Maple Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potato Hash – Easy One-Pan Dinner

So last Wednesday I was staring into my fridge at 5:30 PM with absolutely zero dinner ideas, and all I had was chicken thighs and a couple of sweet potatoes that were getting a little too soft. I almost ordered pizza. Again. But then I remembered this chicken with sweet potato thing I’d made a few months back and somehow it turned into this maple glazed situation that my entire family now requests at least twice a week.

I’m not even exaggerating. My husband literally texted me from work yesterday asking if I could make “that maple chicken thing” for dinner.

Why This Chicken with Sweet Potato Recipe Works :

Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. One-pan dinners usually mean “one pan of disappointment” in my experience. Either the chicken is dry, the vegetables are mushy, or everything tastes bland because you’re trying to cook everything at once. But this? This actually works.

The secret is cooking the sweet potato hash first until it gets those crispy edges (you know, the good parts), then adding the chicken on top so it stays juicy while everything finishes together. And the maple glaze—oh wait, I forgot to mention—the maple glaze is basically three ingredients and somehow tastes like you spent hours on it.

I think I originally saw something similar on Pinterest? Or maybe Instagram? Honestly can’t remember. But I’ve tweaked it so many times that it’s basically a completely different recipe now.

Ingredients for Maple Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potato :

For the sweet potato hash:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh thyme (I never measure this, just pull off a few sprigs)

For the chicken:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer, but thighs are way juicier)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the maple glaze:

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (not that fake pancake syrup stuff, please)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional, but it adds a nice kick)

Quick story about the maple syrup: I tried using the cheap grocery store syrup once because I was out of the real stuff and thought “how different could it be?” Very different. The whole thing tasted weirdly artificial. Spent $12 on good maple syrup the next day and haven’t looked back.

How to Make This One-Pan Dinner :

Step 1: Prep Your Sweet Potatoes

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Actually, do this first before anything else because I’ve definitely forgotten and then stood around waiting for 15 minutes while the oven heated up. Not productive.

Dice your sweet potatoes into roughly half-inch cubes. I say roughly because honestly, who’s measuring? Just try to keep them similarish in size so they cook evenly. Toss them in a large bowl with the diced bell pepper and onion.

Drizzle with olive oil, add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and some fresh thyme leaves. Mix it all together with your hands—it’s faster and more fun than using a spoon.

Step 2: Start the Sweet Potato Hash

Spread everything out on a large sheet pan. And I mean LARGE. Don’t try to cram it all on a small pan like I did the first time. Everything just steamed instead of roasting and it was… sad. Very sad.

Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. You want the sweet potatoes to start getting tender and those edges to get crispy. That’s where all the flavor lives.

Step 3: Prep the Chicken

While the sweet potatoes are doing their thing, season your chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and dried rosemary. I usually pound them a bit with a meat mallet so they’re even thickness, but if I’m being lazy (which is often), I just skip this step and add a couple extra minutes to the cooking time.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. They won’t be cooked through yet—that’s fine. That’s the plan, actually.

Step 4: Make the Maple Glaze

This is so easy it feels like cheating. Just whisk together the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. That’s it. Done.

The first time I made this, I was skeptical because mustard and maple syrup seemed like a weird combo? But trust me. It’s incredible.

Step 5: Bring It All Together

Okay, here’s where it gets—oh wait, I should mention—make sure your skillet is oven-safe. I melted a plastic handle once and the smell was AWFUL.

Remove the sweet potato hash from the oven and push it to the sides of your sheet pan. Or if you’re doing what I usually do, just move half of it to the skillet with the chicken because it’s easier to fit everything.

Place the seared chicken on top of the sweet potatoes (or nestle it in between if you’re using the sheet pan method). Brush the maple glaze generously over the chicken. Use all of it. Don’t be shy.

Pop everything back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature. The glaze will get sticky and caramelized and your kitchen will smell amazing.

Tips for Perfect Chicken with Sweet Potato Every Time :

Don’t skip the searing. I know it’s tempting to just throw raw chicken in the oven with everything else to save time, but searing first gives you that golden color and keeps the chicken juicy. Worth the extra 10 minutes.

Cut sweet potatoes smaller than you think. They take longer to cook than regular potatoes. I learned this when I cut huge chunks and they were still hard in the middle while everything else was done. Had to fish them out and microwave them. Not my finest cooking moment.

Use chicken thighs. Breasts work too, but they dry out so much faster. Thighs stay moist and tender even if you accidentally overcook them a little. Which I definitely never do. (I do it all the time.)

Add extra veggies if you want. I’ve thrown in Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, even some baby carrots. It all works. Just keep the cooking times in mind.

Actually, you know what? My neighbor Lisa adds kale in the last 5 minutes and it gets all crispy. Haven’t tried it myself yet but it looked good when she brought some over.

What to Serve with This :

Honestly? Nothing. It’s already a complete meal. You’ve got protein, veggies, everything you need.

But if you’re feeling fancy or have guests coming over, a simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette is nice. Or crusty bread for soaking up that maple glaze. My kids ignore the salad and go straight for extra bread, obviously.

We’ve also eaten this with quinoa a couple times when my sister-in-law was visiting and doing her whole “I need more grains” thing. Tasted fine, but felt unnecessary.

Common Mistakes to Avoid :

Overcrowding the pan is the biggest one. Give everything room to breathe or nothing will get crispy. I cannot stress this enough.

Using fake maple syrup. Already mentioned this but it bears repeating because it truly ruins the dish.

Not checking chicken temperature. Get a meat thermometer. They’re like $10 and will save you from serving raw chicken or turning it into leather. I use mine for literally everything now.

Skipping the mustard in the glaze because you “don’t like mustard.” The mustard flavor doesn’t really come through—it just adds tang and helps the glaze stick. Even my mustard-hating husband loves this and he didn’t know it had mustard in it for like three months.

This has become my go-to weeknight dinner when I need something that feels special but doesn’t require me to stand over the stove for an hour. The cleanup is minimal (one or two pans depending on how you do it), and somehow it always turns out looking like I actually know what I’m doing in the kitchen.

Let me know if you try this! And if you have any tweaks that make it even better, drop them in the comments because I’m always looking for ways to improve my rotation. 🙂

Happy cooking! 🍁🍗