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This Sweet and Smoky BBQ Sheet Pan Chicken delivers the essence of a summer cookout with a simple one-pan dinner.
Rain? Bring the cookout in.
Why bring the flavors of summer indoors? I don’t like to snub the grill—especially in the summertime—but too often have my plans been foiled by a rainstorm or running out of propane; and sometimes it’s just easier to throw meat and veggies onto a sheet pan to toss into the oven. This BBQ Sheet Pan Chicken is a great recipe to have up your sleeve. It satisfies the craving for cookout flavors with its thick and syrupy sauce and is complete with roasted asparagus and baby potatoes.
The gist on how to make Sweet and Smoky BBQ Sheet Pan Chicken.
Homemade BBQ Sauce.
This recipe includes a simple homemade BBQ sauce, but if you find it more convenient to use store-bought—or your own homemade variation—that’s totally cool. But I promise you this sauce is quick and painless. It’s really just a matter of simmering all of the ingredients together in a saucepan. Once the sauce is ready, you can set it aside and move onto the rest.
Sheet Pan Chicken.
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken onto a foil or parchment-covered sheet pan and slather a generous amount of the BBQ sauce onto each thigh. Then, in a mixing bowl, toss the baby potatoes with some olive oil and your preferred seasoning. Confession: I like to keep it super simple and snag a package of microwave-ready baby potatoes from The Little Potato Company, or something similar, and just toss them in the provided flavor packet and add them to the sheet pan. (After all, sheet pan dinners are supposed to be unfussy!)
Pop the sheet pan into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. While the chicken and potatoes are roasting, snap the woody ends off of the asparagus spears and place them into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the spears, and sprinkle salt and pepper over them; toss to coat. After 25-30 minutes of the chicken and potatoes roasting, add the asparagus to the roasting pan and roast for another 10 minutes. Once everything is nicely roasted and the chicken has an internal temperature of 165º F, remove the sheet pan from the oven and slather more sauce over the chicken thighs—and serve!
Recipe notes + tips.
- Using homemade ketchup in your BBQ sauce is a great option if you’re trying to avoid refined sugars.
- You can replace the agave nectar in the BBQ sauce recipe with honey. Or, use maple syrup for a smoky maple flavor!
- If you’d prefer to use chicken breasts, cooking time will vary based on their size. You can get away with roasting the potatoes a little longer alongside chicken breasts. Add the asparagus about 10 minutes before the chicken is done.
- Not into asparagus? Swap it out for green beans, broccoli, or zucchini.
Other sheet pan recipes you’ll enjoy:
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Moroccan Apricot Glaze
- Greek Sheet Pan Chicken with Baked Feta
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks
Hope you enjoy!
If you plan on making this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag us on Insta! @killing__thyme.
Sweet and Smoky BBQ Sheet Pan Chicken
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper or tin foil
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
Homemade BBQ Sauce.
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 large cloves of garlic, grated to a paste or finely minced
- 1 cup ketchup, I like to use this homemade ketchup when I have it on hand
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup agave nectar, You could also use honey or maple syrup
- 1 TBSP liquid smoke
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
Sheet pan chicken (and vegetables).
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 bunch of asparagus
- 1 lb small potatoes, *See notes
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Homemade BBQ Sauce.
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and sauté for about a minute, until tender and fragrant. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil (this should take about 3 minutes), stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Sheet pan chicken.
- Preheat the oven to 400º F.
- Pat the chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken onto a foil or parchment-covered sheet pan and slather a generous amount of the BBQ sauce onto each thigh.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the baby potatoes with some olive oil and your preferred seasoning. (See notes.) Once seasoned, transfer them to the sheet pan alongside the chicken. Pop the sheet pan into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- While the chicken and potatoes are roasting, snap the woody ends off of the asparagus spears and place them into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the spears, and sprinkle salt and pepper over them; toss to coat.
- After 25-30 minutes of the chicken and potatoes roasting, add the asparagus to the sheet pan and roast for another 10 minutes. Once everything is nicely roasted and the chicken has an internal temperature of 165º F, remove the sheet pan from the oven. Slather more sauce over the chicken thighs and serve!
I love sheet pan meals! The homemade BBQ sauce was *chefs kiss*. Definitely a must try!
Thank you so much, Elyse! xx