Chicken thigh meal prep bowls
Four lunches of smoky chicken, roasted sweet potato, broccoli and brown rice with a lemony yogurt sauce, all made in one hour.
- 60 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.00 a serving
- 630 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 sweet potatoes, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs, about 6 thighs
- 1 broccoli, cut into florets
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ lemon, juiced
From your pantry
- 2 cups water
- 1¾ tsp salt, divided
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 630 calories, 45 g protein, 68 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.00 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No broccoli? Frozen broccoli works.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F and line two with .
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Parchment paper. Parchment paper is a nonstick, oven-safe paper for lining pans. Food lifts right off and cleanup is easy, but don’t swap in wax paper or put parchment under the broiler.
How you’ll know: It lies flat in the pan, and the food slides off when you lift it.
the rice, put it in a medium with the water and ½ teaspoon of salt, and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 40 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on for 10 minutes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 40 min
Dolly’s tip: Brown rice takes twice as long as white. The chewy bite is right.While the rice cooks, the sweet potatoes on one pan with 1 tablespoon of oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt and 10 minutes to give them a head start.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Timer: 10 min
the smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt together. the chicken on the second pan with 1 tablespoon of oil and half the spice mix.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Add the broccoli to the sweet potato pan with the last tablespoon of oil and the rest of the spice mix, then put both pans in the oven.
20 to 22 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and and the thickest thigh reads 165°F.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 21 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
the yogurt, lemon juice and of salt together for the sauce.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
the chicken and divide it, the rice and the vegetables among four containers, with the sauce in a small cup on the side.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Dolly’s tip: Let everything cool for 20 minutes before the lids go on so nothing turns soggy. They keep 4 days in the fridge.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Smoky chicken and sweet potato sheet pan
50 min
Sheet pan chicken thighs with sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts
50 min
Char siu chicken
80 min
Sheet pan ginger soy chicken thighs and broccoli
40 min
One-pan dinners ›High-protein dinners ›What to make with chicken and rice ›What to make with rice and broccoli ›What to make with chicken and broccoli ›