One of my favorite simple dinner “formulas” is two roasted vegetables and a meat. It’s just so simple and when I can cook them all on one sheet pan, it’s even better. For this Sheet Pan Cranberry Chicken Dinner I also added a balsamic cranberry sauce that cooks on the stovetop, but it’s only three ingredients and takes only about 10 minutes, so it really couldn’t be easier. I hope you get plenty of use out of this super easy, fall/winter-inspired sheet pan meal!
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What’s That Sauce?
As I mentioned above, I made a super simple balsamic cranberry sauce to drench the chicken with flavor. The sauce is simple: whole berry cranberry sauce (canned), balsamic vinegar, and butter. It makes the most deliciously sweet, tangy, and rich sauce that you’ll want to spoon over everything!
Can I Use Bone-In Chicken?
The cooking times and temperatures below are for boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been pounded to a ¾ to 1-inch thickness. This allows them to cook quickly and evenly. Bone-in chicken takes much longer to cook and it would be best if they are roasted separately. For example purposes, here is a recipe for roasted bone-in chicken breasts.
Meal Prep It!
Sheet pan meals like this are perfect for meal prep! Just portion everything up into individual containers after baking and keep refrigerated for 3-4 days for quick lunches (reheat in the microwave).
Sheet Pan Cranberry Chicken Dinner
Servings 4Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts ($1.99)
- 1.5 lbs. sweet potatoes ($1.79)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
Herb Baked Chicken Breasts
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1.33 lbs. total) ($7.70*)
- 2 Tbsp butter, room temperature ($0.28)
- 1/2 tsp dried sage ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.01)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Cranberry Balsamic Glaze
- 1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (canned) ($0.30)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar ($0.55)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.14)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Rinse the Brussels sprouts and then cut them in half. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into ½ to ¾-inch pieces.
- Place the Brussels sprouts on one half of a large baking sheet and the sweet potatoes on the other half. Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil over each side. Sprinkle ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper over the vegetables, then add ¼ tsp garlic powder just to the Brussels sprouts. Toss the vegetables, keeping each on its own side, until they're coated in oil and seasoning. Spread the seasoned vegetables out so they are in an even layer. Transfer the baking sheet with the vegetable to the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.
- While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the herb baked chicken. In a small bowl, combine the room temperature butter, sage, thyme, garlic powder, and salt. Stir together until it forms an herb-butter paste.
- Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a mallet or rolling pin to gently pound the chicken breasts out to an even ¾-inch thickeness. Cut each pounded chicken breast in half to make two pieces. Pat the chicken dry, then spread the herb butter over the surface of each piece of chicken.
- Once the vegetables have been roasting for 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and give the vegetables a stir, keeping each on their own side. Push the vegetables to the side a bit (it's okay if they pile up a little) to make room for the chicken breast. Place the four butter and herb coated pieces of chicken down the center of the baking sheet. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- While the chicken and vegetables finish cooking, prepare the cranberry balsamic sauce. Add the cranberry sauce and balsamic vinegar to a sauce pot. Stir and cook the two together over medium heat, allowing the mixture to come up to a simmer. Once simmering, lower the heat slightly and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After ten minutes, remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the butter. Set the cranberry balsamic sauce aside.
- After roasting for 20 minutes, check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts. It should be 165ºF. If it's not, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- To serve, spoon the cranberry balsamic sauce over the chicken. Divide the roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes between four plates and add one piece of chicken to each.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Sheet Pan Cranberry Chicken Dinner – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash 1 lb. Brussels sprouts and slice them in half. Peel and dice 1.5 lbs. sweet potatoes into ½ to ¾-inch cubes. Place them on a large baking sheet, keeping each on its own side. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper. Add ¼ tsp garlic powder to just the Brussels sprouts. Toss the vegetables, keeping them separate, until they’re coated in oil and seasoning. Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the herb butter baked chicken. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp room temperature butter, ½ tsp dried sage, ¼ tsp dried thyme, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Stir them together until it forms an herb-butter paste.
Place two boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs. total) on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Use a mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken into an even ¾-inch thickness. This helps it cook quickly and evenly.
Cut each chicken breast into two pieces. Pat them dry, then spread the herb butter over the surface of each piece.
After the vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet and give them a good stir. Push them to the sides (it’s okay if they pile up now) to make room for the chicken. Place the herb-butter coated chicken in the center of the baking sheet. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
While the chicken and vegetables finish cooking, prepare the cranberry balsamic sauce. Add ½ cup whole berry cranberry sauce and ¼ cup balsamic vinegar to a small sauce pot. Cook and stir over medium heat until it comes up to a simmer. Then, reduce the heat slightly and allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After the sauce has simmered for about 10 minutes, remove it from the heat and stir in 1 Tbsp butter until melted. Set the sauce aside.
