Easiest One Sheet Pan Chicken, Asparagus & Potatoes

Looking for something easy – and healthy – for dinner tonight? If you are lacking in cooking skills but still want to make something delicious, then this dish is for you!

And you might even learn a trick or two along the way.

There are several cooking stages to this dish but trust me, they are all super easy!

First is ROASTING the potatoes

The potatoes will take longer than the other ingredients to cook all the way through so it’s important to give them a headstart on the cooking time.

Cutting the potatoes into halves will help speed up the cooking process. It’s also important to use small roasting potatoes – the the rainbow roasting potatoes I’m using in this recipe – or fingerling potatoes that are small and mostly even in size and shape.

In a pinch, if you can’t find roasting potatoes, you can also chop up red or russet potatoes.

Next is BLANCHING the asparagus

Blanching is an important step in the process to get the asparagus nice and crispy. We are basically going to speed up the roasting time by first blanching the asparagus.

Usually blanching happens in a boiling pot of water on the stove where the veggies are then transferred to a pot of ice water to stop the cooking process – leaving a tender but crispy stalk of asparagus behind.

However for this recipe, I will be blanching the asparagus in the MIRCOWAVE.

Yes, it can be done!

And now that I know this, I will probably forever blanch my asparagus this way because it results in asparagus that maintains its snap while turning creamy in the center.

How to Microwave “Blanch” Asparagus

First, trim the woody ends of the asparagus (where it came out of the ground) and discard any with soft/mushy tips. Then place the asparagus in a microwave safe dish – like a ceramic casserole dish – and just barely cover with water. The asparagus should only be in about a quater to eigth inch of water. Any more and they may start floating.

Microwave the asparagus for 2-3 minutes, until it is bright green but not bendy. Then quickly transfer the blanched asparagus to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Finally, on to the chicken!

This process is just as easy but there are a few more steps to getting a golden brown chicken breast prior to roasting.

Preparing the CHICKEN

First, you will want to flatten the chicken breasts by pounding them flat with a meat mallet. I placed my chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and used the mallet to pound the chicken breasts into about a half inch thick piece – and about 6-8 inches long/wide. This is also how you prep chicken for dishes like chicken marsala!

Next, dredge the chicken in flour. We are just looking to lightly coat the chicken with flour, not create the same kind of crust you would see on fried chicken. I also seasoned my flour lightly with thyme and salt to enhance the overall flavor.

Then I quickly pan fried the chicken – but didn’t cook it all the way through. What we are looking for is a golden-fried crust but a raw middle. The chicken will finish cooking on the sheet pan with the veggies.

Putting it all Together

Now that the chicken and asparagus are prepped, they can be added to the pan with the half roasted potatoes. I used this opportunity to stir and flip the potatoes so that they are cooked evenly.

Assemble the asparagus in a single layer between the chicken and the potatoes. Continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus tips are just starting to get crispy.

I know it all sounds like a lot of work – but trust me, the end result is absolutely delicious!