Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken and Corn
When you're too tired to think, this is dinner that basically cooks itself.
Make this on a night when you want dinner to feel handled without a lot of thinking. Everything goes on one pan, the oven does the work, and you get a full meal with juicy BBQ chicken, sweet corn, and tender potatoes or peppers if you want to bulk it up. It is not fancy, and that is the point: familiar flavors, simple steps, and very little cleanup. If you can brush sauce on chicken and stir a tray once, you can make this. It is the kind of recipe that helps tired people get a real dinner on the table instead of ordering takeout by default.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs — Cut into large bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 0.75 cup BBQ sauce — Use your favorite bottled sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
- 3 cup corn kernels — Fresh, frozen, or thawed
- 1 unit red bell pepper — Cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 unit scallions — Sliced for serving
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro — Optional, for serving
- 1 unit lime — Optional, for serving
Method
- 1 Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan if you want easier cleanup. Toss the chicken with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- 2 Spread the chicken, corn, and bell pepper on the pan in a single layer. Brush or spoon about half of the BBQ sauce over the chicken and vegetables.
- 3 Bake for 20 minutes, then stir the corn and peppers and flip the chicken pieces. Brush on the remaining BBQ sauce.
- 4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender and a little caramelized. Finish with scallions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime if using.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Use extra-firm tofu or canned chickpeas instead of chicken; toss with the same seasonings and BBQ sauce, then roast until browned.
- Faster swap — Use thin chicken cutlets or pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and reduce the bake time so the pan only needs enough time to heat through and caramelize.
- Easy substitutions — Swap bell pepper for zucchini or onion, and use frozen corn straight from the bag if that is what you have.
Notes
If you want a more filling pan, add 1 small diced potato and roast it for 10 minutes before adding the chicken and corn. Chicken should reach 165°F in the thickest pieces. For extra char, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching closely.
Equipment that helps
- Large sheet pan — Keeps the chicken and vegetables in one layer so they roast instead of steam.
- Mixing bowl — Makes it easy to season the chicken quickly before everything goes onto the pan.
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