After baking 20 minutes, the internal temperature of the chicken breast pieces should be 165ºF. If it’s not, simply bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until it does reach 165ºF.
Finally, spoon the cranberry balsamic sauce over the baked chicken. To serve, divide the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes between four plates, then add one piece of chicken to each.
Delish!
This was really tasty, but the vegetables weren’t quite as cooked as I like them to be, so I would probably cook them a bit more during the first cook time in the oven. Overall great flavors though, and a pretty easy, healthy meal. I love a sheet pan meal.
Healthy dish. I loved the vinegar cranberry sauce. It’s good on the veges too!
I made this for my Mom who is gluten free and dairy free and she loved it. It’s easy to make, healthy and delicious. Can’t go wrong for dinner with this recipe.
Super yummy recipe, the cranberry sauce was a great accompaniment for the chicken and even the roast vegetables. I didn’t have Brussel sprouts, so roasted up potato, sweet potato and pumpkin!
I made this to recipe and the vinegar was too prevalent. To tone it down, I reduce the vinegar in a saucepan to half then add the cranberry sauce to finish it. I’ve made this with turkey and pork chops and it’s a fall/winter favorite.
Yum. Really enjoyed how juicy the chicken was and the sweetness of the cranberry glaze. I don’t like a strong vinegar taste so I only added 1/2 tablespoon and it worked out well. Paired it with broccoli and baby gold potatoes :) I really want to try the sauce on some turkey breast cutlets, I bet it would go really well
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out really good. My husband and I both loved it. I sent it to my sister and she also loved it (along with her husband). She used chicken cutlets when she made it. I was surprised that the chicken breast was done after 20 minutes, but it was. I’m making this again this week!
Made this for dinner today. I went exactly by recipe. Too bland as far as vegetables . The sauce i would recommend alot less vinegar that is all i could really taste.
I made this!! Yum!
I had to sub out the cranberries because I didn’t have any BUT I threw a handful of frozen cherries in a pot and a generous slog of balsamic and simmered till it was nice and thick. YUM
My wife and I really enjoyed this dinner! I was tempted to make it because I had a can of whole cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving and a pound of Brussels sprouts in the fridge. I roasted delicata squash (per Beth’s recipe) instead of sweet potatoes, and everything still cooked up nicely at the same temperature and cook time. I find delicata squash bland on its own, so I was pleased how delicious the cranberry balsamic glaze was with the squash. I didn’t have sage by itself, so I used a poultry seasoning instead of the sage and thyme. Everything was delicious.
How would I need to adjust the temp and/or time on this if I used chicken tenderloins instead of full breasts? Thanks!
I’d really need to test it first to see how long they take to cook through.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious!! The seasoning was perfect on the veggies and chicken. The sauce is amazing, such a good pairing with the chicken. Thank you!
I’ve only made the chicken and sauce so far, but wow, so delicious! I’m definitely making this sauce for Thanksgiving to serve with anything and everything!
So yummy so good! I felt so fancy like I was at ikea
This was so easy and delicious! I swear I could drink that sauce!
I couldn’t find whole berry cranberry sauce. Would jellied cranberry sauce work?
Yes, you can do something similar with jellied, it will just be a different texture.
Just made this for the first time (with boneless chicken thighs because that’s all I had on hand) and it was DELICIOUS! The herbed butter and the sauce are so good. My sauce didn’t thicken up like I was expecting it to but I loved it anyway.. I’m hoping it’s just as good reheated, because it could be a go-to recipe for meal prep.
This recipe is good. We like our veggies a little bit more crispy, so I would have left them in longer next time. I also drizzled a Lille honey over the sweet potatoes, which was great!
My husband loved the sauce. I thought it was too sour. I’m not sure what I would do to change it, I just ate the chicken without and thought it was great!
I wasn’t able to get cranberry sauce, but I was determined to try this recipe anyway. I substituted the cranberry sauce with mango chutney, and I loved it. My husband loved it too, and the leftovers made great meals for the rest of the week.
I made this recipe using 4 chicken thighs instead of breasts and it worked great! Such an easy, delicious meal, perfect for meal prep!
I would like to try this with turkey breast tenders. It would be like having thanksgiving dinner anytime
Really solid recipe! I was a bit worried that the inside of the chicken would not be flavorful enough, but the butter coating and the cranberry sauce worked well to prevent that from happening. Plus, it was pretty simple and only took about an hour to make. Highly recommend for weeknight dinners.
