With school nights in full swing–you need less dishes and a quick, easy and HEALTHY dinner to fuel you and your family. This southwestern sheet pan will do all of the above and can easily be doubled for leftover lunches. This Allergy-friendly 30 Minute Salsa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner is free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nuts. It’s also top-8-free too for an easy chicken dinner! (This can also be Whole30 and Paleo if you omit the rice.)
The thing that inspired me for this dish was shish-kabobs. It was summer time when I started tweaking this recipe and I just love shish kabobs. I just HATE the prep. Having to dice everything and THEN slide it onto skewers is a lot of work. And then, when it’s time to eat, you have to slide them off. It all seems kind of silly to me. When I make shish-kabobs, I always slide the veggies and chicken onto a bed of rice. So, I thought–why not just make DECONSTRUCTED shish-kabobs?
And, what a better way to make it than all at once, just like you do with shish-kabobs, but without the silly sticks? So, a sheet pan was called for and I’ve been so pleased with how easy this all is!
We have this dinner constantly now, because who doesn’t have chicken and rice? And, the nice thing is that bell peppers and onions are not seasonal or expensive vegetables, and we always have those on hand. I always make a big batch of brown rice (since it’s the only grain we can do) at the beginning of the week, so all I have to do is re-heat it.
And, you can dress up or dress down this as much as you want. Use some fresh cilantro as a garnish. Put a dollop of guacamole on top. Add more salsa on top of the entire bowl (versus just on the chicken). Add olives, add some dairy-free cheese, or a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Top it with freshly chopped green onions. This really is a great template to do as much or as little as you like. I sometimes do a lot, or a little and it’s delicious both ways. It really just depends on what is already in my fridge. Go crazy and add what your family likes!
And lastly–something controversial: mushrooms. I know a lot of people don’t like them. But, I love them! I love that they’re meaty, and fulling and so I add an entire package of those as well. I find it helps me do less meat–but of course–it’s totally up to you. But, speaking of meat–just make sure your chicken breasts are sliced thinly, so that they can cook even and quickly. If you have thicker chicken breasts, you might want to adjust when you add your vegetables, to make sure it gets cooked through before browning your vegetables too much.
I know even though we’re two months into the school year, we still have crazy nights and we’re still adjusting to schedules it seems. This dinner has been a life saver in getting something healthy and fresh in front of my family without much effort of time. I hope that this will also help you have an enjoyable family dinner that is naturally gluten-free, allergy-friendly and most importantly YUMMY! Happy cooking everyone!
NOTE: Feel free to use whatever salsa you prefer. I have yet to find a salsa that isn’t allergy-friendly as they’re mostly tomatoes, peppers and vegetables–but read the labels just to be safe!
IN THE MOOD FOR MORE ALLERGY FRIENDLY TEX MEX RECIPES? I GOT YOU!
- Dairy Free Green Chile Enchilada Soup
- Gluten Free Chicken Enchilada Pasta (Top 8 Free Too!)
- Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Lime Tacos
- Meatless Enchilada Quinoa Bowls
- Dairy Free Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Mexican Tuna Salad
- The BOMB Gluten Free Chicken Baked Taquitos
Allergy-friendly 30 Minute Salsa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)
With school nights in full swing--you need less dishes and a quick, easy and HEALTHY dinner to fuel you and your family. This southwestern sheet pan will do all of the above and easily can be doubled for leftover lunches. This Allergy-friendly 30 Minute Salsa Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner is free of: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut and tree nuts. It's also top-8-free too for an easy chicken dinner! (This can also be Whole30 and Paleo if you omit the rice.)
Ingredients
- HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING:
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- SHEET PAN INGREDIENTS:
- 2-3 chicken breasts, butterflied or sliced thinly
- 1 large red, yellow, orange and green bell pepper, sliced
- half of a large red onion, sliced
- 1 package of mushrooms, sliced
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- salsa
- cooked brown rice for serving, or if Whole30 or Paleo--omit
- OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
- guacamole
- cilantro
- olives
- fresh limes for squeezing
- dairy-free cheese
- green onion
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Spray the aluminum foil with oil.
