Sheet-Pan Chicken With Rhubarb and Red Onion

By Melissa Clark

Published May 18, 2022

Sheet-Pan Chicken With Rhubarb and Red Onion
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,095)
Comments
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This easy yet robust dish celebrates rhubarb’s savory side. Here, a bit of honey, some sliced sweet red onion and the rich juices of roasted chicken thighs and drumsticks temper its tartness. Serve this dish with a crackly baguette or some rice to catch the tangy sauce at the bottom of the pan. It’s the best part.

Featured in: Crisp Chicken, Tender Rhubarb and a Brilliant Sheet-Pan Meal

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings
  • 1¾pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks (see Tip)
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
  • ¼teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 1large red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
  • 5thyme sprigs
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 8ounces rhubarb stalks, sliced into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
  • 3tablespoons honey, plus more to taste
  • ½cup cilantro or mint leaves and tender stems, torn
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

494 calories; 29 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 38 grams protein; 690 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees and line sheet pan with parchment paper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Place onion wedges on the prepared sheet pan and lightly season with more salt and pepper. Add chicken and thyme sprigs to the pan and drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over everything. Toss until well coated, then spread chicken and onions in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While the chicken is in the oven, combine rhubarb and 3 tablespoons honey in a medium bowl. Lightly drizzle with oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss until rhubarb is well coated.

  4. Step 4

    Remove chicken from oven and carefully spoon rhubarb onto the hot pan around the onions and chicken. Continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through, and the rhubarb and onion are tender and caramelized, 25 to 35 minutes longer, tossing the rhubarb and onions (not the chicken) once about halfway through.

  5. Step 5

    Stir the rhubarb and onions very well, making sure to incorporate all the browned bits and chicken juices from the bottom of the pan (this is the tastiest part). Then sample a piece of rhubarb. If it’s very tart, drizzle with a little more honey, tossing well. Serve chicken with rhubarb-onion mixture garnished with herbs.

Tip
  • You can substitute bone-in, skin on-breasts for the thighs and drumsticks. Just start checking 10 minutes earlier since white meat takes less time to cook than dark meat.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,095 user ratings
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Comments

Charles Michener

Tossing vegetables in a sheet pan without tossing the chicken is next to impossible. Best to remove the chicken pieces to a bowl half way through, toss the rhubarb and onion, then return the chicken to the pan and resume roasting. Drizzling honey can be difficult. To make it easier, microwave it first for 15-30 secs.

Rhubarb

FYI . . . 2 stalks of rhubarb = 1 1/2 cups, 1/2" dice. To make this, you'll need 2-3 stalks. Tossing vegs is not difficult if you put the chicken at one end of the sheet pan and the veg on the other.

Libby Benedict

Recipe is great as written but def increase the rhubarb (and subsequently, the honey) because it’s sooo sweet/tart/delicious and pretty. Don’t skimp on the onion, either. Served with couscous. Family loved it.

jill

In what world is 8 pieces of chicken 1 3/4 pounds?

Rick T

I've made this twice -- the rhubarb-coriander combination is fascinating on the tongue. The next time I make this, though, I'm not going to add the rhubarb-onion relish until perhaps 20 minutes into cooking. As directed, one ends up with delicious rhubarb mush, which would be improved if it were a bit al dente.

connieh

Costco pkg had 5 thighs. Used 2 large rhubarb stalks sliced. Did not cut in half lengthwise. 1/2 red onion. Seasoned thighs in a bowl with oil. S&P onions with oil in a bowl and combined them before putting on parchment paper lined large baking sheet. Added maple syrup and oil to rhubarb in a bowl and then added to sheet. Cooked 35 min at 425. Delicious!

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