Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini

Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini combines crispy Parmesan chicken tenders with tasty seasoned zucchini, and they cook all on one pan! Plus the best three-ingredient chicken dipping sauce!

We love this meal — it’s fresh, flavorful, and the chicken is ridiculously crispy! The zucchini is deeply savory with a cheesy, crunchy coating and the dipping sauce is the perfect finishing touch.

The dipping sauce is a sweet honey BBQ mustard that pairs wonderfully with both the chicken and the zucchini. Plus, it’s only three ingredients!

How To Get Crispy Baked Chicken

It can be tricky getting crunchy, crispy chicken tenders without a deep fryer (or an air fryer), but we’ve got a few tricks in this recipe to ensure ultra-crispy chicken without sacrificing nutrition. Here’s what we do:

Use panko breadcrumbs. Panko bread crumbs are similar to regular bread crumbs, but they create a much crunchier, lighter, and more delicate result. Using panko ensures a crunchier end product than regular bread crumbs.
Add Parmesan cheese to the breading. Parmesan cheese crisps so nicely when baked, so when you add it to the batter–more crisping takes place.
Spray the chicken with cooking spray. The cooking spray not only keeps the chicken from sticking to the wire cooling rack, but also contributes to the crispy texture.
Bake on a wire cooling rack. If you have a wire cooling rack, place it right on top of a sheet pan and bake the coated chicken tenders on top. This ensures more even circulation of heat in the oven which results in crispier chicken all around (as opposed to just being crispy on one side). Bonus: Any panko coating that falls off the chicken gets nice and toasty on the sheet pan which we can then toss with the zucchini– making them even that much tastier!

Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini Process Overview

This recipe is fun because we get perfectly crisp-tender zucchini and crunchy chicken tenders all at the same time. Here is a quick overview of how to make this recipe.

Start by tossing together the seasoning mix. While we get the oven nice and hot, quickly mix the seasonings. The seasoning blend is made once and used twice in this dish!
Next we prep the chicken and place prepared chicken tenders on a generously greased, oven-safe wire cooling rack.
We thencut the zucchini. Add the zucchini to the pan with some olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning blend.
Move zucchini to make room to position the cooling rack (with chicken on top) on the tray. Space out the zucchini surrounding the cooling rack, but also so it’s not overlapping and has plenty of space to roast.
Bake for 10 minutes then remove the pan, toss around the zucchini and flip the tenders. Return to the oven for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and zucchini is tender.
If the zucchini isn’t quite tender to your liking, but the chicken is cooked through, simply remove the wire cooling rack with the chicken on it and place the zucchini back in for another few minutes.

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Since cooking time can vary due to several factors, I always recommend using a digital meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken and remove any guesswork on your end. Once chicken registers 165 degrees F it is safe to consume.

Let’s Chat Zucchini

The zucchini is perfectly crisp-tender in this Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini. Crisp-tender means it’s been cooked all the way through, but still has some “snap” to it. It is tender in the way that a knife can easily sink through it, but crisp meaning the zucchini still has structure and a slight crunch.

Since there are few things worse than mushy zucchini, you can rest assured, this recipe will not deliver that. To ensure crisp-tender zucchini, look out for a few things:

Use fresh zucchini. If the zucchini feels soft, it’s not a great candidate for crispy roasted zucchini; it should be firm to the touch.
Don’t peel the zucchini. No need to peel the zucchini before chopping and roasting. The skin on properly cleaned zucchini is perfectly safe to eat–in fact, it actually has a lot of nutritional benefits!
Cut zucchini pieces into even-sized wedges. The bake time can be tricky if the zucchini are all different sizes; take the time to cut the zucchini pieces as evenly as possible.
Don’t crowd the zucchini. Avoid crowding the zucchini together, so they can get more of a roasting effect from being baked. Air circulation helps the browning process. Overlapping zucchini will steam and become more watery instead of crisp and caramelized.

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Use any leftover zucchini in one of our favorite zucchini recipes like this Zucchini Pasta Sauce, these Healthy Zucchini Muffins, or these simple Zucchini Boats!

Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini Seasoning Mix (one mix–two uses!)

This recipe starts with a simple seasoning mix that we split into two parts. One part seasons the zucchini and the other seasons the chicken tenders!

The blend containsItalian seasoning, dried parsley, garlic powder, paprika, salt, onion powder, dried basil, and pepper.

We keep the salt relatively low for the amount of chicken and zucchini in this recipe because there is so much Parmesan in this dish (Parm is salty). If you find the flavors lacking or less exciting than hoped, you may just need an extra pinch of salt at the end! Give the zucchini and chicken a quick taste test before serving and adjust as needed.

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We use fine sea salt in this recipe. All salts aren’t the same, so if using a finer grain salt, you’ll want to reduce the amount of salt so the dish isn’t too salty.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini Dipping Sauce

We love a good chicken dipping sauce and this one does not disappoint. There are only three ingredients, which I’ll explain below. (None of the products recommended are sponsors of the site.)

Fresh (refrigerated) coleslaw dressing. We like Litehouse® or Marie’s® best.
BBQ sauce. We like Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ® sauce best.
Yellow mustard. Not to be confused with Dijon mustard (which is in the chicken batter) — the two aren’t the same.

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If you prefer a homemade sauce, I include a similar sauce recipe in the notes section of this Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini recipe. It has five ingredients instead of three, but is still simple to make and very tasty!

Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini Recipe Tools

The following products are what I personally recommend for making this recipe:

15×21-inch extra-large sheet pan. To fit both the zucchini and chicken on a wire cooling rack on one sheet pan, you’ll need a 15×21 inch sheet pan. Otherwise, you may need to use 2 smaller pans. Additionally, the more space the zucchini and chicken have (and the less crowded they are) the better they roast in the oven.
Veggie turner. To quickly flip the chicken tenders and toss the veggies, I love using this metal spatula.
Cooling racks. To ensure ultra-crispy chicken, we bake it on a cooling rack. Be sure the cooling rack you’re using is indeed oven safe and a size that will fit comfortably on the 15×21-inch sheet pan!
Cooking spray. Once all the tenderloins are battered and breaded, they need to be sprayed with cooking spray. This promotes crisp, even browning in the oven and results in seriously crispy, crunchy chicken! We typically use olive oil cooking spray which can be found near the different types of oils in the grocery store.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini Storage

This recipe is best enjoyed immediately after being made. The tenders don’t stay crispy when stored, so I recommend cooking only enough for one meal or what will be enjoyed that same day.

As far as making it ahead of time, it can be done, but I recommend waiting to dredge the tenders in the panko-Parmesan mixture until right before baking. Otherwise, the breading will get soft and the chicken won’t be near as crispy/crunchy after baking.

More One-Pan Dinner Recipes

One Pan Italian Sausage and Veggieswith a simple Italian seasoning blend
Sausage and Chickpeaswith sweet potatoes
Mini Meatloaf with mashed potatoes & green beans
One-Pan Jambalayawith seasoned shrimp
Creamy Pesto Orzomade with sweet corn and peas

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Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini

5 from 10 votes

- Review this recipe

Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini combines crispy Parmesan chicken tenders with tasty seasoned zucchini all on one pan! Plus the best three-ingredient chicken dipping sauce!

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Sheet Pan Chicken and Zucchini

5 from 10 votes

Ingredients

Spices

▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: dried parsley, Italian seasoning
▢ 2 teaspoons EACH: garlic powder, paprika, fine sea salt
▢ 1/2 teaspoon EACH: pepper, dried basil, onion powder

Chicken & Zucchini

▢ 1 pound (16 oz. 485g) chicken tenderloins Note 1
▢ 2 tablespoons (27g) mayonnaise
▢ 2 tablespoons (18g) white, all-purpose flour
▢ 1 large egg
▢ 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
▢ 2-3 small-medium zucchinis (~13 oz; 375g)
▢ 2 tablespoons (25g) olive oil

Chicken Breading

▢ 1 cup (80g) panko breadcrumbs Note 2
▢ 1-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided Note 3
▢ Olive oil cooking spray

Sauce -- Note 4

▢ 1/2 cup (120g) prepared coleslaw dressing
▢ 1 tablespoon (18g) yellow mustard
▢ 3 tablespoons (60g) honey BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)

Instructions

PREP: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Take out both a large (15x21-inch) sheet pan and an oven-safe wire cooling rack if you have one. Generously spray the cooling rack with cooking spray and set aside. (Note 5). Toss together all of the spices. Remove 1 tablespoon of spices and set aside. Pat chicken tenders dry with paper towel and trim any fat and then remove tendons. Add 1 cup (70g) Parmesan and 1 cup panko to a shallow bowl. Toss to combine and set aside.
BATTER: In another bowl, add the 2 tablespoons mayo, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon Dijon, and remaining spices to a large, shallow bowl. Whisk to combine. Using tongs, add a chicken tender to the batter mixture. Generously dredge and evenly coat all sides with the batter. Repeat to dredge all the tenders in the batter. Tenders should all be well coated and use up all the batter.
BREADING: Next, dredge each tender in the Parmesan and panko mixture. Again, coat tenders generously. (You should use most of the breading.) Place breaded chicken tenders on top of the sprayed cooling rack. Press any leftover breading on top of chicken tenders and then generously spray the tenders with cooking spray on one side.
ZUCCHINI: Cut zucchini into 3-inch coins. Cut each coin in half and then in wedges to get 4-6 wedges (depending on how wide the zucchini is). Place all the zucchini wedges on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and 1 tablespoon of spice. Toss with your hands to generously coat and then move zucchini to make room for the wire cooling rack with the chicken. Once the wire cooling rack is on the tray with the zucchini, position the zucchini evenly around the cooling rack, making sure zucchini has plenty of room to roast. (If zucchini is overlapping it will steam and take longer to get tender.)
BAKE: Place entire sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and carefully flip the tenders to the other side. Generously spray with cooking spray and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until chicken registers 160 degrees F on a food thermometer (carryover heat will bring it up to 165 degrees F). Make sure zucchini is crisp-tender as well. Remove from the oven and taste test. Add a light sprinkle of salt on top of the tenders if needed to make the flavors come alive.
SAUCE: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.
ENJOY: Remove the wire cooling rack with chicken on top and add remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan to the zucchini. Toss the zucchini with the Parmesan and any of the Panko breading that fell on to the tray from the chicken. Serve this crispy cheesy zucchini with chicken and dipping sauce.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1:Chicken tenders: If using chicken breasts, remove excess fat, pound them to even thickness and slice them to the size of tenders (about 1 and 1/4th inch strips).

Note 2: Panko: Panko bread crumbs are similar to regular bread crumbs, but they create a much crunchier result. They can be found near breadcrumbs, flour, and cornmeal in the grocery store.

Note 3: Parmesan: Use a block of Parmesan cheese and grate on the small holes of the cheese grater. Measure loosely. I don't recommend jarred/canned Parmesan cheese -- the flavor will be overpowering and too salty.

Note 4: Dipping Sauce: If you don't have access to fresh coleslaw dressing, here is a recipe that will yield very similar results: Whisk the following in a bowl until smooth:

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Best Foods/Hellman's Regular Mayo
1-1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon honey BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Note 5: Cooling rack: If you don't have a cooling rack, just put the chicken on the sheet pan separate from the zucchini.

Nutrition Facts

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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