Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs With Sweet Potato And Brussels Sprouts
One pan, four ingredients, 35 minutes. The classic founder weeknight dinner: high-protein, glycemic-friendly carbohydrate, and the cruciferous vegetable that most reliably gets crispy in the oven.
Why this works for founders
After 6 p.m., your decision-making capacity is depleted. The best dinner is the one that requires the fewest decisions and the smallest cleanup. One sheet pan, four ingredients, two spice rubs, and the oven does the work while you finish your last review of the day. The recipe also gives you four servings, which is one dinner plus three lunches.
Chicken thighs are more forgiving than breast meat. The higher fat content keeps them juicy across a wider temperature window, which means you do not have to babysit the pan. Sweet potatoes deliver beta-carotene and a slower glycemic load than white potatoes. Brussels sprouts, when given enough surface contact with a hot pan, develop the maillard browning that turns them from school-cafeteria miserable to actually good. The trick is cut side down and do not crowd the pan.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Sea salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment.
- Pat chicken thighs dry. Rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place skin-up on one side of the pan.
- Toss sweet potato cubes with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, salt. Spread on the other side of the pan.
- Toss brussels sprouts halves with remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread cut-side-down where space allows.
- Roast 30 to 35 minutes, until chicken hits 165 F internal, sweet potatoes are tender, sprouts are charred at the edges.
- Rest 5 minutes. Eat.
Macros per serving (approximate)
- Calories: 580
- Protein: 42 g
- Fat: 28 g
- Carbs: 32 g
- Fiber: 7 g
Founder note
Make the full pan on Sunday or Monday. Three of the four portions become weekday lunches with a different sauce each day — chimichurri Tuesday, tahini-lemon Wednesday, harissa Thursday. Same protein, different mouth, no decision cost.