I’ve had 99 problems this week, but at least getting a quick healthy dinner on the table wasn’t one of them thanks to this Sheet Pan Ginger-Honey Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Apple & Fennel. This dish is so simple to prepare, just a couple minutes of chopping, tossing on a cookie sheet and drizzling with a quick sauce to keep everything moist white it to roast for 30 minutes – and only one pan to clean up!

A bed of fresh, seasonal vegetables  make a “lift” for the chicken breasts, ensuring they cook up nice and evenly – plus, I butterflied each massive breast to make a more reasonable-sized portion and speed up cooking time.  I originally developed this recipe for Litehouse Foods using their Organic Ginger with Honey Dressing which marries all my ingredients with just a touch of sweetness and the brightness of ginger.  In case you can’t find this dressing in the refrigerated section of your produce department, I’ve adapted the recipe (and noted how to do the bottled dressing swap).

Fennel is one of the ingredients in this dish, and one I should definitely use more often. The scent of fresh fennel is amazing. It smells like black licorice but the cooked bulb has a very mild taste, you can use it as you would an onion. The crunchy raw bulbs and feathery stems can be used in salads, dips, and such to add an herby, aromatic effect.

In other news, I jumped into my first 5k since the spring and was thrilled to come in 2nd overall female despite the hills, humidity and feeling slightly off my game at the start (in training and sleep). Had the lead until halfway when a girl about half my age made her move and I just could never muster up a surge. But, anyway, it’s all good and gets my head and heart back into the game for the Fall season.

So, what non-cookie recipe have you made on a baking sheet? Have you ever tried fennel? Are you running this fall — 5ks, marathons, or around the neighborhood? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer 

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30min Sheet Pan Ginger-Honey Chicken w/ Sweet Potatoes, Apple, Fennel

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

A simple yet hearty sheet pan dinner with loads of seasonal vegetables and a touch of honey and ginger. Easy clean-up, great for weeknights!

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb with feathered stalks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/3” slices and quartered
• 1 medium red onion, sliced into 1/3” slices and quartered
• 1 large Granny Smith apple
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon chinese five spice
• 3 tablespoons oilve oil* or swap 1/2 cup tota Litehouse Foods Organic Ginger Honey Dressing
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vineager* or swap 1/2 cup total Litehouse Foods Organic Ginger Honey Dressing
• 3 tablespoons honey* or swap 1/2 cup total Litehouse Foods Organic Ginger Honey Dressing
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root* or swap 1/2 cup total Litehouse Foods Organic Ginger Honey Dressing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.
2. Cut bulb off fennel stalks and slice bulb, removing core and root. Set aside 2 tablespoons of snipped feathery leaves from stalks to use as garnish.
3. Drizzle oil on large rimmed baking sheet and fill with cut sweet potato, apple, onion and fennel in single layer (some overlap okay). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Add chicken on top of vegetable layer, sprinkle entire pan with five spice.
5. In small bowl, whisk together "dressing" of olive oil, vinegar, honey and ginger. Drizzle approximately 1 ounce of dressing over top of each chicken piece (alternatively, use 1/2 cup of the store-bought dressing - Organic Ginger with Honey Dressing from Litehouse Foods.
6. Place in oven on center rack and roast for a total of 30 minutes (up to 40 minutes depending on chicken thickness), drizzling the chicken with juices collected with a baster or large spoon approximately halfway through cooking time.
7. Garnish with snipped fresh fennel.