Easy Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes

Easy Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

I’m always working to create meals that are both simple and delicious, recipes you can make on a busy weeknight and that the whole family will enjoy. And if that meal also reduces the amount of dishes you have to wash, it is definitely getting added to our recipe rotation. This Easy Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes totally checks all the boxes. With very little prep time and simple ingredients, it is a low effort meal that still tastes great. It is also a fun way to enjoy the grilling season flavor of barbecued chicken in winter without having to stand outside and freeze. Juicy chicken thighs smothered in your favorite barbecue sauce bake alongside cubed sweet potatoes and broccoli sprinkled with a super simple homemade spice mix. Meat and veggies cooking all together on one pan: what could be easier? 

Some of the best features of this easy recipe:

​Use your favorite jarred barbecue sauce. No need to fuss with making your own. If you buy a great sauce, you will have a great result.

Juicy chicken thighs! Using bone-in chicken thighs with the skin ramps up the flavor and keeps the meat moist during baking.

Soft, almost caramelized sweet potatoes sprinkled with a garlic powder, chili powder, cumin mix. A long bake at high heat means they are soft and sweet.

Crispy broccoli tossed in the same spice mix gets added to the pan in the last 15 minutes to keep the veggies from getting too soft and flavorless.

One pan! I repeat: one pan. Everything bakes up on one rimmed baking sheet meaning less clean-up. 

As with all of my recipes, Easy Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes is super simple to make with no complex cooking techniques or special equipment, and all the ingredients are available at any grocery store.

Recipe Ingredients

1.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, skin on (4 pieces)

1/2 cup jarred BBQ sauce and 2 tbsp

4 cups cubed sweet potatoes (unpeeled)

4 cups broccoli florets 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

12 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

Helpful Tools

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Small bowl
• ​Gallon Ziploc bag or large bowl with plastic wrap
• ​Large bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cup
• Rimmed baking pan
• Tongs
• Instant-read thermometer

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Ingredient Notes

Make sure to use bone-in chicken thighs with the skin on as this cut of chicken will provide the most flavor and will stay moist in the baking. Boneless skinless chicken thighs  and white meat chicken will dry out.

There’s no need to peel the sweet potatoes in fact, the skin is super tasty. Be sure to wash the potatoes thoroughly before cutting.

Because you won’t be using the stalk, I prefer to buy broccoli crowns; this way there is no waste.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Place the chicken pieces and 1/2 cup BBQ sauce in a large Ziploc bag. Seal the bag, pushing out the air. Shake or massage the bag until the chicken is coated. Let the chicken rest in the BBQ sauce in the fridge for one hour.

2. Near the end of the marinade time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

3. Wash the sweet potatoes and cut off and discard a small piece from each end. Cut into small cubes. Set aside.

4. Chop the broccoli into florets. Set aside.

5. Prepare the spice mix by adding the salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin in a small bowl. Mix to combine.

6. Place the sweet potato cubes into a large bowl and sprinkle with one tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine. Using your hands is the most efficient way to do this. 

7. Sprinkle with half of the spice mix. Add about one quarter of the mixture, stir, and add another quarter to be sure that the potatoes are evenly covered.

8. Lay the chicken pieces skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet. 

9. Surround the chicken with the prepared sweet potatoes. Spread the potatoes out in a single layer.

10. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes.

11. When 25 minutes have elapsed, use tongs to flip over the chicken so it is skin side up.

12. Remove the chicken and add 1/2 tbsp of BBQ sauce to the tops of each piece of chicken. You can use a spoon or a pastry brush.

13. Roast for an additional 20 minutes.

14. Add the broccoli florets to the bowl and sprinkle with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine.

15. Sprinkle the rest of the spice mix over the broccoli, adding one half, stirring, and adding the other half.

16. Add the broccoli to the chicken and potatoes, placing them in a single layer.

17. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.

18. Test the chicken with an instant-read thermometer. It is cooked when the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees F.

Check out the printable recipe card below for the step-by-step directions to make this delicious recipe, Easy Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Tips & Tricks

For easier clean up, you can line the baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil.

It is normal for the BBQ sauce to darken as it nears the end of the roasting, but keep a close eye on it. if you feel that the sauce is burning, you can add a small square of aluminum foil over the cooking chicken.

Insert the instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, but avoid touching the bone so that you get an accurate temperature.

Time for More Chicken Recipes?

I find chicken to be such a great and versatile ingredient that I have created all kinds of chicken recipes. Just like Easy Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potatoes, they are all easy and make a truly delicious meal.

Easy Dinner Idea: Cheesy Skillet Chicken Spaghetti 

Easy One Skillet Creamy Tuscan Chicken Dinner

Easy Dinner: Layered Chicken Enchilada Lasagna Recipe

Ultimate Creamy Chicken Pot Pie with Tater Tots

30 Minute Dinner: Easy One Pot Creamy Chicken Marsala