Feta and Roasted Pepper Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner

This easy, one-pan dinner combines feta, jarred red peppers, and chicken thighs – all roasted together for a deliciously economical meal any night of the week.

How To Cook With Jarred Roasted Red Peppers

While the recipe calls for a few fresh ingredients, like onion, garlic, and chicken thighs, the star of this recipe is the jarred roasted red peppers. You’ll often find these in the grocery store where the olives and pickles are located, with two or three peppers inside a water-filled jar. Yes, it’s water in there, not oil, which becomes thick from the natural pectin in the peppers.

The peppers need to be drained well and then patted as dry as you can get them with paper towels. You want to remove as much surface moisture as possible before they go into the oven. This will prevent too much steam from forming in the oven, which will prevent everything from properly roasting.

What Kind Of Feta Is Good For Baking?

True feta cheese is made with sheep’s milk, and has a bright, briny, tangy flavor. Many U.S. brands will use a mixture of cow and sheep, or all cow’s milk to create the feta. This creates a milder-tasting, but still delicious, cheese.

Any type of feta will work in this recipe! However the flavor of the sheep’s milk feta holds up better in the oven and makes a more flavorful sauce.

How To Make The Feta And Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Once the peppers are drained, patted dry, and chopped, add them to a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients, and toss to coat everything with oil, salt, and oregano. Transfer the ingredients to a large sheet pan, spread into a single layer with the chicken thighs on top, and place the pan into a super hot oven.

After the 40-minute cook time, the vegetables and cheese will be lightly roasted and charred and ready to be made into a creamy sauce (that doesn’t include any cream). 

Remove the chicken from the pan, place on a cutting board, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then add the chicken pieces to a large serving bowl and set aside. While the chicken is hanging out in the bowl, transfer everything on the sheet pan – the roasted peppers, feta, onions, garlic, and pan juices – to a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times until almost smooth, and you’ll have a thick, creamy sauce that needs no additional seasoning. Add the sauce to the chicken, stir to combine, and dinner is ready.

How To Serve Feta and Roasted Pepper Chicken

The best part about this recipe is its versatility. I like to serve this over rice, pasta, or orzo to stretch the meal; the sauce couldn’t be more perfect on all three.

On days when I’m really pressed for time, I’ve skipped making the sauce. Everything can be served directly from the sheet pan the minute it comes out of the oven, and still tastes amazing.