That cranberry balsamic sauce – oh my! The chicken with the butter herb mix by itself was delicious so if you’re meal prepping this is a awesome go-to base chicken recipe. But the sauce is a game-changer and it’s such an easy recipe to double and triple for inexpensive entertaining. Our favorite side instead of sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts is the recipe from this page for nature’s candy with sweet potatoes and apples – same roasting time and temp. It’s like everything fall in one place. Thanks for another great meal idea!
I was skeptical about the cranberry glaze and almost skipped it, but went ahead since I had some homemade cranberries on hand. Wow! It elevated the entire dish! What an excellent surprise!
Oh my god this was so good. Followed this recipe exactly except I also added chopped carrots to the sweet potato side. I will definitely be making this again and again.
Hello Beth! This recipe looks so interesting and I want to try it. What’s the ideal finished texture/firmness of the sweet potatoes? I have bad luck with this veggie, always feeling undercooked and too firm. But, I’m used to standard roasted potatoes or smooth sweet potato pie. Thanks!
I wouldn’t say they are firm at all, but they’re not exactly super creamy like a mashed sweet potato because they’re cooked in a dry environment rather than being boiled. I’m not sure what your “standard” roasted potatoes are like, but I would consider these just standard roasted sweet potatoes. :)
A sheet pan, that’s an enameled baking sheet?
Does it make a big difference if a regular old Bakers Secret baking sheet is used?
Any type of baking sheet should work fine for this. With darker surfaces, you may find that everything browns a bit faster, so just keep an eye on it! :)
This was a hit! I used thin sliced chicken breasts and the herb butter kept them from drying out. I just did Brussels Sprouts and they were the best I’ve ever had- highly recommend fresh instead of frozen – they charred better but also got softer – I’m weird about textures, especially with veggies, and these were perfect. The cranberry glaze gave it a punch of bright flavor that elevated a really easy, simple dinner to something special. Thanks ! I think this will go in our regular rotation 😀
This was such a delicious meal! The chicken makes me think of thanksgiving (the herbs, butter, and cranberry, yum) and I couldn’t wait until the next bite. I think I’ll serve it over a little rice next time so i can soak up all of the cranberry balsamic.
Loved this Cranberry Chicken dish, very easy, healthy and delicious! Sent the recipe to several friends, the cranberry mixed with the balsamic was the best adddition. Thank you
I am new to sheet pan cooking, and unfortunately Brussel Sprouts is literally the only vegetable I can’t eat. I was wondering what might be a good substitute for them for cooking time. Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower are what is coming to my mind, and I am wondering if I’m right that one of those would work. I normally would never bother you with a substitution question, they must be frustrating. I just have 0 reference for this type of cooking to fall back on and it looks like it’s going to be a great meal!
I have two balsamic vinegars, the normal cheap store stuff and the aged in barrel thick syrupy stuff from Italy. Am I right that I should use the cheap store stuff for this reduction. I have a feeling that the already syrupy vinegar would be too sweet.
Hi Karen! I think broccoli would be my second choice in place of Brussels sprouts so you still get some green color, plus broccoli is really delicious when roasted. :) And you are correct, use the “cheap” non-syrupy balsamic because it’s going to reduce in the sauce.
Oh wow. I’ve been making recipes from this website for a while now, and have loved them all, however this one really was delicious and I had to comment! Very very tasty. I wouldn’t consider myself
the most experienced cook, but after cooking this I surprised myself! Felt like a cozy and filling dish. Thank you!
This looks amazing! Do you think it could work with frozen Brussels sprouts, maybe if thawed first? Fresh ones are way more expensive here than frozen.
I’ve had several people tell me before that they enjoy roasting frozen Brussels sprouts, but you just have to be aware that they don’t get as crispy as fresh Brussels sprouts because they are a lot more wet. I’m also not sure if they’d need more time, so you might have to play with it a little. :)
I was skeptical at first about the cranberry glaze but am so glad we made it. It elevated the entire meal! We used homemade cranberry sauce and it was perfect.
I was skeptical about the cranberry glaze and almost skipped it, but went ahead since I had some homemade cranberries on hand. Wow! It elevated the entire dish! What an excellent surprise!
Shopping online these days, and purchased frozen brussel sprouts thinking I was buying fresh. Are there adaptations to this recipe that I could make to use frozen brussel sprouts – or is it good to go as is ?
Thanks for your help !
Unfortunately I haven’t tested the cooking time for frozen Brussels sprouts. I have heard from several people in the past that they like to roast frozen Brussels sprouts, you just have to keep in mind that they won’t get as browned or crispy like fresh Brussels sprouts because the frozen kind are a lot more wet.
Made this tonight and my husband loved it! Thank you so much for this. Yum!!!
I’ve had this question – is there a reason to keep vegetables separate vs mixing them when you roast them? The obvious is to make it easier to serve different amounts of each. You have a note to keep them separate; is there another reason?
