Easy Sheet Pan Chicken & Sweet Potato Fall Salad Bowl
This Easy Sheet Pan Chicken & Sweet Potato Fall Salad Bowl is full of delicious and seasonal vegetables. Top your lettuce with roasted sweet potatoes & chicken, quinoa, pecans and finish it with an apple cider vinaigrette to create the most flavorful salad!
We’ve had an interesting Fall here in Minnesota (but, let’s be honest, using the word “interesting” to describe the weather is pretty typical here). It started out freezing cold, then it got super hot (like 90 degrees Fahrenheit hot – I was dying) and now we’ve had some absolutely beautiful days. The leaves are at peak right now, it is just breathtaking.
We have been going on a lot of family hikes in our local regional park to take in all the beautiful colors. The boys love it-they always say they are being “wilderness explorers” and have been collecting their fair share of leaves and sticks.
The last time we went, we packed a picnic and had the boys pick out our picnic spot. They chose a perfect shady spot, surrounded by leaves bursting with color and right next to a lake.
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Check out these Other Fall Recipes:
- Caramel Apple Crisp
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Cranberry Apple Salad
- Caramel Apple French Toast
- Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper Fritters
- The Best Fall Sheet Pan Dinner
I’ll be honest, as I type this, it makes me think back on this excursion as absolutely picturesque. BUT, don’t be fooled (I almost fooled myself typing this), because Mr. Jack had a rough go on the way back (read: meltdown) and we couldn’t quite figure out why.
Turns out his winter boots were two sizes too small and poor buddy got a big ‘ol blister on his heel. So, noted, I need to check boot sizes before I haul them out for the cold weather! All in all though, fall hikes with my boys are the best.
Let’s Talk Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes always remind me of fall. The taste, the color – they just scream “Fall is here!!” There are so many different ways you can use sweet potatoes.
You can mash them and serve them as a side dish. You can spiralize them and use them as noodles. Or, you can roast them in the oven to perfection and put them on a salad. I HIGHLY recommend the last option because that’s what this recipe is all about!
Salad as a Main Course
I love hearty salads where the star of the show isn’t just the lettuce. You know the salads that I’m talking about – the ones that leave you full (but a healthy, satisfying full) and don’t make you think you were just scarfing down lettuce like a little rabbit.
This salad is packed with all sorts of goodies – roasted sweet potatoes and chicken, quinoa, pecans and an apple cider vinaigrette. It looks, and tastes, like Fall!
Easy Sheet Pan Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad Bowl ingredients
- sweet potatoes
- quinoa
- pecans
- lettuce
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- balsamic vinegar
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- apple cider vinegar
- olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- honey
- lemon juice
If your kid is not a fan of salads, not to worry! I keep all the different components of this salad separate so that I can just give my boys a deconstructed version of this salad. That way, we can all eat the same thing for dinner (AKA no short-order line cook needed).
Tips for involving kids
- Let your kids help you dice the sweet potatoes with their very own knives.
- Have them help you measure all the ingredients for the marinade and the dressing.
- Take your kid grocery shopping with you and let them help you pick out all of the ingredients! If you are feeling really brave, you can even let them push their own kiddie cart (if available)!
Easy Sheet Pan Chicken & Sweet Potato Fall Salad Bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 cup quinoa cooked
- 1 cup pecans
- lettuce
Chicken Marinade
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine all ingredients for the Chicken Marinade.½ cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
- Add chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes.2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- While the chicken is marinating, cook the quinoa according to the package directions and set aside.
- Drizzle the sweet potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.3 sweet potatoes
- After the chicken has marinated, place it on one side of the sheet pan and the sweet potatoes on the other side.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink).
- While the chicken and potatoes are roasting, combine all ingredients for the vinaigrette.¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, ¼ cup honey, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper
- Once cooked, let the chicken cool and then cube it.
- Assemble your salad with the chicken, sweet potatoes, quinoa and pecans. Top with the vinaigrette and enjoy!lettuce, 1 cup pecans
This is absolutely the best recipe! Saw you on TCL and had to try it. The marinade and vinegarette are so good! I would suggest a tip to your recipe. To ensure chicken is cooked use an instant read digital thermometer and insert into thickest part of breast until reaches 165 degrees. Much easier than cutting into chicken to see if pink. Cutting too soon and juices leave the chicken. Love this recipe!
Awww, thanks for sharing! I’m so glad you like it 🙂 Great tip on the meat thermometer.
Can this all be made ahead of time and just put all out when time to eat. I’m having to also bake a pasta meal so that will take up oven I guess. Is it ok if ingredients such at room temperature?
Yes, it all can be made ahead of time! I would recommend keeping the chicken in the fridge if it is going to be longer than 30 minutes in the marinade.
This looks so good! Excited to try.
Awesome!! You are going to love it! Deconstruct it for the kiddos (sweet potatoes and chicken separate) and the kiddos will love it too!