The sheet-pan dinner method
How to roast chicken and vegetables on one pan so the vegetables brown and the chicken reaches a safe temperature.
Heat the oven before you season
Set the oven to 425°F (220°C) and let it heat fully. A crowded, cool oven steams food instead of browning it. Use a large rimmed sheet pan. If the food is stacked, split it across two pans.
Cut vegetables to one size
Sweet potato cubes, onion wedges, and broccoli florets that are about the same thickness finish together. Very thin pieces burn before chicken is done. Toss vegetables with oil and salt so they roast instead of dry out.
Give chicken a head start or a head wait
Dense vegetables such as potato and carrot often need 10 minutes alone before chicken goes on the pan. Quick vegetables such as bell pepper and zucchini should be added with the chicken or even later. Check chicken at the thickest point and cook it to 165°F (74°C).
Rest, then finish
Let chicken rest for about five minutes so the juices settle. Add a fresh finish the oven would dull: lemon juice, herbs, or a spoon of salsa. Those last ingredients are what make a sheet-pan dinner taste cooked on purpose, not just heated.