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. 

‍