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Sheet pan dinners are beloved for their ease of cooking and flexibility of ingredients. It’s an easy way to get a great dinner on the table with minimal fuss and minimal cleanup.
Using good rubs or spice blends can take the lowly sheet pan dinner to new delicious heights while maintaining that ease that we all love.
I’ve been experimenting with spice blends from the chile peppers that I grow on the farm and this jerk seasoning mix is one that my farmers’ market customers seem to really like.
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Is Jerk Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner Slow Carb Friendly?
Many, if not most, of the popular sheet pan dinners, feature potatoes along with the protein and vegetables. But if you are following a slow-carb lifestyle, there is no loss of flavor to simply removing the potatoes (or sweet potatoes) and replacing them with reveling in the caramelized veggies.
Yes, with one swap. Many sheet pan dinners feature potatoes or sweet potatoes, but replacing them with lower-carb root vegetables like fennel, daikon radish, or carrots.
The jerk seasoning is naturally slow carb friendly, and the caramelized vegetables deliver plenty of flavor without the starch.
Tip: The spice blend you choose to work with can enhance flavors to the point you will never miss the carbs. Jerk seasoning is on the spicy side!
5 Keys to making any Sheet Pan Dinner
Sheet pan dinners are so forgiving that there are very few “rules” or recipes that you need to follow. There are, however, a few basic principles that will help alleviate the pain of decision-making or fear of failure.
Here are my top five, that will work with jerk chicken but also any other sheet pan dinner:
- The preferred pan: Use a half-sheet pan (aka cookie sheet) made of heavy-gauge metal. It just needs to be strong enough to take high oven heat, as the temperature is usually around 400 degrees F. You also want the largest sheet pan that will fit in your oven, so that you don’t need to crowd the vegetables (crowded veggies can get mushy). I usually end up making two batches on two different half-sheet pans.
- Easy clean-up: If you want to make clean-up super easy, line the sheet pan with foil before adding the ingredients and simply toss the foil when the dish is done.
- Coating with oil and spices: You can toss everything into a large bowl, coat the ingredients with the oil and spices you are using, and then place them on the sheet pan. That does, however, give you another dish to clean. I tend to lay everything out on the foiled sheet pan, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with my spice mix, and then use my hands to massage it all in. Either way works….you either clean the bowl or clean your hands!
- Cooking time: Denser vegetables will take longer to cook than softer, more delicate veggies. I usually cook things like carrots or root vegetables along with the chicken and add the softer vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, or onions halfway through the cooking process. Soft veggies like zucchini or eggplant can go in for the last 15 minutes. A rule of thumb here could be to roast the denser vegetables with the meat for 30 minutes or more before adding the softer vegetables to the pan.
- Breading or making full use of juices: If you are breading your protein (probably not if you are low carb), or if you are using roast beef or pork and want the veggies to soak up the juices, place your protein on a wire rack that sits above the vegetables in the sheet pan and don’t use parchment paper. When finished cooking you can remove the proteins and veggies and deglaze the pan with some wine, water, or broth for a great sauce.
Ingredients for Jerk Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
The following photo shows you all the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For details on measurements, see the recipe below.
How to Make DIY Jerk Seasoning
You can purchase the Jerk spice or you can make your own. The DIY blend below is one blend that packs a lot of flavor:
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
More Recipes for Sheet Pan Dinners
Here is another one of my favorite sheet pan dinners using a tomato mustard rub:
And for fish lovers:
For those who love pork with your vegetables:
FAQ
Yes, when made with root vegetables like carrots, fennel, and daikon instead of potatoes or sweet potatoes. The jerk seasoning contains a small amount of sugar, but spread across four servings it’s minimal.
Yes. Chicken legs work well and take the same cooking time. Bone-in, skin-on pieces give you the best flavor and stay juicy during roasting
Chicken thighs are done when they reach 165°F internal temperature. The skin should be golden and slightly crispy, and the juices should run clear.
Dense vegetables like carrots, fennel, parsnips, and onions roast well with chicken. Add softer vegetables like zucchini, peppers, or tomatoes during the last 15 minutes so they don’t overcook.
A simple side salad or steamed greens balance the spice. For a heartier meal, add cauliflower rice or roasted plantains (if not following slow carb).
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Sheet Pan Chicken with Jerk Seasonings
Equipment
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion
- 3 large carrots can use 1 large sweet potato if not low carb
- ½ large fennel bulb can also use daikon radishes
- 1 lime sliced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled but not chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-4 tablespoons jerk seasoning spice blend see notes for DIY version
- 4 chicken thighs alternatively can use 8 chicken legs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a half-sheet pan (aka cookie sheet) with parchment paper or foil.
- Place coarsely cut vegetables in a large bowl and add some olive oil (about 2 Tbsp but doesn't have to be perfect)l. Add 2 Tbsp jerk spice to the bowl. Using your hands massage everything in the bowl with oil and spice.1 large red onion, 3 large carrots, 1/2 large fennel bulb, 1 lime, 4 cloves garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2-4 tablespoons jerk seasoning spice blend
- Spread vegetables out on the prepared sheet pan. Add the chicken legs on top of vegetables. Drizzle oil over the chicken legs and over any vegetables that might still look dry. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp over the chicken legs.4 chicken thighs
- Place sheet pan in oven and cook for 30 minutes. If desired you can turn the chicken legs over at the 15-minute interval.
- After the chicken has cooked 30 minutes you can add more delicate vegetables to the pan if desired (like tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.). Place the sheet pan back in the oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
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- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
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- 2 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
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- 2 teaspoons onion powder
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- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
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- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
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- 2 teaspoons sugar
-
- 2 teaspoons salt
-
- 1 teaspoon paprika
-
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
-
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-
- 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
-
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Nutrition
Online Diet/Health Coaching:
Although I am not currently taking clients for diet & health coaching, I was a coach for many years with the online service called coach.me. It is a great platform for all kinds of coaching – anything from specific diets, writing a blog, getting up early, or getting rid of that pesky procrastination.
There are some wonderful coaches and the testimonials will tell you what you need to know. Contact me at [email protected] to get a referral to some of the tested, experienced online coaches on Coach.me.
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