Sheet pan harvest chicken salad
Roasted chicken, caramelized sweet potatoes and red onion over tender kale with apple, pecans and cranberries in a maple mustard dressing.
- 50 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.42 a serving
- 590 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.
- 2 sweet potatoes, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1¼ lb boneless chicken thighs
- ⅓ cup pecans
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
From your pantry
- ⅓ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Each serving has about 590 calories, 33 g protein, 48 g carbs and 31 g fat, and costs about $3.42 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No kale? Baby spinach works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F. On a , the sweet potatoes and onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil, half the paprika and garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
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.
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.
10 minutes to give the potatoes a head start.
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
Meanwhile, rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the rest of the paprika and garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and the pepper.
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.
Push the vegetables to the sides, lay the chicken in the middle, and 18 to 22 minutes, until the chicken reads 165°F and the potatoes are .
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: 20 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.
Scatter the pecans on a free corner of the pan and 3 minutes more, until they smell toasty.
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: 3 min
In a big bowl, the rest of the oil with the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard and the rest of the salt. Add the kale and squeeze it with your hands for 1 minute.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Dolly’s tip: Massaging kale in the dressing makes it soft and dark green instead of tough and bitter, and it keeps it good in the fridge for days.the apple and the chicken.
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.
Pile the sweet potatoes, onion, chicken, apple, pecans, cranberries and goat cheese over the kale.
Dolly’s tip: This is the rare salad you can dress on Sunday and eat on Wednesday. Toss the apple slices in a little dressing so they do not brown.
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.
