A Complete Meal Using Just One Sheet
I love this recipe because it combines everything I love about the paleo lifestyle in one simple dish. It’s high in lean protein thanks to the chicken breasts, low in carbs, includes a great healthy green vegetable, and the homemade glaze? It’s quite remarkable in its simplicity, if I may say so myself. In order to make the marinade glaze, all you will need is a single lemon that has been juiced and zested, garlic cloves, honey, and olive oil. Just mix them all together in a small dish and then toss your chicken in the mixture before baking them for about 20 minutes.
After baking the chicken, the next step is to remove the tray and arrange the asparagus on it as well. Asparagus is without a doubt one of my top green veggies to eat. Not only is it fresh and crisp when drizzled with the lemon juice and garlic mixture in this recipe, but it’s so incredibly good for you as well. It’s an excellent source of vitamins B1 and K, it’s a rich source of dietary fiber that helps to nourish the digestive tract, and it’s got plenty of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help prevent cancer in your body. (1)
After drizzling the asparagus with olive oil and adding the remaining garlic cloves to it, place the tray back into the oven and broil for about 10 minutes or until you see it start to caramelize. By this point, you’ll definitely notice the wonderful aroma wafting fro mthe oven thanks to the garlic included in the marinade. The garlic provides many anti-inflammatory benefits, just like the asparagus. (2) Once the tray finishes broiling, all that is left to do is drizzle the asparagus with the remaining bit of lemon juice and prepare to serve.
If you want to add a little bit extra to this chicken meal, you can some freshly chopped parsley leave as well. The flavor of the parsley blends in perfectly with the marinade glaze and the asparagus. The glaze is so naturally sweet and tasty that it might even get any kids who aren’t the biggest asparagus fans to finally sit down and truly enjoy it. But without a doubt, the best part of this whole recipe is the flavor that the glaze ends up giving to the chicken. You won’t believe it until you try it for yourself.
(You may also like: Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato and Broccoli)
P.S. – I know that I’m definitely not the only one who just can’t get enough of these flavorful chicken recipes. If you’re looking for a few other great ideas to enjoy chicken in a wide variety of different ways, then check out some of these:
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 ½ pounds asparagus, trimmed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- To make the glaze, place half of minced garlic, half of lemon juice and zest, honey, one tablespoon of olive oil in a shallow dish and mix to combine. Season to taste with salt.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for minimum 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a lightly greased roasting tray.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the tray.
- Drizzle the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with remaining minced garlic.
- Season to taste with salt. Toss to coat.
- Broil on medium high heat for 10 minutes or until everything is caramelized and slightly charred.
- Remove the tray from the oven and drizzle the asparagus with remaining lemon juice.
- Sprinkle with parsley (if using) and serve.