Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan with Cilantro Cashew Pesto

I love cooking this Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan with Cilantro Cashew Pesto for my family because the chicken gets beautifully crispy skin, the sweet potatoes caramelize, and everything is finished with a bright, herbaceous cilantro cashew pesto. Everybody finishes their plates clean! It’s super easy, but that sauce really makes the whole meal pop!
This recipe has been kitchen-tested to ensure consistent, reliable results.

Why You’ll Love this Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan with Cilantro Cashew Pesto

• Minimal Cleanup: Everything roasts on one sheet pan, making this an easy dinner with less cleanup.
• A Variety of Textures: Crispy chicken skin, tender caramelized sweet potatoes, charred broccolini, and juicy roasted tomatoes all come together on one sheet pan.
• Easy Weeknight Meal: With just 20 minutes of prep and 25 minutes in the oven, this chicken sheet pan dinner gets a complete meal on the table in about 45 minutes.
• Easy to Adjust the Spice Level: Make the cilantro cashew pesto as mild or spicy as you like.

Ingredients for Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan

Refer to the printable recipe card below for ingredient quantities and detailed instructions.

• Chicken Thighs: I prefer bone-in, skin-on thighs because they have more flavor, stay juicy and render flavorful fat into the vegetables as they roast.
• Sweet Potatoes: Their caramelized sweetness balances the savory chicken and slightly bitter broccolini, while also pairing well with the bright cilantro cashew pesto.
• Broccolini: Adds a slightly bitter contrast to the sweet potatoes and develops lightly charred edges as it roasts. You can substitute broccoli if you prefer.
• Cherry Tomatoes: Use cherry or grape tomatoes, as long as they’re small; they roast into juicy, jammy bites with a little sweetness and acidity.
• Cumin, Oregano + Cayenne: Season the chicken and vegetables with this warm, savory blend, or use your favorite seasoning mix.
• Cilantro: Use both the leaves and tender stems for maximum flavor; everything blends smoothly in the pesto.
• Cashews: Give the pesto body and a smooth, creamy texture without dairy. Salted cashews also work; just reduce the added salt to taste.
• Serrano Chiles: For a milder pesto, swap the serranos for jalapeños.

How To Make This Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan

Refer to the printable recipe card below for ingredient quantities and detailed instructions.

1. Mix the salt, cumin, oregano, and cayenne.
2. Toss the chicken and sweet potatoes with olive oil and the seasoning mixture.
3. After the initial 10-minute roast, add the broccolini and tomatoes.

4. Add the cilantro, cashews, serrano chiles, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to a blender.
5. Blend until smooth and pourable, with a bright green color and creamy texture.
6. Roast until the chicken skin is crisp, the sweet potatoes are caramelized, the broccolini is tender, and the tomatoes are slightly charred.

Substitutions & Variations

• Vegetable Swaps: You can substitute other roasting vegetables, but cooking times may vary. Add dense vegetables such as carrots or Brussels sprouts with the chicken. Add softer vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, or asparagus after the initial 10-minute roast.

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Why Staggered Roasting Creates Better Textures

The chicken and sweet potatoes need more time than the other vegetables, so they start roasting first. As the chicken cooks, its juices and rendered fat help flavor and soften the sweet potatoes, while adding the quicker-cooking vegetables later keeps them from becoming limp.

Recipe Testing Notes (What Worked Best)

I found that starting the chicken and sweet potatoes at 450°F for 10 minutes, then reducing the oven to 425°F when the broccolini and tomatoes are added, gave me the best balance of crispy chicken skin, caramelized sweet potatoes, and lightly charred broccolini that was perfectly tender without becoming mushy.

The seeded serrano chiles kept the pesto surprisingly mild. If you prefer a little more heat, leave the seeds and membrane in one serrano and seed the remainder.

Make Ahead and Storage

Make Ahead: The sweet potatoes can be peeled and cubed ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook. The cilantro cashew pesto can also be made a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Refrigerator: Store the chicken and vegetables in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Keep the cilantro cashew pesto in a separate covered container and only add it after reheating the chicken and vegetables.
Freezer: It’s best not to freeze leftovers, as the sweet potatoes and broccolini lose their texture after thawing.

Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan FAQs

Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan with Cilantro Cashew Pesto

Katrina Poole

Crispy chicken and caramelized vegetables roast on one sheet pan for minimal cleanup, finished with an herbaceous cilantro cashew pesto that balances the sweet potatoes.

*Quick Note Before You Dive In: This recipe card covers the basics, but if you want to know which vegetables you can swap or how to adjust spice levels, scroll back up! Everything you need for foolproof results is in the post.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Mains

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 595 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 2 ½ to 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups or 720g)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 bunch broccolini

Cilantro Cashew Pesto

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves and stems (about 2 cups loosely packed)
• ¼ cup unsalted cashews
• 2 serrano chiles seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste

Equipment

• 17-inch large sheet pan
• instant-read thermometer
• Vitamix Blender

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Trim chicken of any excess skin.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons kosher salt, the cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper, and set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large 17-inch baking sheet. Add the sweet potatoes and chicken and toss to coat them in the oil. Sprinkle with the seasoning mixture.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast (with the chicken skin side up) for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F and add the broccolini and tomatoes, tucking them between the chicken and sweet potatoes. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt.
• While the chicken roasts, make the cilantro cashew pesto by combining the pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and transfer to a measuring cup or other container with a pourable spout.
• Continue roasting for approximately 15 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165°F in the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer and the vegetables have softened and are slightly charred.
• Spoon or drizzle the cilantro cashew pesto over the chicken and vegetables and serve.

Notes:

The stems of broccolini are edible; simply trim the woody ends.

Despite the serrano chiles, the pesto is mild when you remove the seeds and membrane. For a spicier pesto, leave the seeds and membrane in one serrano chile and seed the remainder.

The sauce is so good that I make a double batch and put the rest over roasted potatoes or as a hamburger condiment.

A note on kosher salt: This recipe uses Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you’re using Morton’s Kosher Salt or table salt, start with less and adjust to taste. Diamond Crystal kosher salt has larger, airier crystals that take up more space, so a teaspoon of kosher salt actually contains less salt by weight than other types of salt.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 360gCalories: 595kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 20gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1000mgPotassium: 931mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 16819IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 3mg

Keyword chicken and vegetable sheet pan, chicken thighs, one pan dinner, sheet pan chicken and vegetables, weeknight dinner

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If you love this easy one-pan dinner, try my Sausage Sweet Potato Sheet Pan with Apple and Sage next. It has the same minimal-cleanup appeal with roasted sweet potatoes, apples, and sausage. For another easy chicken dinner, my Warm Chicken and Rice Salad is a great weeknight option with plenty of flexibility.