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Southwest Sheet Pan Chicken & Veggie Grain Bowl

Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • 1 cutting board
  • 1 Chef knife
  • 2 Quarter-size Sheet pans (or one half sheet pan if doing chicken & veggies together)
  • 2 Medium bowls (for marinating)
  • 1 Microplane
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 tongs (to use for the chicken)
  • 1 Spoon or rubber spatula (to toss the vegetables in the marinade)
  • 1 Chinois mousseline or mesh strainer (for rinsing the quinoa before cooking)
  • 1 Saucepan with lid (for cooking quinoa)
  • 1 fork (to fluff quinoa)
  • 1 oven (preheated to 400 degrees)

Ingredients
  

For the Marinade:

  • 1 each Lime (juice and zest) (should be about 3 ounces of juice)
  • 1/2 tsp. Adobo
  • 1/2 tsp. Chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Cumin, ground
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Black pepper, ground
  • 4 oz. Avocado oil (or olive oil, just not extra virgin - too intense)

For Roasting:

  • 4 each Chicken thighs (Boneless, skinless - about 1.25-1.5 pounds)
  • 6 oz. Cauliflower florets (cut from stem side to keep floret shapes)
  • 1/2 each Onion (sweet onion, preferably - about 5 ounces, cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 5 oz. Yellow squash (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1/2 each Red bell pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)

For the quinoa:

  • 1 cup Quinoa (rinsed to remove starches)
  • 2 cups Vegetable Stock (low sodium)
  • 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

For the Grain bowl garnishes:

  • 1/4 cup Cilantro, chiffonade (measure after chiffonade or minced)
  • 4 each Scallions (green & white parts - should be about 1/2 cup)
  • 4 each Campari tomatoes (1/2 inch dice, seasoned with salt & pepper)
  • 1 each Avocado (1/2 inch dice, seasoned with lime, salt & pepper)
  • 1 cup Arugula
  • 1/4 cup Pumpkin seeds (roasted & salted, preferred)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Place the sheet pan(s) in the heated oven.

Prepare the marinade:

  • In a medium-sized bowl, add the lime zest (using microplane) and juice of the lime with all of the spices.
  • Slowly whisk the avocado oil into the juice/spices to emulsify the marinade.
  • Divide the marinade evenly between both of the bowls (one for the chicken and one for the vegetables.

Mise en place:

  • Add the boneless, skinless chicken thighs to one bowl of marinade. Use the tongs to coat the chicken well. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, but up to 3 hours.
  • Wash and prepare the vegetables for roasting - cut all into about 1-inch pieces.
  • Add the vegetables to the other bowl of marinade. Toss well to evenly coat.
  • While chicken is marinating, gather and prepare the garnishes: cilantro, scallions, arugula, tomato, avocado, pumpkin seeds.
  • After 20 minutes of marinating, open the oven and add the chicken thighs to one HOT sheet pan and the vegetables to the other one. You should hear a satisfying sizzle sound.

For the Quinoa:

  • The nice part of this is that you can cook the quinoa while the chicken and veggies are roasting and it all should be done roughly at the same time.
  • After rinsing the quinoa to remove the starches, place in a saucepan with the kosher salt and vegetable stock.
  • Bring to a boil. Boil one minute.
  • Turn off the heat, stir once with the fork and then cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil.
  • Allow to steep/cook for 15-17 minutes, or until done (by package instructions).
  • Fluff with fork. Test for doneness and adjust if needed. Also taste for seasoning adjustments to your liking).

Making the grain bowl:

  • The chicken is done when it is safely cooked to at least 165 degrees. However, I cooked mine a bit longer to get some more color on it. Chicken thighs are very forgiving and remain juicy better than breasts or tenders, so get the color that looks appetizing to you.
  • The vegetables should be done at almost the same time. I just cook them separately because I don't want to over cook the veggies if the chicken is taking longer.
  • CHEF TIP: If everything seems done, but not as browned and appetizing as you want, you can always change your oven to broil for a few minutes to achieve more color.
  • Remove the sheet pans from your oven. After the chicken rests a few minutes, dice it or cut into strips on your cutting board.
  • Divide the arugula, roasted veggies and quinoa between the four serving bowls, creating thirds.
  • Add the diced chicken, kind of in the middle, but also more closely on top of the quinoa - great at this point to pour any juices left on the chicken pan to the chicken over the quinoa.
  • Garnish the bowls with the seasoned tomato and avocado. Sprinkle the chiffonade cilantro, sliced scallions and toasted pumpkin seeds on the top.
    Enjoy!!
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