With a name like Change Your Life Chicken, how could I not give it a try?
One of the books I read in January was The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi. Her messages about intentional living in a sustainable way, achieved by deciding what matters to you and being genius about it (and lazy about the things that don’t) resonate with me. She has a loyal following with good reason- she’s relatable and helpful! I’ve enjoyed getting to know her through her book and podcast.
If you follow her for any length of time, you’re sure to hear about Change Your Life Chicken. Change Your Life Chicken is proclaimed to be an internet legacy. She swears by it because it…
- Is a complete meal on a single sheet pan.
- Cleans up easily (just toss the foil).
- Uses simple ingredients.
- Is fool proof and delicious.
Essentially it is a sheet pan meal made with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, simple seasonings, and whichever hearty vegetables you prefer.
Ok, bet. Sounds like a winner, so I knew I had to try it!
Yes, I need to clean my over, but let’s focus… How’d it go?!
- The recipe is definitely simple, but not to be confused with quick. Prep took me about 15 minutes and it bakes for 50 minutes. I’m totally fine with this, but it’s worth nothing it’s not a 30 minute meal.
- I used two pans because it took 6 chicken thighs to feed my family of four. I switched the placement of pans half way through the cooking time.
- I loved that there was no clean up! Just toss the foil. However, I’ll spray the foil next time because some of my veggies got burnt to the foil. Maybe because I used two sheet pans?
- The 500 degree temperature made me a little nervous, but she’s right- it totally works and leads to a delicious crispiness to the chicken.
Ok, so did it change my life?
You know, it just might have! The whole family loved the taste of the chicken. Seasoning it under the skin and over really made it flavorful! I served it on top of buttered rice (rice cooker for the hands-off win!) and threw some baby spinach under my portion, too.
I’ll make chicken like this again and again now. I’ll probably stick to potatoes and onions as the veggies on the pan and add a separate green on the side, but I can say with no hesitation whatsoever, that Change Your Life Chicken is a family-friendly recipe you definitely should try!
Like sheet pan meals? Check out this delicious sheet pan rosemary chicken dinner! Like crispy, flavorful chicken thighs? You must try this chicken thighs with oregano and chicken dish!
Share with me- is there a chicken recipe that has changed your life?
Alyssa says
https://www.recipetineats.com/gravy-baked-chicken-thighs-and-drumsticks/
That one changed my life 🙂 It’s classic comfort food when served with some mashed potatoes and you can’t beat the 5 minutes prep. It really is just 5 minutes. I make it about every other week because our whole family loves it!
Brittany Dixon says
Ohhhh my that looks like comfort food; going to have to try that one! Thank you 🙂
samcarter says
https://damndelicious.net/2016/10/07/slow-cooker-beef-stew/ This is a fantastic beef stew, and very forgiving–I ran out bay leaves once, didn’t use them, nobody noticed. It’s super easy to put together in the morning and cook all day, and smells fantastic. I always add an extra tablespoon of Worcestershire, because we love it and it’s lower in sodium than table salt.
https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/05/crockpot-fried-rice-recipe.html This recipe taught me I can make fried rice in the slow cooker–I have three teenage boys and they all love fried rice. Making enough for them in a frying pan is not possible, but I can make a huge batch (4 cups cooked rice, some scrambled eggs, 1 can baby corn, a can of water chestnuts and at the end, a couple of cups of frozen peas and carrots) and there’s plenty.
Brittany Dixon says
I’ve been wanting to make fried rice for the girls! Thank you 🙂
samcarter says
It’s really easy as long as you have the rice cooked the day before, and chilled. (Warm rice=mushy fried rice.) I put the butter in on low to melt, and then some minced onion to let it cook on High for a bit, and then the cold rice, baby corn, water chestnuts, salt, soy sauce, worcestershire and sometimes garlic powder and white pepper. Stir it really well, then heat it up on Low for about 2 hours or so. Scramble eggs, however many you want, and put them in there, or add some cooked meat or shrimp. About 1/2 hour before I want to serve it I put in frozen veggies; this way they keep their color.
Paige says
This post made me so happy! Two of my favorite internet ladies in one place! 😊 It also reminded me I need to make CYLC soon.