Name: Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 6 chicken thighs (with skin); 2 red onions (peeled, cut into 6 wedges each); 2 tablespoons olive oil; Fine sea salt and pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 tablespoon tomato puree; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; ⅔ teaspoon garlic and onion granules/powder (each)

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This sheet pan chicken thighs recipe comes with a sweet and tangy honey balsamic dressing and involves a few easy steps. It contains a handful of pantry staples and comes together in under 40 minutes!

This sheet pan chicken recipe is a fantastic weeknight dinner idea requiring minimal effort while producing delicious results. The chicken is briefly fried (to remove excess fat) before being coated in a sweet and tangy honey balsamic glaze and roasted to perfection along with sweet red onions.

Sheet pan chicken thighs ingredients

I created a simple glaze for coating the chicken thighs before briefly frying and them popping them in the oven. The glaze ingredients include a little oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, tomato puree, onion and garlic granules and thyme.

Top tip

I used chicken thighs with the skin and bone but you can use boneless chicken if you prefer (though I do not recommend removing the skin).

Ingredients for sheet pan chicken thighs in individual dishes. — Sheet pan chicken thighs ingredients.

How to prepare the chicken

The only thing you need to do before cooking the chicken is wiping it thoroughly to remove excess moisture (use paper towel to do this). This is especially important if you are using chicken that had been frozen and then defrosted.

Then simply season the chicken on both sides and make the recipe (see Instructions below).

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (optional) and set aside.

Season the chicken on both sides. In a large non-stick pan heat up 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes (skin side down) over a fairly high heat. Turn over and fry for 2 more minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and discard the fat from the pan.

2. In a bowl whisk together all the glaze ingredients until smooth.

Coat the chicken pieces in the glaze mixture (both sides). Heat up the pan again, add a tablespoon of oil and fry the chicken over a medium heat for 2 minutes on each side (until lightly browned, skin side first). Transfer the chicken thighs onto the baking sheet (skin side up) leaving lots of room in-between.

3. Using the same pan (no need to wipe it) fry the onion wedges for 1 minute turning and coating in the sticky mixture left in the pan after cooking the chicken.

4. Add the onions (along with the juices) to the sheet pan spreading evenly around the chicken pieces, drizzle any leftover glaze mixture over the chicken and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes turning the onions halfway (but not the chicken).

5. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

Delicious with mashed potatoes, celery root puree, rice as well as steamed or boiled vegetables

Substitutions and optional extras

Honey: Substitute maple syrup or agave syrup.
Red onion: Use regular onion or another vegetable(s) (root vegetables would work well) but do not overcrowd the sheet pan. Alternatively roast the chicken without any vegetables.
Seasoning: You can (but don't need to) add a bit of smoked paprika or chili powder into the glaze mixture.

Top tips and FAQs

Use boneless chicken if you prefer but do not remove the skin.
Wipe the chicken thoroughly to remove excess moisture before cooking.
Don't forget to season the chicken before pan frying.
I recommend using a non-stick frying pan.
You can prepare the glaze mixture in advance (overnight), cover and refrigerate it. Stir before coating the chicken.
Use a large sheet pan so the ingredients have plenty of space to cook evenly.
Best served immediately.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Not suitable for freezing.

What pan to use

I recommend using a large sheet pan so that you can spread the ingredients easily and prevent them from overlapping one another. A sheet pan (baking pan) tends to have lower sides than a roasting pan so the air circulates better encouraging browning.

I like to line my sheet pan with parchment paper (or tin foil) to prevent the juices sticking to the pan but this step is optional.

Check out also this collection of 13 healthy, easy one pot chicken recipes!

Keep in touch!

If you make this balsamic chicken traybake I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs