One pan maple, orange and pecan chicken

I’ve been meaning to reinvent this maple, orange and pecan chicken from an old recipe for a while. Now this one pan chicken dish is even easier and faster to make – but just as delicious!

If you could swear you’ve seen a recipe similar to this on the blog already, well you’d be right.

A good while ago, not long after I started this blog, I posted a similar baked one pan chicken recipe, but I’ve long been meaning to update it.

I made the old one with a whole chopped up chicken.

Nothing wrong with that of course, and in fact in that post I wrote about how it was much better to use a whole chicken than to use breast or thigh. Ha – what a joke! I was right that it’s generally much cheaper to use chicken that way, but these days I’m all about the skinless, boneless thighs!

Especially now we’ve got a little one commanding all our time, it’s all about the convenience! The quicker and easier the recipe the better.

Isn’t it funny how things change?

So easy to make!

This recipe takes very little time to prepare. Just:

1. peel and chop sweet potato and toss into a baking dish with a handful of green beans and plenty of whole garlic cloves (don’t even bother peeling them – they’re so delicious squeezed into the sauce as you eat!).
2. tuck chicken thighs into the dish then drizzle with maple syrup and orange juice.
3. ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, wilt some fresh spinach into the dish and sprinkle over the crunchy pecans.

I love this quick and easy one pan chicken dinner, but I suspect it could divide a room as the finished result is quite sweet. Give it a try and decide which side of the fence you’re on.

Maybe this could even be another ‘one-handed’ recipe. It’s certainly very easy. I should test out the theory next time I make it!

I like to use a pan similar to this Lodge cast iron covered casserole to make this (affiliate link!).

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One pan maple, orange and pecan chicken

I can't get enough of easy one pot chicken meals. This is an old one I've been meaning to update for a while, and I don't think you'll be disappointed with the revamped version. Sweet potatoes, green beans, garlic, spinach, and chicken all get bathed in a delicious sweet maple orange sauce. Oh, and don't forget those lovely crunchy pecans.

Course Main meal

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 2 (to 3)

Calories 802 kcal

Author Helen

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato (medium) peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 8 cloves garlic unpeeled
• 3.5 ounces green beans (about 1 handful)
• 1 pound chicken thighs (skinless boneless)
• 1 orange (zest and juice)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups spinach (I used baby spinach - about 2 handfuls)
• 1 ounce pecan nuts (about a handful)

to serve

• fresh crusty bread or rice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 355F / 180C.
2. Add the sweet potato, garlic and green beans to a medium baking dish. Tuck the chicken between the vegetables.
3. Whisk the zest and orange juice with the maple syrup. Drizzle the whole dish with a little cooking oil (about a tablespoon), then pour the juice / syrup over the chicken.
4. Grind over plenty of salt and pepper, then bake for 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potatoes are tender. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the spinach, tucking it down into the sauce as much as possible, and sprinkle over the pecans.
5. Serve with the bread or rice.

Recipe Notes

Squeeze the garlic into the juices as you eat. Delicious!

Nutrition Facts

One pan maple, orange and pecan chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 802 Calories from Fat 432

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 48g 74%

Saturated Fat 11g 55%

Cholesterol 222mg 74%

Sodium 241mg 10%

Potassium 1248mg 36%

Total Carbohydrates 52g 17%

Dietary Fiber 7g 28%

Sugars 29g

Protein 42g 84%

Vitamin A 254%

Vitamin C 66.2%

Calcium 17.6%

Iron 21.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.