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Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken

February 27, 2023

Tender fingerling potatoes nestle between slices of lemon and red onion, chicken thighs and all of your favorite salty, spicy, garlicky favorites in this insanely easy sheet pan chicken recipe.

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sheet pan chicken dinner made with ingredients found at the olive bar with potatoes.

Possibly the Easiest Sheet Pan Chicken Thigh Recipe on Earth

Most sheet pan chicken recipes are easy—that’s kind of the whole idea, right? But this olive bar chicken is exceptionally quick and easy to make because it requires so little prep and the result is a whole meal unto itself. A single-pan meal that takes about five minutes to prep? Yeah, it’s that good. We’ve talked about our love for the olive bar at the grocery store before, but this chicken thigh recipe really puts that little treasure trove to work. True, it’s not the absolute most cost-effective place to shop, but it’s a tiny splurge (as splurges go) to buy a whole pound of goodies from the olive bar, and boy is there an ROI in terms of time-saving.

raw chicken on a plate, next to raw potatoes, raw onions, lemons, olives and seasoning.

How to Maximize the Goodness That Is the Olive Bar

The hardest part of putting this simple sheet pan chicken dinner together is deciding which olive bar offerings to select, but the good news is that they’re all delicious. You can’t go wrong, and you can try a new combo each time if you’d like to mix things up week-to-week. One of our favorite combinations is kalamata, roasted garlic, marinated tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and peppadew peppers. This meal is always a hit with house guests, dinner guests, and of course for our own families. While olives are a no-brainer, don’t skip out on the other good stuff in the olive bar! There are a few lesser-known nibbles in there that are worth grabbing if you see them. We especially love:

  • Peppadew peppers. Peppadews are the bright, cherry-red, bulbous peppers that you often see in the mix. They’re not really spicy—they’re more pickle-y and they’re loaded with fresh, sweet pepper flavor. They add a nice pop of color to this sheet pan chicken.

  • Roasted garlic pieces. Another must! Sweet roasted garlic is often available at the olive bar, and when we see it, we load up. It’s bursting with earthy sweetness and such a time-saver.

  • Grilled artichokes. Marinated in herbs and vinaigrette, and then grilled, these little bites pack a major punch. They’re too good to skip!

  • And as for olives? Castelvetranos (pitted is best for a recipe like this) and oil-cured are our favorite, but they’re all good.

potato wedges on a sheet pan with olive oil and salt
par cooked potatoes on a baking sheet with chicken thighs, olives, red onions and peppers from olive bar

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Sheet Pan Chicken

Salt, pepper and a little garlic powder are all you’ll add to season these chicken thighs, because the olive bar offerings will each add so much powerful, savoriness to the mix. Many are marinated in vinaigrette, too, so you’ll have a little tanginess along with all that salty goodness. In other words, even though the ingredient list is short, all of these ingredients are mighty!

  • Fingerling potatoes

  • Olive oil

  • Boneless, skinless chicken thighs

  • Lemon

  • Red onion

  • Everything you love most from the olive bar

  • Garlic powder

Olive Bar Sheet pan Chicken with onions and potatoes
Olive Bar Sheet pan Chicken dinner garnished with parsley

How to Make Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken

Did we mention that the prep here is super minimal? And with potatoes, chicken thighs and even a few vegetable-ish things—onions totally count!—this can stand alone as dinner, though we usually add a basic green salad and / or some good bread. Here’s how to make this easy chicken thigh recipe:

  1. Chop up the onion, lemon and potatoes (no, you don’t need to peel them).

  2. Pop the potatoes into the oven (dressed with a little oil, salt & pepper) to get a jump on roasting, since they take a little longer than everything else.

  3. 15 minutes later, add the chicken, olive bar ingredients, lemon, onion and a little more salt, pepper, garlic powder and oil to the pan, and let it all continue cooking.

  4. 35 minutes later, dinner is done!

