This Sheet Pan Chicken and Asparagus recipe is great for meal prep. It’s Whole30 approved and is ready in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – use any neutral oil in place of olive oil. Canola oil, grape seed oil or avocado oil can be used.
- Lemon juice – use fresh or bottled lemon juice in this recipe or lime juice if you’re in a pinch.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic. Garlic powder would also work.
- Parsley – dried or fresh parsley is best, but cilantro is the next best substitute.
- Rosemary – thyme, oregano or another herb of choice would all work here.
- Baby potatoes – any variation of baby potatoes will work. You can also dice a bigger potato of choice into smaller pieces.
- Chicken cutlets – use chicken breasts that have been finely cut into half or chicken thighs if you prefer a juicier cut of meat.
- Asparagus – use any root vegetable or green of your choice.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
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How to make this recipe
Step 1: Make the lemon mixture.
Preheat oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and rosemary together.
Step 2: Bake the baby potatoes and chicken.
Add baby potatoes and chicken to a parchment-lined baking sheet and toss with lemon mixture. Bake for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Add asparagus to the pan then bake for another 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim ends of asparagus. When chicken and potatoes come out at the 15 minute mark, add asparagus to the pan and bake the chicken, potatoes and asparagus altogether for 8-10 minutes until tender.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy!
Chicken can be sliced and everything can be divided among meal prep bowls.
What type of chicken and asparagus should I use?
If you want this sheet pan chicken and asparagus to be as healthy as possible, I recommend using chicken breasts. That being said, any type of boneless, skinless chicken can be used to make this recipe. When choosing what type of asparagus to use, green, purple and white asparagus are all great choices.
If you're on a Whole30 diet, you may want to stay clear of purple asparagus. Although it has a deliciously sweet and fruity flavour, purple asparagus has a higher sugar content than white and green asparagus.
Regardless of the colour, when you’re baking asparagus with chicken, make sure to choose asparagus stalks that are medium in width. If the stalks are too thick, the asparagus may not completely cook through. If they’re too thin, they may overcook, becoming mushy and stringy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sheet pan dinners like this sheet pan chicken and asparagus are my go-to when I’m looking for something quick and easy. Everything is cooked together on one sheet pan, which means that you’ll save time on cooking and you’ll only have one dish to clean up afterwards. It’s a win-win!
The thick woody ends of asparagus stalks should be removed before baking asparagus with chicken. This is done in one of two simple ways: snapping or cutting. Snapping the ends off is easy enough, but more than likely, you’ll lose some of the useable parts. I like to use a knife for the job. Just trim about 1-inch off of the bottom of each of the asparagus spears.
For this baked chicken and asparagus recipe, you bake the chicken and asparagus together at 425° Fahrenheit.
Whether or not you peel asparagus stalks depends upon their thickness. Generally, the larger the stalks of asparagus are, the thicker the peel will be. For the most part, asparagus that is less than ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick won’t need to be peeled. If the asparagus does need to be peeled, a vegetable peeler will do the trick, or just use a paring knife. Some people like to cut their asparagus into bite-sized pieces to save time on prep and cook time, but I prefer to just trim the ends.
Storing and reheating
This sheet pan chicken and asparagus works beautifully as leftovers and is perfect for weekly meal prep lunch and dinners.
Before refrigerating the dish, be sure that it has cooled to room temperature and then place in glass meal prep containers. I prefer glass meal prep containers because they are already microwave-safe so it's just a matter of removing it from the fridge, taking off the lid and popping into the microwave for 2 minutes or until fully warmed.
When reheating in the microwave, make sure to sprinkle some water over top of the chicken so that it doesn't dry out! They will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days so they are perfect for your weekly meal prep.
Freezing this recipe
Feel free to freeze this baked chicken and asparagus in batches if you wish, but I recommend making it fresh and sticking to storing this recipe in the fridge. The asparagus and potatoes may lose their texture after defrosting. That being said, any leftover chicken will freeze really well.
