Sheet-Pan Chicken With Roasted Plums and Onions

Is there something one could use as a substitute for fennel? I really, really live this recipe sans fennel.

Roasting whole chicken is a neat idea, but I think that the end-result won't be much different from the above recipe. The pluses of marinating are: 1) You can use chicken parts that you like; 2) It's far simpler for adding flavor (which penetrates deeper) than basting; 3) The marinade tenderizes and hydrates the meat, so it cooks faster and is less likely to dry out; 4) It's more forgiving of meat quality: with some grocery chains, on-sale chicken parts are just a few days short of expiry.

Do not underestimate the glorious quality brought to this dish by roasted fresh plums. Mine disintegrated into a heavenly sauce. Somehow Melissa has concocted a perfect marinade - this is not one to fool around with substitutions or proportions.

Have you ever read a recipe and realized you had every ingredient, or nearly, in the house? Quarantine kismet! Boneless skinless parts in the freezer, pluots on the counter, and dried thyme in the cupboard, close enough. I added the dried thyme to the marinade, followed the directions for everything else and marinated the chicken and pluots for 7 hours. Roasted for 30 mins. until a char was on everything, and served with brown rice and sauteed mixed greens - delicious! A keeper for autumn.

Delicious chicken but half of the plums cooked down to a burnt crust. Next time I will try roasting the chicken for 20 minutes and adding the plums and onions for the final 20-25.

Delicious. Two notes: As with all sheet-pan dinners, be sure to line the pan with parchment. (Precut 11x18 sheets are available, and they are great!). And I suggest not using plums that are too ripe. The soft ones I had pretty much melted— tasty but vanishingly small.

I have a small suggestion re the toasted fennel seeds: if, like me, you don't own a mortar and pestle, and don't want to send your attempts to smash the seeds all over your kitchen - cereal bags are your friend. I usually use this method for pounding meat but it will work here, too. Pour the cooled fennel seeds into a cereal bag, fold over and pound in total safety. Nothing will fly out.

Would boneless breasts work OK, or do bones add the flavor needed?

What is missing in this recipe? —-> Instructions to use a pan liner (repurposed crockpot liner). Who wants to scrub that pan? Not me.

Could this be done as a whole roast chicken with the plums/onions alongside and the marinade used also as a rub/basting sauce? We always find that roast chicken stuffed with lemon slices is yummy and moist. That bit of tart might be good with the plums/onions. This is definitely on the list for a to-try-dinner recipe--plums are my new favorite go-to ingredient. Melissa's recipes are always a big hit. This will probably be a big hit as well.

One of the best recipes I've made from the Times- fantastic flavors! What would I "tweak" next time?: 1) Purchase pre-cut chicken pieces. (Cutting-up a whole chicken is a timely hassle in my opinion.) 2) Slice the plums and onion into much larger pieces. (Visually, they cook down to an indistinguishable component when sliced so small.) 3) I used the convection-roast setting at 410 degrees in our oven. Chicken cooked evenly/perfectly!

Used skinless chicken thighs; sub'd cumin, curry and smoked paprika for the pepper flakes; half plums and half peaches--delicious!

A whole chicken might work but I would suggest spatchcocking it. The breast might not turn out as dry that way.

Fab! Our plums weren’t juicy so I used a Peach, a two nectarines and some figs. Next Time I will top w pomegranate seeds. Love the idea of more cardamom too . Will late again and again

This was delicious! I included brussel sprouts on the sheet pan which was a nice addition to the plums and all of the flavors. I would make it again.