Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken with Veggies
It’s hard to pass up a meal that involves crispy chicken, especially if it is easy enough to make on a weeknight. Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken with Veggies roasts chicken cutlets along with Brussels sprouts and rutabagas and is ready in under an hour. The secret to the crispy coating: corn flakes.
Corn Flakes
Invented in 1894, the original corn flakes breakfast cereal comes from Battle Creek, Michigan. While it started out as a breakfast for patients at a health resort, the cereal soon became marketed to the general population by the Kellogg brothers. These little toasted flakes of corn have been a mainstay at breakfast tables for over 100 years now.
Crushed corn flakes are a substitute for breadcrumbs in casseroles, batters, and crumb coatings on meats and veggies. They also add crunch to cookies, dessert bars, and French toast.
Crushed corn flakes give the chicken its crispy coating in this recipe. Roast the coated chicken on a sheet pan with veggies. Like rutabagas.
Rutabagas
Rutabagas don’t get a lot of love in the U.S. and it’s too bad. Granted, they are kind of homely looking with a yellowy tip and a purply blue top. They look like a bad bruise that is just starting to heal.
These root vegetables are high in carotene, fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamin C. I learned recently that one serving of rutabaga provides over half the daily recommended amount of vitamin C!
Even though they are root veggies, rutabagas are lower in carbohydrates than potatoes, so they make a nice substitute for those on a low-carb diet. Boil, bake, mash, or roast them once you have peeled off the skin.
In some places they are swedes or Swedish turnips. But I think Scotland has the best name for them: neeps. When served with potatoes, they are called neeps and tatties.
Lessons Learned
- It’s easy to sub out other veggies for the sprouts and rutabaga. Just be sure to adjust the roasting time for whatever veg you use.
- To get 2 cups of crushed corn flakes, you will need around 6 cups of cereal. I like to blitz them in a blender to finely crush them, but you can roll over them with a rolling pin, too.
- The original recipe calls for a teaspoon or two of cayenne for some heat. My middle-aged tummy is less and less tolerant of spicy foods, so I left it out. But you’re an adult, so do what you want.
Hat Tips
Many thanks to Half Baked Harvest for the sheet pan hot honey mustard chicken recipe and to Wholesome Yum for the roasted rutabaga recipe.
Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken with Veggies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts
- 1 lb rutabaga, peeled and cubed
- 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
Crumb Coating
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups crushed corn flakes
Sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 4 Tbsp salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F/218 C. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together the Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, shallots, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture onto one of the baking sheets and spread out the pieces into a single layer and evenly spaced. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Prepare the chicken by slicing the breast halves lengthwise into thinner, equal-sized cutlets. This will help the chicken cook quickly and avoid drying out. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Make an assembly line for coating the chicken by placing the flour in one shallow pan, the beaten eggs in another pan, and the crushed corn flakes in a third pan. Dredge a chicken cutlet into the flour o, shake off the excess, and the excess, then dip it into the egg wash on both sides. Finally, dip it into the corn flakes and press to adhere the crumbs on both sides. Place the coated chicken onto the second prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cutlets.
- Place the pan with chicken in the oven on a separate baking rack from the veggies. They can bake at the same time.
- Bake the chicken for 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Cutlets cook quickly so don’t overcook them or they will be hard and dry.
- Make the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stirring until smooth. Drizzle some sauce over the crispy baked chicken and return the pan to the oven for another minute or two.
- Serve the chicken with the roasted veggies and extra sauce on the side.
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