Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Vegetables
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Mazola® Corn Oil. All opinions are mine alone. #MakeItMazola #simpleswap #CollectiveBias
I’ve got a quick and easy recipe share today that I think will be perfect for busy weeknights. My family loves this Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and it’s made even better for you by using Mazola® Corn Oil instead of olive oil. A clinical study showed Mazola® Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see MAZOLA.com.
Fall has arrived in Florida. That means pretty fall decorations, college football and well not much else. It’s still hotter than hot and everyone will be in their short shorts and tanks until mid-December. Soups and stews are also a definite no-no. We’re still using the grill and eating lots of lighter, better for you meals and salads to keep up our beach bods!
It’s beach season usually until Christmas, so there’s no time you can put on a few pounds and cover it with a chunky sweater. So most of the year, we’re eating lighter meals. And because fall is so very busy with school activities, festivals and other fun stuff, I like to keep dinner as quick and easy as possible.
One thing I’ve really gotten into this year is sheet pan family dinners. These are so easy because you just add a meat and two sides to your sheet pan, some type of flavor and place it in the oven. It’s minimal clean up and maximum flavor in no time at all!
This Sheet pan Pesto chicken an vegetables recipe is super easy. It just starts with chicken, zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes. To make it a little better for you, I use Mazola Corn Oil in the pesto instead of olive oil.
For the pesto, I use a few simple swaps to make it a better for you recipe. I swap out pine nuts for heart healthy walnuts. Then instead of using a bunch of Parmesan cheese, I just add a bit of lemon juice.
Then instead of streaming in olive oil into this pesto, I use Mazola Corn Oil because of its superior qualities of lowering bad cholesterols. A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see MAZOLA.com.
In addition to the Mazola corn oil, walnuts and lemon juice, I also add a bunch of fresh basil, a few cloves of garlic and a bit of salt and pepper to the food processor. Then I just pulse these ingredients in the food processor until I get the consistency of pesto I like. It’s so easy!
For the chicken and vegetables, I just arrange them in a sheet pan like so. You can use any variation of vegetables you like. I just used what I had on hand in the fridge!
Then I brush them with my fresh pesto.
Until I have something that looks like this.
Then I just bake it all in the oven until it’s done. Serve this with a simple salad and dinner is done!
I’ve started using Mazola Corn Oil in lots of my recipes. Its a great all-purpose cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy choice for my family. I’ve been using it in baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, and even mixing it up in marinades and salad dressings.
Mazola Corn Oil has a perfect neutral taste that works in so many different types of recipes, even cakes and other baked goods. It also has a higher smoke point than most oils at 450°. This makes it perfect for grilling, stir-frying and higher temperature baking.
Many home chefs don’t realize how low the smoke points are of their favorite oils. Exceeding that smoke point when you cook negatively affects the flavor of recipes as as the oil’s nutritional value.
Corn Oil has quite a bit more cholesterol-blocking plant sterols than other cooking oils. It has four times more than olive oil and one and a half times more than canola oil! Plant sterols are all the rage right now when it comes to helping lower your cholesterol. Clinical studies indicate that as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, plant sterols actually help reduce the absorption of cholesterol.
With cholesterol-blocking plant sterols, Mazola Corn Oil is a heart-healthy choice all your cooking needs. And with it’s neutral taste, it’s perfect for salad dressings, marinades, baking and more. To learn more about this claim, see MAZOLA.com.
Yield: Serves 4
Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Vegetables
5.00 stars (1 reviews)
Loading...method: Baked course: Main Course
cuisine: American diet: Heart-Healthy
Ingredients:
For the Pesto:
- 2 cups fresh Basil
- 1/2 cup Walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup Mazola Corn Oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste (use potassium salt substitute for a heart healthier option)
For the chicken and vegetables:
- 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 1 large zucchini, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 medium russet potatoes, cut into chunks
Directions:
Heat oven to 400°. Prepare basil pesto by adding basil, walnuts, garlic and lemon juice to food processor. Pulse and slowly add in Mazola Corn Oil. Continue to process pesto in food processor until pesto is well combined.
Spread potatoes in 1/3 of large sheet pan. Spread zucchini and tomatoes in the next 1/3 of the sheet pan. Spread chicken in the last 1/3 of the sheet pan. Brush chicken and vegetables well with basil pesto and place in oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken has an internal temperature 165° and potatoes are tender.
