Juicy and succulent, these easy Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs are a family favorite! Baked together with low carb veggies, this keto dinner recipe comes together with minimal effort. So full of flavor!
I originally created Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies for my first cookbook, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen. But this recipe is such a fabulous standout, a perfect one-pan keto meal, I just had to share it here on my website too.
It became a family favorite from the very first bite. The flavors meld so well and the vegetables soak up the delicious juices. Even my kids will willingly eat the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts because they taste so good!
This delectable keto chicken recipe is in regular rotation, along with French Onion Chicken and Easy Pizza Chicken.
Spectacular keto chicken recipe
It’s been almost 6 years since my cookbook came out, and I’ve honestly lost count how many times we’ve made these Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs since then. It’s such an easy recipe, I keep thighs on hand for it at all times.
I love keto sheet pan meals because they are typically quick and convenient. You cook the whole meal on the same pan, so there is less to prep and fewer dishes to wash.
But this sheet pan chicken is truly something special. The mouthwatering smells that emanate from the oven literally stop you in your tracks. It’s the combination of the roasting poultry, the cumin and coriander spice rub, and the hearty low carb veggies.
When cooking is complete, you have luscious, juicy chicken thighs and meltingly tender vegetables. It’s the kind of meal that makes you want to curl up somewhere cozy and savor all the scents and flavors.
This Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies is the ultimate keto comfort food. And it has only 5.3g net carbs per serving!
Five Star Reviews
“This is SOOOOOOO easy, quick AND delicious. My husband and kids love it just as much as I do and nobody misses any carbs!” –Lori
“Winner of a chicken dinner! Loved the mix of flavors. Will be making this one again. Thanks!” –Linda
“This recipe was absolutely delicious. My husband said it was some of the tastiest chicken he has ever eaten. Total winner for whole family. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!” — Liz
Ingredients you need
- Skin-on bone-in chicken thighs: You can do this with boneless, skinless thighs but the meal won’t be quite as filling. It will also cook through faster so you likely only need 20 to 25 minutes. I don’t recommend chicken breasts as they tend to dry out easily.
- Avocado or Olive Oil: I like to toss the veggies with oil, salt, and pepper right on the pan itself.
- Butter: I use melted butter for the spice mixture that I brush over the chicken. But you can use additional oil if you prefer to be dairy-free.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic provides the best flavor.
- Spices: The unbelievable flavor in these Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs comes from a mix of cumin, coriander, paprika, and a little cayenne.
- Low carb vegetables: I used cauliflower and Brussels sprouts for this recipe, but you can mix it up a bit. Try to choose hearty vegetables that won’t soften too much during cooking. Broccoli, turnips, or rutabaga are good choices, but zucchini will become mushy.
- Thick-cut bacon: Bacon adds a delicious smokiness to the vegetables. But feel free to skip if if you don’t eat pork.
Step-by-step directions
1. Season the vegetables: Spread the cauliflower, sprouts, and bacon out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat well and spread out into a single layer on the pan.
2. Prepare the seasoning: In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne and additional salt and pepper.
3. Season the chicken: Nestle the chicken thighs into the vegetables. Brush the tops of the thighs with the spice mixture.
4. Roast: Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 450ºF, until the center of the chicken thighs registers 165°F on an instant read thermometer. Turn on the broiler and set the pan on the second highest rack of the oven. Broil 1 to 3 minutes to brown the chicken.
Expert tips
Cooking everything at a high temperature helps crisp the chicken skin and caramelize the vegetables. If you are swapping out vegetables, be sure that they are approximately the same size and thickness. Veggies that cook faster should be added later in the roasting process or they will become too soft and mushy.
Be sure to use a large sheet pan so your food isn’t overcrowded and the veggies can spread out in a single layer. This ensures even cooking and allows the hot pan to brown the vegetables properly.
Don’t line your pan with foil or parchment, as it will keep the veggies from browning properly. The oil and juice from the chicken will be sufficient to keep things from sticking.
Store any leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It reheats well in the oven or the microwave and makes fabulous easy lunches! I’ve even eaten it for breakfast a few times.
Dairy-Free Option: Replace the butter in the spice rub with oil or ghee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bake the sheet pan chicken thighs at 450ºF to for crispy skin and caramelized vegetables. You know the chicken is done when the juices run clear and a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165ºF.
Bone-in, skin-on thighs take longer to bake than boneless skinless chicken. When baking at 450ºF, they will take 30 to 35 minutes to cook through properly.
This keto sheet pan chicken recipe has 8.8g of carbs and 3.5g of fiber per serving. That comes to 5.3g net carbs per serving.
More delicious sheet pan recipes
Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
- ½ pound (226.8 g) Brussels sprouts, quartered
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- Salt and pepper
- 6 medium chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
- 2 tablespoons butter or additional oil, melted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) paprika
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Spread the cauliflower, sprouts, and bacon out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat well and spread out into a single layer on the pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne and additional salt and pepper.
- Nestle the chicken thighs into the vegetables. Brush the tops of the thighs with the spice mixture.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the center of the chicken thighs registers 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
- Turn on the broiler and set the pan on the second highest rack of the oven. Broil 1 to 3 minutes to brown the chicken.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I love the way the bacon provides extra flavoring for the roast veggies. My kids are scared of cauliflower so I substituted broccoli and it worked perfectly! So yummy! I plan to make it again.
Me too!
So easy to put together and so delicious!! Always on my dinner rotation! Thank you for another awesome recipe!!!
We love it!
This was fabulous! I only had skinless, boneless chicken thighs, so I followed the rest of the instructions, but covered the chicken with prosciutto before going into the oven. It was delicious, the prosciutto was crispy and everything was just perfectly cooked with a nice gravy/glaze at the bottom of the pan. A real winner. Thank you!
So great to hear!
This is one of our family favorites and as each of my daughters moved out, this is one recipe they copied and took with them.
Thanks so much!
I have been resisting the urge to make sheet pan dinners because of the clean up!
I made this because I had to cook the near expired thighs in the fridge.
It was absolutely fantastic! My husband and I loved the flavor.
Next time I will try, against Caroline’s advice, to make it on a sheet pan lined with foil! Still hate the clean up!
Bless you for providing these recipes for us diabetics. Because of you and my CGM (continuous glucose monitor) I am beating this Diabetic curse!
Pat
This is a fantastic recipe – the chicken is perfect and the mix of veggies is great. Definitely one I can serve to company. I have also added onion and broccoli and those are great, too. Carolyn is a genius!!
We made this last night and it is FABULOUS! The smaltzy veggies are like crack
This recipe features my two favorite vegetables – cauliflower and brussels sprouts, so I had to try it. It was a winner with my family, and will be made again, and again.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Excellent
Delicious and so easy
This is unbelievably delicious. Super easy and a wonderful blend of flavors. This is going to become one of my favorite go-to dinners for family!
Awesome easy deal. Thank you for another great one pan dinner.
Appreciate all the time and effort you put into your recipes.
Thank you 😊
My kids and husband all loved this which is a win in my book. We are not all keto so I served it with rice for those of us who are not.
Great to hear!
This was so easy and delicious. I didn’t have a lot of cauliflower so I added some broccoli. When the thighs were at 165º the veggies were perfectly done. Thanks for the recipe.
We made this for dinner tonight and yum!! Threw the veggies – cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli – and bacon on the sheet pan and tucked in 8 thighs … sprinkled it with olive oil and spices and put it in the oven. Fantastic dinner in a rush and all four of us said to put it on repeat. Thank you!!