Name: Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Honey Mustard Crusted Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 small butternut squash (peeled, de-seeded, 1/2 inch cube); 1/4 cabbage (sliced thin); 2 small purple onions (peeled, halved, and sliced thin); 2 12 ounce bags of gnocchi (I use the frozen cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe's. Any gnocchi will work though!); 2 tbsp mayonnaise; 1 tbsp mustard; 1 tbsp honey; 1 cup rolled oats; 1 cup walnuts (almonds, pecans, seeds, or more oats will work here); 1 1/2 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 3 large chicken breasts (fileted (slice lengthwise to make 2 chicken breast filets for each breast (total 6 filets))

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Easy sheet pan dinner with gnocchi and honey mustard crusted chicken made for a busy weeknight!

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A much needed mid-winter break rest!

Every year when the school calendar comes out, I groan internally about the “mid-winter break” every February. I don’t remember growing up with it as a kid, and who really wants to have a break from school when the weather is so cold?! I always say I would much prefer to get out of school earlier in the spring! However, this year, we just really needed the school break, and it was welcomed. I’m not sure if it is just the busier schedule, more rigorous school work as the girls get older, or wanting to dodge all the illness in the classroom, but we embraced it, and really enjoyed some downtime as a family!

Back to the grind! And back to a staple busy weeknight sheet pan dinner!

We came off that mid-winter break week ready to run again, and boy did we have to run! Between classes, after school activities, and weekend fun, I was thrown right back into needing to rely on some of my family’s favorite one pot meals and fast dinners to keep real food in our bellies and still enjoy all of the activities the kids love to do. And sheet pan dinners are a must have for those kind of weeks!

Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Honey Mustard Crusted Chicken

How to make an all in one sheet pan dinner!

Having a handful of sheet pan dinner ideas in my back pocket is one of my secrets to being able to get a healthy, filling dinner on the table, even on a weekday with after school activities. My goal is always heavy on the protein, and then get the mineral rich veggies piled high, ensuring there is a decent amount of starchy carbohydrates for busy, active kids. Sometimes I need to make some rice to go alongside a sheet pan dinner, but in this recipe, I’m going to show you how to use one of my kids *favorite* – gnocchi!

Soft, pillowy, irresistible gnocchi!

We discovered these frozen cauliflower-based gluten free gnocchi at Trader Joe’s a couple years ago, and my kids are obsessed! If you like to make your own gnocchi, or have another favorite store bought version, that will work for this recipe too. The gnocchi will roast right alongside the veggies, getting a flavorful, caramelized bottom that is just so delicious. I picked some random veggies that I needed to use for this sheet pan dinner, but you can absolutely use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I’ll be sure to list some of our fav veggie combos in the recipe card.

The Method :: Preparing the Gnocchi and Vegetables

This is the best part about a sheet pan dinner. Simply chop your veggies and pile them right onto the sheet pan. The gnocchi can go right from the bag to the sheet pan too! The veggies I chose for this sheet pan dinner can actually be chopped days in advance. Take 10 minutes before bed, or on a weekend prep day to chop, and store, and then all you have to do is dump them on the pan and roast! (If you don’t have access to Trader Joe’s, and are unsure where to get gnocchi, try searching through some of these!)

The Method :: Preparing the Honey Mustard Crusted Chicken

While your gnocchi and vegetables begin roasting, you’ll have time to prepare the chicken. Technically, you could just grill or pan sear some seasoned chicken, and it would be great with the veggies. But I like to add a little extra carbohydrates and fat to the chicken to help satiate my busy, active kids by using an oat and walnut crust on the outside. Not only does it make the dinner more filling, it makes the chicken taste so good! I stir up some mayo, mustard, and honey to flavor the chicken and coat the outside so that the breading can stick. Then, blend up the oats and walnuts into a “flour” or “meal.” Brush the chicken with the honey mustard mixture, and dip in the oat/walnut mixture to coat. The chicken pieces can be placed on a separate sheet tray to cook.

The Method :: Finishing the Sheet Pan Dinner

Once the gnocchi and veggies have roasted for 10 minutes, you can stir them around, and return to the oven. Put the chicken in with the veggies at this time and roast for another 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. You can see in the image below that I like to use a sheet pan fitted with a rack to set the chicken on so that the bottom of the chicken gets crispy too. If you do not have a rack, the chicken will still cook fine!

How to Serve the Gnocchi and Honey Mustard Crusted Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

We just love a good dinner bowl! So pile the gnocchi and veggies into a large bowl and top with sliced honey mustard crusted chicken! That’s it!

A note about leftovers and meal prep

This dinner as written feeds my family of 5 for one meal typically. If I make more veggies I can stretch it. This easy sheet pan meal would make a great lunch to re-heat Monday-Friday for work! Or, if your crew loves taking a thermos to school, just make more so that lunchbox pack is easy the next day. My 13 year old brought these leftovers to school and said it was her favorite lunch this week!