Sheet Pan Panzanella with Chicken

Sheet Pan Panzanella with crispy-skinned, juicy chicken, over crunchy Parmesan-Garlic Croutons and juicy tomatoes, melty mozzarella, and – don’t be afraid – tender, delicious (I swear!) Kale! Easy to make, easier to devour!

What exactly is a salad? Seems you can define it many ways. If you ask the dictionary we all carried around in our pile of books during high school, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, you’ll see several definitions for the word “salad”. One states that a salad is “raw greens (such as lettuce) often combined with other vegetables and toppings and served especially with dressing.” (Ok, first of all Merriam, or Webster, I’m not confident in your usage of the word “especially” here.) The second definition, decidedly more inclusive, states that a salad is “small pieces of food (such as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables) usually mixed with a dressing (such as mayonnaise) or set in gelatin.” (Ok, um…gelatin?).

So, now that we have that figured out, meet my new favorite salad – The Sheet Pan Panzanella with Chicken! This salad, made on a Sheet Pan, doesn’t specifically meet either definition, but it is a salad. It does have one raw green, so I guess that counts, since we can consider Basil a vegetable.(Maybe?) Panzanella is a Tuscan-derived salad made from olive-oil soaked or toasted bread pieces or cubes and tomatoes. Interestingly, the word “Panzanella” does not appear in the Merriam Webster Dictionary. This fact, along with the forementioned definition, makes me question that dictionary’s usefulness to be honest. 

So, my Panzanella, inspired by this recipe from Martha Stewart, is made by toasting the bread cubes along with the chicken pieces, along with some Parmesan Cheese and Italian spices. Accompanying these two oven-browned items are some nice chunks of Mozzarella Cheese and kale – I know what you’re thinking – so, please, don’t skip the kale. This is THE WAY to cook kale for those who say they don’t like kale. At the very end of the bake, when the chicken is cooked through, you’ll add pieces of kale, and the ready-to-be-melty cheese and Broil it! This 2-minute quick cook method makes the kale so tender, the kale-haters at your table won’t even know it’s kale. I promise. And I have data, it was eaten twice at my table, no questions asked. It’s tender, sweet, and did I say, tender?

The quick broil also crisps the chicken skin, so you’re left with a salad of sweet, tender Kale, crispy-skinned juicy chicken, melty globs of mozzarella, and toasty, garlic-parmesan croutons. Now, THAT’s a salad! 

So, what do you think? Is this a salad? OR, is this a SALAD! I’m crazy about it, and I bet you will be, too!

Enjoy!

Looking for other delicious salads? How about:

Chicken and Mango Salad with Tangy Lime Poppy Seed Dressing

Farro and Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil and Mint

Chicken Salad with Herby Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing

Pioneer Woman’s Big Steak Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

Step-by-Step Panzanella Recipe Instructions:

So, this is a super-easy sheet pan dinner “salad”. What you’ll do first is cube the bread. You could use day-old bread, or a fresh loaf – it’s all good! A rustic loaf or a beautiful sourdough loaf, whatever you like eating as bread, you’ll like as a crouton! Cut about 5-6 cups worth, combine with some tiny tomatoes, then season with spices, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil. Pour it all out onto an unlined sheet pan.

Then, prep your chicken thighs. Around 3 lbs is usually around 7-8 chicken thighs. Just trim any excess skin, salt and pepper them on their bottoms and tops, and rub them with a bit of olive oil. Place them over the bread cube-tomato mixture. Into the preheated oven. In 25 to 30 minutes, they should reach 165F and be done. You’ll want to crisp up the skin and also cook your kale and melt the mozzarella. So turn on the broiler.

Remove the chicken from atop the croutons, maybe give them another stir. Place some cut and lightly oiled kale over the top. Add the mozzarella balls or pieces, and the chicken thighs. Broil 2-3 minutes or until the chicken skins look golden and crispy. Then, take it out of the oven.

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You’ll want to top the salad with some fresh basil. You can tear the leaves into smaller pieces, but I feel like basil chiffonade makes a nicer presentation. To chifffonade, you’ll just stack 8 or so basil leaves on top of one another, then, using a sharp knife, make very thin slices. You may need to do this to 2-3 stacks of leaves, depending on your own personal love of fresh basil. I use a lot of fresh basil on mine, because I love that flavor so much! I hope

And, since you’ve used the juicier chicken thighs, the leftovers are just as good as first-time around. I hope you love this salad as much as I do!

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Variations on Panzanella with Chicken:

• You can use a different cut of chicken, but use bone-in pieces, like half chicken breasts, or chicken legs, as baking time will be similar. As always, be sure to check temperature for doneness. And, be aware, chicken breasts will likely not be as juicy as chicken thighs or legs. So, kind of importantly, you won’t get as much fat rendered from the meat and skin that creates the wonderful schmaltz which makes the croutons so dang tasty!

• Make a dressing! Truly, this salad is delicious without pouring on additional dressing. The seasoned ingredients and olive oil make a delicious dressing. But, if you must, or if you want, reduced balsamic vinegar would be excellent. Just pour around a cup or a little less (about 210-240ml) Balsamic vinegar into a saucepan. Bring it to a low boil. Over several minutes, it will reduce it to a medium-body syrup. It will make about 4-6 Tbsp of deliciousness that you can drizzle over the top of this salad. Truly, I promise, a dressing is not necessary, but I’m never one to turn down a splash of reduced balsamic on just about anything!

• Skip the mozzarella – It’s delicious, but if you don’t want it or don’t have any fresh mozzarella, the salad will still be delicious. The Mozzarella balls I used are the bite-sized ones called “ciligiene”. You can use these or cut bite-sized pieces of a fresh ball of mozzarella.

• Use a different green. You could use another hearty green, like mustard greens or spinach, but I’ve made this with both Lacinato (aka “Dinosaur”) Kale and Red Kale for a family that does not love kale. (They could not identify it as kale after broiling it.) If you’ve never tried Lacinato Kale, that’s my first choice, but both varieties were delicious – tender and sweet after the broiling. The key is to remove the tough stem and cut into 2″ (5cm) pieces.

• Use Cherry tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes. I feel like grape tomatoes are often a bit tangier than cherry tomatoes, which is why i chose those, but feel free to use any bite-size tomatoes.

Want to make Sheet Pan Chicken Panzanella later? Pin it!

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