Recipe for Weeknight Baked Chicken Breast and Vegetables

This is a simple recipe that takes only minutes to prepare. Just toss chicken breast and vegetables in olive oil and some herbs, and bake them before serving. It’s a great weeknight recipe. You can pack the leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch on their own or with a bed of greens.

Variations and Tips

• Use any vegetables you like. It’s best to cut them in pieces of a similar size so they bake evenly
• If you are using frozen vegetables, add them to the baking pan about halfway through the cooking time so that they thaw and heat
• You can use ½ cup of light Italian dressing or balsamic vinaigrette instead of olive oil, vinegar, and spices
• For a very low-carb diet, you can eliminate the sweet potatoes or substitute cauliflower or eggplant
• Try eliminating the sweet potatoes and serving your chicken with ½ cup of cooked brown rice or whole-grain pasta. Another option is to make a sandwich on whole-grain bread
• This recipe also works for shrimp, fish, or lean ground turkey instead of chicken
• For additional flavor, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese or blue or feta cheese crumbles to the vegetables at the end of cooking

Recipe for Baked Chicken Breast and Vegetables

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cubed sweet potatoes or potatoes
• 4 cups of cut vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, broccoli, and/or green beans
• 12 to 16 ounces of skinless chicken breast
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of Italian herbs
• 2 cloves of minced garlic

Instructions

1. Place the chicken, sweet potatoes or potatoes, and vegetables on a sprayed baking sheet. 
2. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, Italian herbs, and minced garlic.
3. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Nutrition information per serving: calories: 350 kcal; total fat: 14 g; total carbohydrates: 35 g; sugar: 8 g; fiber: 6 g; protein: 25 g; sodium: 80 mg; cholesterol: 70 mg

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