To freeze cooked chicken, be sure to allow it time to cool down before transferring it to freezer-safe storage bags or containers. Once frozen, the chicken will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then microwave for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle some water over top the chicken to ensure it doesn't dry out or have that leftover chicken taste.
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- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning the chicken and asparagus recipe into your weekly lunches.
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Sheet Pan Chicken and Asparagus {Whole30 Recipe}
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried (or fresh) parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 cup baby potatoes, sliced in half
- 4 chicken cutlets (or 2 chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise)
- 1 bunch asparagus
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and rosemary together.
- Add baby potatoes and chicken to a parchment-lined baking sheet and toss with lemon mixture. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, trim ends of asparagus. When chicken and potatoes come out at the 15 minute mark, add asparagus to the pan and bake the chicken, potatoes and asparagus altogether for 8-10 minutes until tender.
- Serve and enjoy! Chicken can be sliced and everything can be divided among meal prep bowls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Mindy T. says
This was actually really easy to prepare (an important detail for me on weekdays, LOL). My chicken breasts were rather small, so when I sliced them lengthwise, they actually cooked way too fast. After 15 minutes, the taters were almost done, the chicken was done (but I wasn’t sure so I left it in the pan – wrong choice, sigh. And at the end of the final 10 minutes, the asparagus was still a bit more crunchy than we prefer, so I removed the (perfect) potatoes and the (overdone) chicken and just let the asparagus go for another five minutes. Next time, I will look for larger chicken breasts – I was a bit nervous about slicing them lengthwise, but having seen it done on cooking shows, I knew how, but the pieces were just too small and cooked too fast. Flavor was great, though! I will try this one again. Used fresh parsley and oregano from my front porch, I think that helped the flavors really “pop.” Will definitely try this one again with larger chicken breasts.
Dawn says
I forgot to add the lemon juice and this was still very good. So quick and easy for a great dinner in a hurry.
darcy Olson says
What would you use instead of potatoes?
Taylor Stinson says
You could try sweet potatoes, mushrooms or even another green veggie such as broccoli 🙂
Julie A Brooks says
Hi, can this recipe be done on foil instead of parchment paper? Thank you.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Julie – I wouldn’t recommend it. Foil will cause everything to stick. Just make sure you use a clean pan and then spray it with some cooking spray or grease it with olive oil and you can cook it that way without the parchment 🙂
Kat says
Sorry if I missed it but did you coat the asparagus with the lemon mixture as well?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Kat – no you just add it to the pan after the chicken and potatoes have cooked for 15 min. You can reserve some of the lemon mixture for the asparagus if you’d like but it’s not necessary. Hope that helps!
Lauren Wiseley says
Do you cook the chicken and potatoes for the additional 8-10 minutes or is that just for the asparagus? Making this tonight for dinner!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Lauren! You keep the chicken and potatoes on the tray and bake another 8-10 minutes with the asparagus. I’ve modified the directions to make that more clear. Hope that helps 🙂
Rachel says
Hi there! Do you sear your chicken before placing it in the oven?
Taylor Stinson says
No I don’t – you just throw it on the sheet pan 🙂
Debbie Crawford says
Thinking of trying with frozen asparagus. Yes?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Debbie – I honestly would not try this because the asparagus will be soggy and overcooked. If you’re willing to compromise on the texture you could give it a try though!
Debbie Crawford says
So we had it for dinner. It was really good! I did use frozen asparagus and it turned out delicious! I looked online to see if it was even possible to roast frozen asparagus and found some great tips. So adjusted accordingly. Very good recipe. Both my picky adult son and husband loved it.
Taylor Stinson says
So happy it turned out well for you Debbie!! 🙂 Thank you for reporting back!
Frank Strickland says
From a non-cooking husband 🙂 – I’ve made two of your recipes now. Easy to make – within my limited skills – and tasty. Thanks!
Sarah Bengford says
Can you freeze this? I am making these for my husband for work and he likes some variety not the same every day.
Taylor Stinson says
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this particular recipe unfortunately 🙁