Nope, that’s the only reason. :) You can definitely mix them up if you’d like!
Hi,
I have pinned this to make later – looks amazing. I am wondering how your sauce would pair with turkey meatballs. I have left over cranberry sauce and want to use it up somehow.
Thanks in advance,
Cheryl
That would be AMAZING. :)
Hi, Beth. I’ve loved every single one of your recipes, so I’m sure this one will be grand as well. A bit off topic I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the functionality of your website. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pinned a recipe, then, when I’m ready to cook, the ads are so intrusive, and slow and clutter the experience, that I often just give up. With you the “jump to the recipe” really works, and everything is clean and streamlined. Thank you so very, very much. I’m sure it’s not easy to do this and possibly even less profitable, but it does make a loyal and happy follower! Happy Holidays!
I couldn’t agree more!
Thank you!! That really means a lot to me to hear. User experience is so important to me because I can’t stand using websites that have so many ads that I can’t find the content, either. There is so much pressure in the industry to maximize revenue that way, but it’s just not worth it to me. So thank you for showing your appreciation for that. :)
Agreed
I agree! Thank you Beth!
This is a seriously brilliant recipe! Those roasted Brussels sprouts look incredible. I haven’t tried this one yet, but plan to make it this week!
Great recipe but I wouldn’t bake raw chicken with the already roasting veggies. There may be transfer of E.coli toxin to the vegetables. Separate the chicken breast from the veggies by placing the raw meat on a piece of foil so that there is no chance of raw chicken juice mixing with the cooked veggies.
Not a concern because you are continuing to cook the veggies.
Beth, I love your sheet pan recipes–I made your Greek chicken as my meal prep for this week, and plan to make this one next week! Would it be possible to add recipes like this to your chicken meal prep section? I feel like I’m missing some good ideas as I generally start looking there first.
I think I’m going to make a sheet pan category because I finally have a decent amount of them. That way they’ll be easy to find! :)
Is it possible to use homemade cranberry sauce ?
This is a great recipe for post-Thanksgiving. I had about a half cup of cranberry sauce leftover that I put in the freezer, hoping to find a recipe to use it up in later. And now I have it! Great idea to make a chicken glaze with it.
Would like to try this recipe, but all the canned whole berry cranberry sauces available to me have high fructose corn syrup in them. Could your Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe be used as a replacement for the canned stuff?
Hi Beth,
I want to thank you for this recipe. I am so much in love with it, it looks great and I want to try it. However, I just have a little problem with the Brussels sprout. I think my son is allergic to Brussel sprout because he develops skin rash whenever he eats them. Please, do you have any idea what I could use as a substitute or alternative to the Brussel sprout? Or if I just followed your recipe without using the Brussel sprout, will it come out as great as it is here in this article?
Yep, you can either skip it or replace it with something like broccoli. :) I like to make sure my meals have a variety of colors, so I think broccoli would be the next best thing.
I wonder if kale would also work? If added nearer the end of the cooking time? But maybe Arjun’s little guy would prefer broccoli to an overtly leafy green? Haha :)
I think that’s an option! I haven’t tried roasting kale that way, but I’m sure if it’s not in there too long it won’t turn into kale chips. Haha! :D
OK, I will make sure the kale is roasted. But Beth once again, I really am grateful for all the ideas. Happy Holidays.
Thank you!! <3 Happy holidays to you as well. :)
Thanks Christina, that sounds brilliant. He does like kale. I think it will work. Thank you very much. I am so grateful.
Thank you so much, Beth. I will try broccoli instead. LOL. I have this feeling I might be missing out on something if I skip it. Thanks once again, Beth. Have a nice day.
I was going to ask this question because my husband needs a more FODMAP diet and I know brussel sprouts are on the list as is broccoli, but I think broccoli, in low amounts, is more tolerable. :)
To further answer the question about bone-in chicken breasts–I always roast them at 325 and baste a couple of times while they cook. The boneless breasts do just fine with a higher temp and shorter cook time allowing this one pan method that shares space with the veggies. They greatly benefit from the herb-butter topping that keeps them moist, so I wouldn’t skip that. This sauce is utterly brilliant! Would also be delicious with pork tenderloin, or a topper for goat cheese or a hot appetizer such as baked brie .
Love sheet pan dinners!
This looks amazing.
This sounds great. Can’t wait to try it. Btw, I love how you include step by step photos. Thank you.
Have a great week!
I agree! I was looking at some other sites this weekend and was like, “where’s the step by step pics?!?” 😂😊
Hey Beth/Budget Bytes Team,
I see another typo with your otherwise, sounding very delicious recipe :)
Just lettting you know.
Photo caption: (After **bakind** 20 minutes)
Hahaha, thank you!! 😬