Receta Sheet Pan Chicken with Garden Vegetables and Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning

by Monte Mathews

I realize I am a bit late to this party.  For a while I thought Martha Stewart had given up cooking any other way than by using a sheet pan. She created 17 sheet pan suppers for Pork alone. She made everything from Pizza to Vegetable Quinoa Tahini bowls on a sheet pan. It’s not that I completely resisted the sheet pan.  In fact, two of my favorite recipes on Chewing The Fat use the technique.  (Their links follow this recipe.) In putting this recipe together, I thought why not use a terrifically colorful group of vegetables: Red Onions, a whole sleeve of those multi-colored sweet peppers, Zucchini and Broccoli to bring green into the picture and then finally for some juicy red bites, cherry tomatoes cut in half.  As to the chicken, I used breasts but you can cut boneless, skinless breasts or thighs or a combination of both, into bite sized pieces.  Douse the whole shebang with Olive Oil, then vociferously use the Pepper Grinder and toss the mixture together before adding the other key ingredient. Once again forgive me for not previously extolling the virtues of what has to be the most successful product launch of last year.  That’s Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend”.   This product is so popular that Epicurious actually published a piece showing 19 ways to use the stuff.  But before you sign off because there’s no TJs near you, I have found a recipe that you can make yourself with nary a Trader Joe’s within miles of your house.  The proportions in the recipe yield just enough seasoning for this dish.  I think you’ll find it so irresistible that it would make sense to make a big batch of it.   You might start with an entire 2.3 oz jar of White Sesame seeds and take it from there scaling everything up.  The one key here is to get all the components roughly the same size.   And whatever you do, don’t make substitutions—no granulated garlic or regular salt or the flavor will be off.  And I’d highly recommend using Maldon Sea Salt.  It’s the perfect sized grain for this recipe.   If you can’t find Maldon, you can order it for surprisingly little money on Amazon. It was actually cheaper there than at the specialty foods store where I bought mine. Once we’ve gotten our Seasoning Blend in hand, put the chicken and vegetables onto a sheet pan covered with Aluminum foil (for easy clean-up). Then throw caution to the wind and season the entire mixture with the Seasoning blend.  Pop it into the oven for all of 15 minutes.  Make sure the chicken is cooked through and serve.  Now you can serve it on a bed of rice or even faster, one of couscous and your dinner is done. Here are the recipes.         Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend May 28, 2018 Servings: Makes 3 tbsp. Prep: 5 min Total: 5 min Difficulty: Please...you're measuring ingredients Print This Likely the top Trader Joe's introduction of 2017. Be sure to follow the recipe. No substitutions. By: Monte Mathews Ingredients 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic 1 1/2 teaspoons black sesame seeds 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (Maldon recommended) 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds Directions Step 1 Combine everything thoroughly and store in an air-tight container at room temperature. Sheet Pan Chicken with Garden Vegetables and Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend May 28, 2018 Servings: 4 Prep: 5 min Cook: 15 min Total: 20 min Difficulty: Simple as pie. Print This Luscious vegetables combined with tender Chicken bites and the flavor of Trader Joe's most popular seasoning. By: Monte Mathews Ingredients 1 lb chicken boneless, skinless breasts or thighs or both 1 large zucchini cut into half moon chunks 1 head of Broccoli, florets only 3 red, orange and yellow pepper cut into chunks 1 red onion cut into wedges (then halved) 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes 3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Freshly Ground Pepper 3 tbsp. Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend (or your own) Directions Step 1 Preheat the oven to 425F. Step 2 Chop vegetables and put them in a large bowl and add the chicken. Step 3 Pour the olive oil over the chicken and vegetables and mixed until well combined. Step 4 On a large baking sheet, arrange the chicken and vegetables in a single layer, and bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (165F) and the vegetables are tender yet still firm to the bite. Step 5 Serve immediately, with couscous or rice, and squeeze a little extra lemon over the top (optional) Follow these links to 2 other great Sheet Pan Suppers. The Ultimate Inexpensive Dinner Party Dish: Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes   Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Cherry Tomato Panzanella