garlic, crushed, 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, stripped from the stem and juice of ½ fresh lemon. Blend with a whisk until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Place into a bowl or container.
    • CHICKEN: Quarter your THICK chicken breasts by cutting each breast into 4 pieces and place them into a bowl or container with marinade. Set aside and marinade for at least 5 minutes.
    • Halve or quarter Brussels sprouts (I quartered bigger ones and halved smaller ones). Peel and core an apple and cut it up THICKLY. Apple slices will cook much faster than other elements of this dish and you want them to be sizable to get a good texture. 
    • Add Brussels Sprouts and apples to the 11×17 baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme.
    • Add chicken in between the veggies. Brush any remaining marinade over sprouts and apples. 
    • Add chopped bacon to the baking sheet.
    • Bake everything for 25-40 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Start checking at 25 minutes please.
    • Optional: Broil on high for 2 to 5 extra minutes to get everything extra crispy.
    Nutrition Facts
    Sheet Pan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Apples and Bacon
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 439 Calories from Fat 252
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 28g43%
    Saturated Fat 6g38%
    Cholesterol 90mg30%
    Sodium 494mg21%
    Potassium 964mg28%
    Carbohydrates 14g5%
    Fiber 5g21%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 31g62%
    Vitamin A 1255IU25%
    Vitamin C 107mg130%
    Calcium 68mg7%
    Iron 2.6mg14%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

    Notes

    Calories are per serving

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hilary says

      October 25, 2020 at 6:00 pm

      How many times will I fail at making sheet pan recipes before I realize they are very hard to execute?! The bacon needs to be cooked first which I didn’t know so I ended up pan frying it at the end. The chicken was pretty dry and the brussel sprouts weren’t cooked. Probably would have been way better if they had all just been cooked separately as the flavour profile is quite nice. Officially swearing off all sheet pan recipes moving forward.

      Reply
    2. Amanda says

      September 15, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Do you cook the bacon first..? Then cut into strips? We tried it and the bacon was limp and undercooked so not sure how to fix that.

      Reply
      • Olya says

        October 06, 2020 at 11:49 am

        Yes, cook the bacon first and then cut it into strips before putting it on the sheet. I am sorry for the confusion.

        Reply
    3. Josh Von Ruden says

      November 15, 2019 at 2:13 am

      Tried this recipe the other night and it was VERY good! I served it with some cavatappi noodles.

      Reply
      • Olga says

        November 16, 2019 at 12:41 am

        I’m so glad you liked it Josh!

        Reply
      • Tim M says

        January 19, 2020 at 6:09 pm

        Awesome recipe. Made it today for the family. Even got one of the kids to eat the brussel sprouts and than ask for seconds! It’s a keeper.

        Reply
    4. Mel says

      May 03, 2019 at 4:16 pm

      Took your idea and ran with it!!! I made this today with “regular” chicken but used the convection mode of my oven in an effort to ward off the watery problem and tossed in some craisins rather than apple, thinking it would help to soak up juices. I did add some chunked up bell peppers and onion. as well as some whole baby bella mushrooms I had lurking. Was absolutely fabulous

      Reply
      • Olga says

        May 05, 2019 at 1:50 pm

        I’m so glad it worked out well! And I loved your substitutions too.

        Reply
    5. Jenny says

      January 26, 2019 at 6:03 pm

      I’ve made this before, and it’s a really great meal. Add some asparagus to it and it’s even better.

      Reply
    6. Janna says

      November 12, 2018 at 10:37 pm

      I added broccoli her as well. Next time I will use a whole breast and potatoes.

      Reply
    7. Wendy says

      September 26, 2018 at 6:41 am

      Is it ok to use dried thyme?

      Reply
      • Olga at Whatsinthepan says

        September 26, 2018 at 6:48 am

        Dried thyme is perfect.

        Reply
    8. Samantha says

      September 11, 2018 at 8:50 am

      Could you use frozen Brussel sports?

      Reply
      • Olga at Whatsinthepan says

        September 11, 2018 at 1:18 pm

        I wouldn’t use frozen Brussel sprouts – they would release too much liquid.

        Reply
    9. Dorothy E says

      September 11, 2018 at 8:37 am

      There is no time allotted for preparation; making a marinade, cutting veggies etc. Apples were mush. The chicken was way overcooked. And, adding cooked bacon at the end was a waste.

      Reply
      • Vanilla says

        November 12, 2018 at 10:35 pm

        I enjoyed it!

        Reply
    10. Pam says

      July 24, 2018 at 9:32 pm

      Is this recipe gluten free? It sounds great. I would love to try it if it is gluten free.

      Reply
      • Olga at Whatsinthepan says

        July 26, 2018 at 10:22 am

        Yes, this recipe is gluten free. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
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