Paleo Garlic Chicken Wings with Broccoli & Baby Potatoes

What I Eat In A Day: PALEO-ish Edition #kickstart2019

Paleo Sheet Pan Dinner: Garlic Chicken Wings, Roasted Broccoli & Baby Potatoes

Whether you’re eating Paleo, doing the Whole30, or just trying to stick with a healthy lifestyle, MEAL PREP is a lifesaver. In particular, sheet pan dinners make weeknight meals so much easier and less stressful for me. And this Paleo garlic chicken wings meal is one of my all-time favorites!

I get my protein, veggies, and healthy complex carbs cooked all on one pan, so I’ve got a balanced meal ready in just half an hour. And, there’s fewer dishes for me to do! Best of all, I get to enjoy a warm, tasty, freshly-cooked meal that requires almost no effort or prep on my part.

Juicy, Crispy, Garlic Chicken Wings—or ANY Flavor Paleo Wings You Want

Chicken wings are a go-to protein for me because they’re SO simple to prepare. And, they always turn out delicious—even just seasoned with salt and pepper alone! Plus, the higher fat content makes them far more flavorful than chicken breast.

For my garlic chicken wings, I toss with coconut aminos to give them some umami flavor and dried cilantro for a fresh element. If you don’t know, coconut aminos is just a soy-free alternative to soy sauce that’s Whole30 approved and keeps these chicken wings Paleo!

Then, I finish off the garlic chicken wings with some dried minced garlic as a simple coating and pop ’em in the oven to roast. The result is moist, juicy chicken wings that are crave-ably crispy on the outside and bursting with garlicky flavor, which I love!

Of course, if you’re not a fan of garlic like me or just want some variety, you can switch up any of the seasonings here. Like I said, chicken wings are naturally flavorful, so it doesn’t need to be complicated and it’s easy to keep the ingredients clean. Feel free to make these Paleo chicken wings your own!

The Best Kind of Paleo Meal Prep Dinners? NO Prep Required!

For a Paleo meal prep, you can pretty much leave the components of this sheet pan dinner as-is until you’re ready to cook. Really, the only prep-ahead task would be chopping and storing your broccoli florets so they’re ready to go!

Personally, I just keep my chicken wings in their original packaging, but you could transfer to a prep container if you like. And, I wait to cut my potatoes until the time of cooking because they won’t last very long once cut.

Take 10 minutes at dinnertime to get your oven preheated, slice your potatoes, and toss everything onto the pan, then let the oven do the rest of the work!

Now, I know there’s some debate out there as to the Paleo status of white potatoes. And pretty much any potatoes other than sweet potatoes… So, why am I roasting baby potatoes with my garlic chicken wings and calling this a Paleo sheet pan dinner? Let me explain:

Are Potatoes Paleo?

The short answer: technically, no.

White potatoes aren’t considered Paleo because the founder of the Paleo diet, Dr. Loren Cordain, says they’re not Paleo. And, he gives plenty of well-supported reasons for this. They’ve got a high glycemic index (GI) and disrupt blood sugar, they contain anti-nutrients known as saponins, and potatoes are most often consumed in highly-processed forms.

I’m not going to argue with Dr. Cordain’s expertise in this domain! And, I agree that the highly-processed forms of potatoes like chips and fries—although delicious—do not fit into my healthy lifestyle on a regular basis.

Also, I acknowledge that I’m not personally committed to a strict Paleo lifestyle, specifically. I believe in much of the Paleo philosophy, I find that it’s a dietary lifestyle I can stick with sustainably, and I enjoy eating wholesome Paleo meals that satisfy my hunger and fuel my body.

All that being said, I choose to eat potatoes in their whole foods form, even when I’m eating Paleo, because they do contain many wholesome nutrients. Overall, the nutritional profile of potatoes is pretty dang similar to sweet potatoes—each has more/less of certain micronutrients than the other.

Plus, comparing glycemic load (which is often a better predictor of the impact on blood sugar)rather than just GI, the two are almost the same. So, if you’re interested, do some of your own research! (This debate about the Paleo status of white potatoes from The Paleo Foundation has a lot of great information.)

Paleo Sheet Pan Dinner, or Paleo-ish: The Choice is Yours

My other short answer to this potato question is this:

Although potatoes aren’t technically considered Paleo, many people who follow a Paleo diet choose to include them because they are a real, whole food. Ultimately, it’s a personal decision based on your body, lifestyle and preferences!

If, like me, you are open to eating potatoes on Paleo, give this garlic chicken wings dinner a try and let me know what you think! I call this a Paleo sheet pan dinner—baby potatoes and all—because that’s me doing me.

But, as always, YOU DO YOU. If you’re opposed to potatoes on the Paleo diet, there’s a simple fix: swap ’em out for any other veggie you like! Make this garlic chicken wings dinner suit your lifestyle, taste buds, and preferences.

Cheers!

Looking for more Sheet Pan Dinners & Easy Meal Prep Recipes?

I’ve got 20 sheet pan meals PLUS 20 deliciously easy slow cooker dinners in my Meal Prep Slow Cooker & Sheet Pan Recipes eBook!