- Place your cut chicken breasts in the middle of the pan. Sprinkle heavily with your taco seasoning. This taco seasoning will make a lot, so save the rest in an air-tight container or baggie, and you can make this several more times!
- Bake the chicken for ten minutes.
- While it's baking, dice all of your vegetables and toss them with olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Pull the sheet pan out after ten minutes and arrange your vegetables around the chicken. Pour a generous amount of salsa on each of the chicken breasts as well. (Or, you can wait to add your salsa when it's all done--it just depends on if you want your salsa hot or cold.)
- Bake 10-15 minutes more, until chicken is done, and vegetables are tender.
- I like to move my sheet pan to the top drawer and put it on broil for 1-2 minutes to get a little char on my vegetables.
- Serve by placing the chicken and veggies in a bowl filled with cooked brown rice. Top with your desired toppings.
- Leftovers store great and make a yummy and easy lunch!
Notes
Taco seasoning adapted from All Recipes
Dinner idea adapted from The Wicked Noodle
DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT! ALSO, CHECK OUT MY OTHER ALLERGY-FRIENDLY PINTEREST BOARDS!
Looking for other easy, allergy-friendly chicken dinners? Check these out:
Chicken Enchilada Pasta (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free)
One Pot Green Chile Chicken & Rice (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free)
30 Minute Korean Chicken & Broccoli (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free)
30 Minute Chicken & Mushroom Marsala
Hi! I’m Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I’m a published cookbook author that constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy friendly–it’s an addiction. I share every recipe & tip with the hope that they help you as you manage your food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!
Related Recipes:
Gluten Free 30 Minute Korean Chicken and Broccoli (Top 8 Free Too!)
Vegan & Gluten-free Mushroom Stroganoff (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free)
Vegan Scalloped Potatoes (All Pantry Staples!)
30 Minute Dairy-Free Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Gluten Free, Allergy Friendly Too!)
Allergy-friendly, Soft, Roll Out Sugar Cookies + VIDEO
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Emily
Can I do this in the instant pot?
Megan Lavin
Hi Emily! i haven’t personally tried it, so I can’t say for sure. I have two instant pots. An older one could probably do this. The newer one seems to scorch anything with a tomato base. So, you’d have to feel it out with how your instant pot works. It could def work in a slow cooker.
Frieda
Looks and sounds yummy! Please describe how would you make this in a crockpot. I could put this on before church if it doesn’t take too short a time to cook. ????
Thank you!
Megan Lavin
Hi Frieda, how long it takes depends on how thick your chicken is. If it’s not too thick, and it’s thawed (not frozen) I would say 3-4 hours on low should be good. Frozen, or thicker, you might need longer. But, it also depends on how hot your crock pot gets. So, check it after a few hours and go by feel. Enjoy!
Brianna
So easy! Just what I need for busy weeknights. It looks delicious too!
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Yes, the easier the better in my book!
Amanda
Yes, yes, yes! This is perfect. I love sheet pan meals, especially when it is cooler and you don’t mind the oven heating up the kitchen!
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Definitely–I bet in Miami you def have to worry about that!
Alicia
This is genius! especially for the colder months when you aren’t using the grill. Now i want this for lunch 🙂
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I always make extra so I can have some for lunch 🙂
Sharon Wong
Your meal looks so festive and healthy! I love that it’s easy too.
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Thanks! Yes, it’s all about the ease since I had my third baby!
Nicole
So great to have easy dinners like this, especially during the busy school year.
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Seriously! This school year has taken a lot of adjusting!
Alisa
This is such a great idea for a sheet pan dinner! We do dinners similar to this a lot, but I haven’t tried it this way.
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You gotta join the sheet pan dinner craze 🙂
Kristina
bright beautiful photos!
I love a flavorful sheet pan of roasted veggies…
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Me too! The colorful veggies get me EVERY time. Thanks!
Chrystal
I love that you use homemade taco seasoning in this recipe instead of store bought. Super simple and fresh!
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Yes, I’d just rather not chance it with cross contamination! 🙂