Olive Bar Sheetpan Chicken with onions, peppers, potatoes and garlic
sheet pan chicken dinner made with ingredients found at the olive bar with potatoes.

Tools You’ll Need

More Sheet Pan Chicken Recipes to Try:

Olive Bar Sheetpan Chicken with onions, peppers, potatoes and garlic
Olive Bar Sheetpan Chicken with onions, peppers, potatoes and garlic on a plate

Put That Olive Bar to Work!

While this is a fabulous recipe for any day of the week, you can really put the olive bar to work if you make this for company. You could grab cornichons and kalamata olives to put out as appetizers with drinks, and save the rest of your olive bar findings for making this chicken! Your grocery store run will be so quick and so one-stop—basically you’ll find 80% of what you need at that little olive bar. Whoever you make this for, we’d love to hear about how you liked it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  45 min
  • Calories:  296

Ingredients

Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds)
  • 1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
  • 8 to 10 new potatoes, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups mixed olive bar offerings (see Note)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Marinade

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • zest and juice from 1 large lemon about ¼ cup
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried herbs such as thyme and rosemary

Method

  1. Make the marinade. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, red pepper flakes, pepper, garlic, parsley and herbs.

  2. Place the chicken thighs and onions in a bowl or gallon size ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the top, turn to coat, cover and set aside in the fridge (this can be done up to 24 hours ahead of time).

  3. Preheat the oven to 375° F with a rack in the center position.

  4. Place the potatoes on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle them with the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt, toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

  5. Remove the potatoes from the oven and add the chicken thighs, onion wedges, and olive bar offerings in between the potatoes. Pour any remaining marinade over everything. Season with pepper, onion powder, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.

  6. Return the sheet pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes more.

  7. Set the oven to broil. Broil until chicken and veggies are lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes.

  8. Squeeze lemon juice over the entire dish and sprinkle with additional parsley, serve family-style.


Note: When we say “olive bar offerings” we mean literally anything you want from the olive bar at your local grocery store, including peppers, olives, roasted garlic, and marinated artichoke hearts.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 296
  • Protein 28 g
  • Carbohydrates 20 g
  • Total Fat 14 g
  • Dietary Fiber 3 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 492 mg
  • Total Sugars 2 g

Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Paula

    Could this be done on a Blackstone?
    Thx!

    Would probably be great!

  • Lorraine

    What side vegetable would be good alongside? Thx.

    Asparagus or broccolini would be our top choices!

  • Rosella

    Does the Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken dish, freeze well?

    Yes you can freeze it! Hope you enjoy!

  • Todd

    Did the recipe change? I don't remember there being a marinade

    Yes, we added a marinade to give the chicken more flavor.

  • Eileen

    What is olive bar?

    When we say “olive bar offerings” we mean literally anything you want from the olive bar at your local grocery store, including peppers, olives, roasted garlic, and marinated artichoke hearts. If your store does not have an olive bar you can buy these items. jarred/canned.

  • DawnW

    This was sooo easy & sooo good! I prepared to share with neighbors. One person only eats white meat, so I broke down a whole chicken then added a couple of extra thighs to the mix. My olive bar additions included: mixed olives, cherry peppers, pickled garlic, pickled beets, marinated artichokes, marinated mushrooms & chopped asparagus. Used a medley of colored baby potatoes. Best meal in a long while. Definitely a repeat. Chef's kiss to themodernproper!

    Thanks Dawn, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Brian

    Love this recipe! So easy, savory and makes for great leftovers for lunch.

    Thanks Brian, so glad you love it!

  • Danielle

    Beyond DELICIOUS!!!

    Thanks Danielle, we are so happy you loved it!

  • Danielle

    So EASY! So VERY DELICIOUS!!! Five STARS!!

    Thanks Danielle! So happy you loved it!

  • rebecca

    This was super easy and really good. I will definitely make it again!

    Thanks Rebecca, we are so happy you loved it!