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This Rosemary Balsamic Sheet Pan Chicken with Bacon and Apples is a quick and wholesome weeknight dinner that fills your kitchen with the most incredible aroma. Made in just one pan, it’s layered with flavor from juicy chicken, crispy bacon, sweet apples, caramelized Brussels sprouts, and a rosemary balsamic marinade that pulls it all together beautifully. It’s also Paleo and Whole30 compliant.
As a nutritionist, I’m always looking for ways to make healthy meals that actually feel comforting and satisfying. This dinner checks all the boxes. It’s simple, nutrient-dense, family-approved, and ridiculously good.
A Go-To for Busy Weeknights
Let’s be real. Weeknight dinners need to be quick, delicious, and cleanup-friendly. Life has been crazy busy, and the sheet pan meals are totally making things so much easier. This one-pan chicken recipe does exactly that. Lately, my sheet pan has been my best friend, especially on the days when life feels nonstop. This recipe came together out of that need, and now it’s a regular in our rotation.
And can we talk about the smell? The balsamic rosemary marinade baking in the oven with the bacon and apples is just next-level. A friend walked in while it was roasting and immediately peeked inside the oven. It’s that good. And honestly, it’s such a delicious way to make the most of all those apples while they’re in season!
How To Make It
This is a true toss-and-bake meal. Here’s how it comes together:
- Blend up a simple marinade using balsamic vinegar, fresh rosemary, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Coat the chicken in the marinade. You can marinate ahead for up to 12 hours or just let it sit while prepping the other ingredients.
- Arrange everything on a sheet pan. Yes, even the uncooked bacon goes right on the pan.
- Drizzle leftover marinade over the Brussels sprouts and apples.
- Roast in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and the veggies are caramelized.
That’s it. So simple.
Tips for Success
- Marinate ahead: If you have the time, marinating for a few hours will deepen the flavor even more.
- Don’t skip the bacon: It adds a rich, savory bite that balances the sweetness of the apples.
- Mix up the veggies: Brussels sprout are perfect here, but you could also throw in mushrooms or carrots depending on what you have.
- Make it a meal: I love this served over greens or tossed into a salad. My kids and husband prefer it with my Perfect Skillet Roasted Potatoes, over rice or for a crispy, cheesy twist, my Crispy Parmesan Sheet Pan Potatoes.
Storing Leftovers
This dish stores beautifully in the fridge for up to 5 days. It reheats well and makes for the best lunch bowls. Just pair with some fresh greens or leftover potatoes and you’ve got a new meal in minutes.
Rosemary Balsamic Sheet Pan Chicken with Bacon and Apples
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup chopped rosemary
- 10 oz brussel sprouts, stem cut off and cut in half
- 2 apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
- 6 slices of bacon, chopped
- Salt + Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut your chicken breast into smaller chunks or pieces. Set aside.
- Make your marinade by blending balsamic vinegar, oil, lemon, and garlic. While motor is running, add chopped rosemary. Continue blending for at least 1 minute or until rosemary is well incorporated. Place chicken into a bowl or container with marinade. Marinade for at least 5 minutes, but up to 12 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with foil. Place brussel sprouts, apples, and bacon on the sheet. Add chicken. Brush any reserved marinade over sprouts and apples.
- Bake for 15 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken). Bump up the oven to 425 degrees, and cook for another 5 – 10 minutes of cooking to get everything extra crispy!
- Remove from oven and serve immediately. Salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do you get it where the chicken does taste dry? Whenever I have to cut chicken into chucks it turns out dry
You can keep the breast in tact or use chicken thighs that will not dry out like breasts. In this recipe, the addition of vegetables and bacon should provide enough moisture that prevents the chicken from being too dry.
Update to my previous comment: I just ate it and was extremely disappointed. Brussels sprouts were undercooked, apples and bacon were mushy, NOTHING was crispy. I’m so sad! I was so looking forward to this meal. I will try again and tweak some things. I’m also very disappointed to see that Amy seems to only respond to to those who rave about this meal..
What did I do wrong because mine came out very soggy (lots of liquid in the pan) and not crispy at all 😩. Also, for the 1/4 cup rosemary, is that measurement before or after chopping?
Lauren, if it there is extra liquid it could be a few things. Some chicken is VERY watery and causes more water to release. You will get some water from the apples and brussels, but shouldn’t have that much. You can let it toast for about 5 extra minutes at 425 to let some of that juice harden, or drain some of the juice and stick it back in to the oven.
And the rosemary is after chopping!
Delighted to see the Brussels sprouts. It’s all so So SO good! I added cubed, skin on gold potatoes so I wouldn’t have to do starch in a separate pot. Substituted thighs for chopped breasts once, bumped up cooking time by 10 mins and it was all good. Thank you!
This was so yummy!! My family really enjoyed this. Next time I would use more chicken and an extra apple because my family gobbled it up!
looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
This meal is absolutely incredible!! All the flavors work together so well, it’s just….so amazing. My husband and I make it regularly, in fact it might be our favorite meal to make at home, although we’ve added a few (unnecessary) tweaks. First, in order to get the bacon and Brussels sprouts fully cooked, the chicken can get a little dry and overcooked. We use thighs instead of breasts and they stay juicy. Second, we don’t blend the marinade. This step seems unnecessary to me personally, I’ve never blended a marinade, and aromatics like rosemary seem to permeate through just fine. We also add a couple extra slices of bacon to the pan. Can’t go wrong! The one problem we have with the recipe is just how much liquid ends up in the pan. Yours looks nice and dry, so I’m not sure what causes it (possibly just liquid cooking out of the chicken), but we’ve always had to drain it out a few times while it bakes, and nothing gets quite as crisp as it should. Small price to pay for such a delicious dinner!
Also, the addition of apples is genius! Nothing quite like biting through a chunk of soft, bacon-wrapped apple. Yumm!!
Thanks for this fantastic recipe!! I double it every time so we can eat it for days. We love it!
So glad you love it, and thanks for adding in your tweaks 😉
This was easy and delicious. I marinated the chicken for about 7 hours (did this step in the morning and put it in the refrigerator). I doubled the recipe for our family of 6 and had some leftovers which I will put in individual serving containers over a bed of rice. These will come in handy for another busy night. One thing I did differently (because I made a mistake this morning and went ahead and cooked all 3 packages of my bacon in the oven without thinking) – I waited until about the last 5-10 minutes and then tossed the already cooked bacon pieces over the top of the two sheet pans. I also noticed after 20 minutes of cooking that my oven wasn’t hot enough probably because I had two sheet pans in it instead of one, so I increased the temperature from 375 to 450 for the last 10-12 minutes. Everything was cooked to perfection in my opinion. The chicken was fluffy, apples cooked but not mushy, brussels sprouts were done with just a little crispiness to the outer edges. The apples’ sweetness was a wonderful complement to the other flavors. All 6 of us loved this dish – and it will be part of our regular rotation.
Amy – I love your healthy and delicious recipes and thank you so much for sharing them with us!
Can you do this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs?
Sure can!
This was so good! I made a few slight modifications to make sure everything cooked evenly and had enough seasoning. I roasted just the Brussels sprouts and bacon first (I sprinkled them with salt and pepper) for 5 minutes at 375. THEN I added the chicken and apples, adding the remaining marinade and a bit more salt and pepper. Cooked everything together for 15 minutes, then an additional 10 at 425. It came out perfectly!