Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Red Cabbage & Sweet Potatoes

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These chicken thighs with sweet potatoes and cabbage are a delicious and easy meal to prepare. The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity—everything cooks together on one sheet pan, making cleanup a breeze. As the ingredients roast together, the chicken juices meld with the vegetables, creating a savory dinner for when you want something comforting and healthy.

  • Cooking everything on one sheet pan makes this meal easy to prepare and clean up.
  • Sweet potatoes provide beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A to support eye health.
  • Placing chicken thighs at the corners of the pan helps them crisp up better.

This Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Red Cabbage & Sweet Potatoes recipe is the kind of dish that practically cooks itself while you kick back and let your oven do all the heavy lifting. Just throw the chicken into a quick lemony marinade while the oven preheats. Toss the cabbage and sweet potatoes in a little oil, then put it all together onto one trusty sheet pan and voilà! Dinner is just about good to go. Better yet, cleanup is just as simple as tossing that sheet pan into the sink. Not only that, but this combo of veggies adds plenty of gut-healthy fiber and antioxidants to help tame inflammation. So, grab your sheet pan, your veggies and a package of chicken thighs and read on for our best tips and tricks for whipping up this delicious one-pan dinner tonight.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

  • The corners of the baking sheet are the hottest and thus the perfect place to roast your chicken thighs. This allows the chicken skin to crisp rather than steam. 
  • The chicken thighs should register at least 165°F to be considered done, but it’s OK to let them go beyond that. Chicken thighs are very forgiving and can still be tender and juicy when cooked to higher temperatures. If your cabbage is not a little charred and crisp by the time the chicken hits 165°F, continue cooking everything together until the veggies are done. 

Nutrition Notes

  • Red cabbage is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds called sulforaphane and anthocyanins, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation. Cabbage also contains glucosinolates, a plant compound that turns into isothiocyanates in the body and may help protect against certain cancers. 
  • Sweet potatoes get their orange color from beta carotene, a nutrient that converts into vitamin A in the body to help support eye health. Soluble fiber is another nutrient found in this starchy vegetable. Eating enough fiber is linked to improved heart and gut health.
  • Chicken thighs are a complete source of protein, as they provide the nine essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce. These amino acids are crucial for many functions, from muscle growth to cell repair. Chicken thighs contain tryptophan, an amino acid that is responsible for raising serotonin, a neurochemical that supports a healthy mood.
Recipe Image of Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Red Cabbage & Sweet Potatoes ingredients

photographer: Jen Causey, food stylist: Julian Hensarling, prop stylist: Josh Hoggle

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings

  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • ¼ cup lemon juice

  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

  • 2 cloves garlic, grated

  •  teaspoons Dijon mustard

  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

  • 4 (6-ounce) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

  • 1 small head red cabbage (2 pounds), outer leaves removed

  • 3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (1-inch) 

  • ¾ teaspoon salt, divided

  • 1 (5.3-ounce) container whole-milk plain strained (Greek-style) yogurt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third position. Whisk ¼ cup each oil and lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dill, the grated garlic, 1½ teaspoons mustard and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside ¼ cup of the mixture in a small bowl. Add 4 chicken thighs to the medium bowl with the oil-lemon mixture and turn to coat; let stand for 15 minutes while the oven preheats.

    Image of marinating chicken thighs

    photographer: Jen Causey, food stylist: Julian Hensarling, prop stylist: Josh Hoggle

  2. While the chicken marinates, cut cabbage into 8 wedges, keeping the core intact. Place the cabbage wedges and 3 cups sweet potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil; toss to coat. Arrange the cabbage wedges, cut-side down, and the sweet potatoes in an even layer. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the corners of the baking sheet, resting on top of the sweet potatoes if necessary; sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.

    Recipe Image of Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Red Cabbage & Sweet Potatoes on baking sheet

    photographer: Jen Causey, food stylist: Julian Hensarling, prop stylist: Josh Hoggle

  3. Roast until the cabbage is tender and browned in spots and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of chicken registers at least 165°F, about 40 minutes, flipping cabbage halfway through. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt over the cabbage and sweet potatoes; toss to coat.

    Recipe Image of Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Red Cabbage & Sweet Potatoes on baking sheet

    photographer: Jen Causey, food stylist: Julian Hensarling, prop stylist: Josh Hoggle

  4. Meanwhile, stir yogurt and the remaining 2 tablespoons dill and ¼ teaspoon salt into the reserved oil-lemon mixture (if necessary, stir in water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach a thick drizzling consistency). Divide the chicken and vegetables among 4 plates; drizzle with the yogurt mixture. Garnish with additional dill, if desired.

    Recipe image of Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Red Cabbage & Potatoes

    photographer: Jen Causey, food stylist: Julian Hensarling, prop stylist: Josh Hoggle

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh, 2 cabbage wedges, ½ cup sweet potatoes & 3 Tbsp. sauce

Calories 502, Fat 27g, Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 103mg, Carbohydrates 40g, Total Sugars 14g, Added Sugars 0g, Protein 28g, Fiber 8g, Sodium 708mg, Potassium 1,219mg

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs?

    Yes, you can use bone-in chicken breast instead of thighs. Choose 2 (12-ounce) chicken breasts and cut them in half crosswise so you have 4 pieces. Chicken breasts are not as forgiving as chicken thighs if they overcook, so you may have to remove them from the sheet pan when they register 165°F and let the veggies continue cooking.

  • Why aren’t my vegetables and chicken crispy?

    A lack of crispiness usually happens if the pan is overcrowded, steaming the ingredients rather than roasting them. Make sure your vegetables are the right size for the recipe. Cabbage wedges from a small head of cabbage fit well with 3 cups of sweet potatoes on one sheet pan. If the pan seems very crowded, move some of the vegetables to a second sheet pan and roast them separately.

  • What other vegetables can I use?

    You can use regular potatoes in place of sweet potatoes. You can also swap out the red cabbage for green cabbage if you prefer. Avoid using looser-leaf cabbages like Savoy or napa cabbage, which cook more quickly and may burn before the potatoes are done.

Image of Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Red Cabbage & Potatoes

photographer: Jen Causey, food stylist: Julian Hensarling, prop stylist: Josh Hoggle

EatingWell.com, March 2025

Additional reporting by
Hilary Meyer
Hilary Meyer
Hilary Meyer is a recipe developer, tester, and content creator. After graduating from culinary school, she started working the EatingWell Test Kitchen in 2006, developing and testing recipes.
and
Alex Loh
Square Headshot of Alex Loh
Alex Loh is EatingWell's food editor. As part of the food team, she creates healthy, delicious recipes for the EatingWell audience. Alex also writes informative food and cooking articles that range from how to store ground beef to the best picks from Trader Joe's. Alex conducts product and taste tests to find the best options, from salad spinners to salsas.