Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken

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This recipe was featured in Stillwater Living Magazine

Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken is an easy dinner that will quickly become a family favorite, and is perfect for entertaining. Coarse mustard, maple syrup and roasted garlic create the mouthwatering glaze for the chicken and vegetables. 

I grew up eating leftovers several times a week, so when I moved out I vowed to never do that again. Over time I learned to cook individual portions, and still follow that no-leftover rule most of the time. My mom thinks I’m crazy to cook lunch dinner every day, but this way I definitely don’t get bored.

I started this blog so I wouldn’t eat the same recipes over and over again. I’ve come miles from where I started, but I still sometimes fall back in that old habit, especially with chicken. Which is funny, because there are literally hundreds of ways to prepare chicken. And I know I haven’t even scratched the surface of ideas.

When I was a kid, my food couldn’t touch each other. And if it did, I wouldn’t eat that portion. I do still plate my food that way, but at this point it’s just habit. I’ve finally come around to a couple of one-pot meals, but normally my kitchen looks like a war zone when I’m done, with a variety of dirty pots, pans and dishes. But sometimes you need a simple recipe that has very easy clean-up. So I decided to join the sheet pan craze, with my Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken

How gorgeous is this Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken?! I failed slightly because I didn’t spray the foil with Cooking Spray first, so some of the potatoes and onions stuck to the foil. But nothing that a wooden spoon couldn’t fix. I mixed up the onions and potatoes, added a little spray, and in the end they came out perfect.

Seriously. This chicken is AMAZING! Tender, juicy, and incredibly flavorful.

MAPLE MUSTARD GARLIC SHEET PAN CHICKEN INGREDIENTS

• Chicken – bone-in, skin-on
• Mustard – whole grain or coarse
• Pure maple syrup
• Baby red potatoes
• Yellow onion
• Seasonings – fresh-cracked black pepper, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder

DARK MEAT OR WHITE MEAT CHICKEN?

I’m a 100% dark-meat girl. Yes, dark meat has a few more calories than white meat, but it also has much more flavor…a trade-off I’m happy to make. I occasionally eat chicken breast now, and I even created a mouthwatering Citrus Marinated Grilled Chicken Sandwich for the blog. But given the choice, I’ll always choose legs or thighs.

I use bone-in, skin-on thighs for this Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken. I can’t tell you the last time I made skin-on chicken, but I love it for a sheet pan meal. Trim off all the excess skin, and keep only the top surface area. As the chicken roasts, the skin gets nice and crispy, and also helps to keep the chicken juicy. If you like the skin, eat it; if not, discard it.

THE PERFECT GLAZE FOR MAPLE MUSTARD GARLIC SHEET PAN CHICKEN

• Mustard: use either Coarse Grain or Whole Grain mustard. Yellow mustard doesn’t have enough punch, and you’ll want that extra bite from the mustard seeds.
• Maple Syrup: use 100% Maple Syrup, not pancake syrup. The real thing tastes better, has a thicker consistency, and has no added sugar.
• Use roasted garlic! Trust me on this one. Roasted garlic adds a fabulous depth of flavor, and you can almost eat roasted garlic straight. Almost.  It’s super easy to roast your own garlic, and it lasts for a couple of weeks in the fridge

I was concerned that the glaze would be too sweet. However, pure maple syrup is very mild compared to pancake syrup, and the mustard and roasted garlic counteract with lots of savory. And what I love about the glaze is its simplicity…3 total ingredients, and you can make as much or as little as needed.

YOU CAN’T FORGET THE VEGETABLES!

It’s not just the chicken that makes this Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken absolutely divine! I also add baby red potatoes, and onions. I toss the potatoes and onion in some of the glaze, so they absorb that beautiful flavor.

Yes, I cook the potatoes and onions at the same time and on the same sheet pan as the chicken. I’m quite sure some people think that’s horrible, and will cause cross-contamination. However, I keep the potatoes and onions separate from the chicken, and don’t mix them together until the very end. You can brown the chicken on both sides first, before roasting, if you prefer.

You can be versatile with your vegetables. Add carrots, brussel sprouts, or any other hearty vegetable; use red onions or even cippolini onions. You can also switch up the types of potatoes that you use. Russet, fingerling, or sweet potatoes would be wonderful substitutes.

So you know how I said I don’t like leftovers? Maple Mustard Garlic Sheet Pan Chicken is officially one of my exceptions to that rule. I’ll make a whole batch, and have leftovers for a couple of days. And when I run out of potatoes, I’ll serve it with a different starch plus some green vegetables.

I’m super excited to come up with new sheet pan recipes! The options are endless, and you can use almost any type of protein.

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