sheet-pan honey balsamic chicken and pears
and shallots and radicchio and goat cheese and hazelnuts!
sheet-pan honey balsamic chicken and pears
and shallots and radicchio and goat cheese and hazelnuts!
Caroline Chambers
Oct 03, 2026
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The starting point for today’s recipe was one of
my favorite bites in Italy
: radicchio in padella, AKA vinegary braised radicchio, with hazelnuts. I knew I wanted to recreate it ASAP, and the second I got home I started working on a full sheet-pan meal around it.
Radicchio is a bitter green, so I paired it with sweet elements — pears, dates, and honey. We’re also using balsamic vinegar, which offers both acidity
and
sweetness.
I knew that the radicchio would need a longer roast time, so I went with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Plus, as skin-on thighs roast, the fat renders, AKA drips onto the pan, and then you’ll stir it into the braised radicchio to add moisture and flavor. I also love skin-on thighs because the skin gets crispy but they stay tender and juicy on the inside. And they make such an elegant presentation!
If you’ve never cooked with bone-in thighs, I really want you to give it a try! You will cut around the bone while you eat; otherwise, it takes zero extra effort than boneless, skinless, and brings so much more flavor to the table. That said, you can of course use boneless, skinless thighs instead if that’s what you have. You may just need to pull them off sooner than the veg, and I’d drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar onto the radicchio at the end to add some extra fat and flavor.
I LOVE radicchio, and braising it like we do here makes it tender and extra delicious. I also know that, because it’s a little bitter, it ain’t for everyone! We’re using the braised radicchio as a “base” for this dinner, so if you know you aren’t into it, you can serve the chicken, pears, and other toppings over top of some buttery farro, orzo, couscous, rice, or quinoa instead. Or it’d be great on a bed of arugula or spinach. Alternatively, you could swap the radicchio for another roasted veg like cabbage or fennel.
On the flip side, if you’re a radicchio lover like me, have you tried
George’s perfect steak Caesar sandwich
yet?! We add radicchio to the salad portion of this sandwich and it’s sooo good.
If you love this dinner, you’ll also love
this sheet-pan chicken and squash
from years ago. That recipe’s part of
our new really simple meal plan
— print it off and cook through it this week! And for another sheet-pan chicken dinner inspired by travel, try my
sheet-pan chicken tagine
, which is an ode to that time I won a free trip to Morocco (true story!).
Serves 4
Cook time: ~1 hour
Tools:
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Large rimmed sheet pan
Small bowl
Meat thermometer
Aluminum foil (potentially)
Ingredients:
3
ripe
pears, cored, thinly sliced
3 large shallots, peeled and sliced
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 heads radicchio, thinly sliced (any kind/color radicchio works)
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Several grinds (about 1/2 teaspoon) of black pepper
1/3 cup hazelnuts or pecans, chopped
4 dates, torn in half (or into quarters if they’re really big), pits removed
4 ounces (or more!) goat cheese (or blue cheese if you love it!), crumbled
Optional: Parsley (or any soft green herb), chopped
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Core and thinly slice
3 pears
(into 1/4-inch slices). Peel and slice
3 large shallots
. Place them and
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on
chicken thighs
onto one half of a large rimmed sheet pan.
Thinly slice
2 heads of radicchio
and pile them on the other half of the sheet pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together
5 tablespoons
olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and several grinds (about 1/2 teaspoon) of black pepper.
Pour half this dressing over the chicken, shallots, and pears, and the other half over the radicchio, and toss to coat. Place the chicken skin side up.
Your sheet pan will be very crowded, and that’s good! Keep the radicchio in a big pile (otherwise it will burn!). Just make sure the chicken skin isn’t covered so that it can crisp up.
Roast for 30 minutes.
While it’s in the oven, chop
1/3 cup hazelnuts
and remove the pits from
4 dates
and tear them in half (or into quarters if they’re really big).
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and tilt it so that all of the juices glide down into the radicchio. Stir the radicchio to coat it. Sprinkle the hazelnuts, dates, and
4 ounces of goat cheese
(or more if you want more!) over top of everything. If the chicken skin is getting too dark, make a little shield for it by tearing off a square of foil and covering the chicken.
Return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. If your chicken skin isn't crispy, broil it for a few minutes! Watch it closely so it doesn't burn! Give the radicchio and pears a taste — they should be very tender. If they aren’t, remove the chicken but keep cooking everything else.
