Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken Chop & Veggies

This sheet pan Cajun chicken chop & veggies (squash, tomato & mushroom) is a continuation of making meals without the stove due to ongoing house renovations. Before I made this meal, the question I asked myself was, “how can I roast everything in a pan in 20 minutes flat when chicken is involved?” The answer lies in the cut of chicken. I’m using the chicken chop cut, which is a flattened piece of boneless chicken leg. Being flat, the chicken chop cooks in about half the time of a whole chicken leg. The shortened roasting time synchronizes with the rest of the vegetables in the baking tray, namely 20 minutes!

See Also:

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken Chop & Veggies Recipe
The roasted chicken skin looks burnt due to the colour, but rest assured that it is not! In fact, the blackened chicken skin is a result of using Cajun spices, a variant of blackened seasoning. The blackened skin is crisp to perfection and a burst of flavour. It turns out to be my favourite component in the pan.

STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS

Cajun Blackened Seasoning
This is my dry chicken spice rub. The base is made up of Cajun seasoning. To the base, I added garlic powder, cayenne or paprika pepper and all-purpose seasoning. Some people prefer to make their Cajun seasoning from scratch, but I always start with a premade bottle for convenience.  As every brand differs in taste (especially in the heat & salt level), do adjust to taste the amount of pepper & salt accordingly.

Chicken Chop Cut
This is raw chicken chop from the supermarket. After cleaning the chicken, pat it dry with paper towel, then place it skin side down on a plate. Lightly sprinkle garlic salt on the flesh. If you use normal salt without the garlic, sprinkle about half of the amount seen in the picture above.

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken Chop & Veggies Recipe

Prepare sheet pan. Place the chicken skin side up on the sheet pan. Rub olive oil all over the skin, followed by the dry spice rub prepared earlier. Coat the veggies (squash, cherry tomato & button mushroom) with olive oil and arrange them around the chicken in a sheet pan. I deliberately did not cut the mushroom so that the roasting time will be the same as the other ingredients. Scatter some seasonings over the veggies.

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken Chop & Veggies Recipe
After roasting in the oven for only 20 minutes, the chicken is cooked and the skin became perfectly crisp. Enjoy this sheet pan of chicken & veggies as a filling low (complex) carb meal for one, or share it as a side dish among 2 or more people.

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken Chop & Veggies Recipe

In this recipe, the dry spice rub chicken at (A) is good for one piece of chicken chop. If you love this tasty Cajun chicken chop, you can fill up an entire sheet pan with 3-4 pieces of chicken chop by making more portions of the dry spice rub correspondingly.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (250g) boneless, skin-on chicken chop patted dry, see note(s) below
  • garlic salt to taste
  • 1 tsp olive oil to apply on chicken skin
  • more olive oil to drizzle over the mushrooms
  • 1 tsp dried parsley flakes (or 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley)
  • 2 wedges lemon

(A) Chicken Dry Rub Spices

Combine & mix well in a small bowl:

  • 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp paprika powder (or cayenne pepper powder) for extra heat; to taste
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove minced)

(B) Vegetables: Pumpkin, Tomato & Mushroom

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 200g skinless butternut squash chunks (use any squash or pumpkin variety)
  • 100g cherry tomatoes
  • 100g button mushrooms
  • 1 tsp all-purpose and 1 tsp Cajun seasoning

Directions:

  1. Prepare chicken chop & vegetables. Place chicken chop skin-side down a plate. Lightly sprinkle garlic salt on the flesh. Add the vegetables & seasonings at (B) in a large bowl & toss to combine evenly.
  2. Prepare sheet pan by lining it with baking paper or oiled with baking spray. Place the chicken chop, skin side up, in the middle of the sheet pan. Rub olive oil evenly on the chicken skin, followed by spices (A). Scatter prepared vegetables around the chicken. Drizzle an extra lug of olive oil over the mushrooms.
  3. Bake the sheet pan at preheated oven of 200°C (392°F) for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked (see note below). To serve, garnish with parsley, black pepper & lemon.

Cooking Note(s):

  1. Chicken chop cut. This cut is derived from a whole chicken leg consisting of the thigh and drumstick that has been deboned with skin intact. You can buy this cut already prepared at the supermarket or meat grocer, or debone a chicken leg by yourself.
  2. How to test if the chicken is cooked. Insert a skewer into the thickest part of the chicken chop. If clear liquid runs out, the chicken is done.
  3. Season to taste. As every brand of Cajun seasoning differs in taste (especially in the heat & salt level), do use appropriate amounts of cayenne pepper & salt to taste accordingly.
  4. Oven heat. The sheet pan is placed at the upper rack (where my oven is hottest) to reduce the roasting time. If you place it in the middle rack or you have a different oven configuration, do adjust the cooking time accordingly.