Serve by placing a bed of braised radicchio on a plate, then placing the chicken, pears, shallots, etc. over top. Garnish with some
chopped parsley
, if you’ve got it.
sheet pan honey balsamic chicken and pears
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Prep ahead:
You can prep the pears and shallots up to a day in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Will the pears brown a little? Probably. But we’re roasting them, so no big deal! You could also make the dressing/sauce a day or 2 ahead of time — stir it to combine again before using. If it solidified in the fridge, just let it warm up some and it will turn back to liquid.
Shopping tip:
Try to find pears that are ripe but still firm like Bosc or Bartlett. They’ll keep their shape better than a super soft pear would.
Gimme a grain/bulk it up:
You can add buttery farro, rice, or quinoa to your plate if you want to add a whole grain to the mix. Or serve it with some really good bread.
Cooking for 1 or 2/love your leftovers:
If you’re cooking for 1 or 2 and don’t want leftovers, you can easily halve this recipe. You will cook it the exact same way. That said, leftovers of this meal are amazing and I think you should cook the whole thing anyways! Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Option to shred the chicken (do this while it’s still warm) and stir it into the veg so that it’s more of a salad. You could also serve it on top of some farro or another grain for a grain bowl situation.
Feeding kids:
Like I said in the headnote, radicchio is a little bitter! If your kids (or any adults) wouldn’t be into it, you can swap it out for thinly sliced cabbage. Or make it as is and they can just eat around the radicchio!
Make it a side dish:
Skip the chicken and this would be a top-notch Thanksgiving (or anytime) side dish. Since there won’t be any chicken juices to stir into the radicchio, drizzle a little extra olive oil and balsamic in at the end.
Vegetarian:
Instead of chicken, use 2 cans of chickpeas or another white bean, drained, rinsed, and patted very dry. Toss them beside the pears and shallots and roast them until crispy — start checking at 20 minutes. Scoop them off if they are crispy and the other veg needs more time. Again, drizzle a little extra olive oil and balsamic over the braised radicchio since you won’t have the chicken schmaltz.
Dairy-free:
Use a dairy-free cheese you love. DF parm would be good! Or just omit.
Gluten-free:
Already is! Just double check the Dijon label to make sure it’s certified GF.
Nut-free:
Use pepitas or omit.
Pears:
Apples would be fab! Or figs. Use about 8 figs, and halve them. If your pears aren’t ripe, they may need a longer cook time to get soft!
Shallots:
1 red or yellow onion, 1/4-inch sliced. Or fennel!!! Cut the stalks and root end off, and thinly slice it 1/4-inch thick.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs:
Bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters are an excellent sub and will cook for about the same length of time, though they may need a few extra minutes. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work, but only cook them for 25 minutes total. Bone-in chicken breasts also work; cook them for 25 to 30 minutes total. Or boneless chicken breasts, which need 15 to 20 minutes total. For these shorter cook times, get your veg braising first, then add the chicken after they’ve cooked for 10 to 20 minutes (the veg needs about 40 minutes total!). Use your meat thermometer! Chicken is ready when it’s 165°F internally. If you don’t want chicken, this would also be great with pork tenderloin. A 1-pound pork tenderloin will take 20 to 25 minutes to reach the safe internal temperature of 145°F (a bigger tenderloin would take longer!). Or see the vegetarian note above.
Radicchio:
Fennel (thinly sliced, cooked the same way in a pile on one side of the sheet pan). Thinly sliced cabbage in a pile, or omit entirely and serve the chicken and pears over a grain or arugula or spinach instead. Think of the cooked radicchio as the “base” for the chicken and pears, so you could sub in farro or a simple farrotto or risotto or buttery rice.
Olive oil:
Extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed
Balsamic vinegar:
I really love balsamic with these ingredients, but if you are in a bind, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar would also work! You may want to add a little extra honey to balance out their acidity.
Honey:
Maple syrup, agave, brown sugar
Dijon mustard:
Whole-grain or spicy brown mustard, tahini, or omit
Thyme:
Finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, herbes de Provence, or Italian seasoning
Hazelnuts or pecans:
Another nut or seed like walnuts, cashews, or pepitas
Dates:
Dried cranberries, cherries, or golden raisins
Goat cheese:
Blue cheese, feta, or slices of brie. Or skip it!
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Photographs by Lorena Masso
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