Sheet Pan Sumac Chicken with Plums and Halloumi

A sheet pan meal fit for Monday night or a dinner party, plus a fun halloumi searing trick and my take on fruit and blood sugar balance

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Sheet pan glory

This week’s recipe is a sheet pan meal that’s fit for both a Monday night meal or a dinner party.

I’ve been on a halloumi kick since I learned a great halloumi sheet pan searing trick (read on for said trick) from a Molly Baz brunch recipe. So I wanted to develop a seasonal sheet pan lunch or dinner recipe with halloumi that was easy enough to make on a weeknight but also fun enough to serve when entertaining. The halloumi adds a little saltiness to the sweet plums and then the sumac and fennel give it so. much. flavor.

Plum season (through early October) is starting to come to a close for most of the United States (plums are in season until December in California, these are the facts I tell myself to feel better about the cost of living here). Since I’m not ready to fully embrace fall yet, I wanted to make something this week that honors that juicy little number.

A quick aside on the nutritional benefits of plum…in addition to being rich in fiber and antioxidants, they contain over 15 different vitamins and minerals! Despite plums being a little high in carbs, they don’t cause a substantial rise in blood sugar levels after they are eaten (N=me and also, some research here). This is attributed to their potential to increase levels of adiponectin, a hormone that plays a role in blood sugar regulation.

Now considering there are LOTS of debates about fruit and blood sugar balance, let me briefly explain how I approach fruit:

• No single whole fruit is bad - I eat ALL whole fruits. Whole fruits have fiber which helps slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. It’s when fruit is juiced, that it’s striped of its fiber (found in the pulp, skin, seeds), which can cause a major blood sugar spike, and then crash (read: you’ll feel tired, and have cravings or more hunger after).

• Pair higher glycemic fruits with protein, fat or fiber: If I’m eating a higher glycemic fruit (e.g., mango, banana, pineapple, grapes) I try to pair with a fat, fiber, or protein (e.g., nuts, seeds, nut butters) to help blunt the glucose spike. What’s happening here is the absorption of sugars is delayed when paired with fat, fiber and protein, resulting in a lower and slower rise in blood sugar.

• Prioritize berries: On a weekly basis, I prioritize lower glycemic fruits like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. These also happen to be my favorite fruits…I’m a blueberry MONSTER and eat them straight out of our berry container in the fridge.

If you want to learn more about fruits and blood sugar, here is a great Levels article.

Here’s how she looks plated and ready for a dinner party

• Yields: 4 servings

• Total time: 45 minutes

  • Prep time: 15 minutes

  • Cook time: ~30 minutes

Ingredients

I’ve organized the ingredients in two ways, I personally like to see what goes with what, but some people like to see everything at once. Let me know if you have a preference!

The full list - everything you’ll need

• 4-5 boneless chicken thighs (or you can use breasts or any cut of chicken you want!)

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp sumac

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tsp honey

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 ripe plums, pitted and cut into ¾-inch thick slices

• 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced into in ½-inch wedges

• 8-10oz halloumi cheese, cut into ½-inch thick planks

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp dried or fresh oregano (I used fresh because I had it in my garden)

• Arugula, for serving

• 2/3 cup torn herbs (mint, basil or cilantro leaves or a combination)

• Flaky sea salt, for topping

Ingredients by item/order you’ll make them:

MARINADE

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

• 1 tbsp sumac

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 tsp salt

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp honey

• 2 tbsp olive oil

SHEET PAN INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 boneless chicken thighs (or you can use breasts or any cut of chicken you want!)

• 3 ripe plums, pitted and cut into ¾-inch thick slices

• 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced into in ½-inch wedges

• 8-10oz halloumi cheese, cut into ½-inch thick planks

FINISHING DRESSING

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 tbsp dried or fresh oregano (I used fresh because I had it in my garden)

• 1 tsp sumac

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp honey

TO SERVE

• Arugula

• Flaky sea salt

• 2/3 cup torn herbs (mint, basil or cilantro leaves or a combination)

Tools you’ll need

• Sheet pan - I use Caraway since it has non-toxic coating and don’t want forever chemicals in my body!!

• Large mixing bowl

• Small mixing bowl

• Measuring spoons

• Cutting board - I firmly believe cooking is more fun with a big-ass cutting board, I love my Boos Edge Grain board

  • If you have some plastic cutting boards laying around, good excuse to toss those and replace with a wooden cutting board to avoid microplastics!

Instructions

MAKE THE MARINADE

1. Toast the fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle or put on a cutting board and crush using a can or a jar.

2. Put the seeds into a large bowl (this is where your chicken will go) and stir in lemon juice, zest, olive oil, garlic, sumac, red-pepper flakes and salt.

3. Season chicken generously all over with salt and pepper and add to the bowl, turning the pieces to coat them. Mix in plums and onions. Ideally you’d refrigerate for 30 minutes - 2 hours, but you can also just put it right on the sheet pan and continue onwards!

GET IT ON THE SHEET PAN AND PREP DRESSING

4. Preheat oven to 425 °F.

5. Put the chicken pieces, plums, onions on a rimmed baking sheet.

6. Roast for 12-15 minutes or until chicken is nearly done, but not quite done (165°F) yet. While the chicken is roasting, make the dressing by combining all dressing ingredients into a small bowl.

ADD HALLOUMI AND FINISH YOUR CREATION

7. Cut halloumi into 1/2 inch planks and blot it dry.

8. Take the sheet pan out at the 12-15 minute mark and nestle the pieces of halloumi on the sheet pan. This is a Molly Baz trick that I LOVE.

   • Molly Baz trick: Return the baking sheet to the oven floor (yes, the oven floor as in not a rack but right on the bottom of the oven!). This helps with a quick hot searing. Cook for 3-5 minutes, and then remove the sheet pan from the oven floor, and flip the halloumi to the other side. Return to the oven floor for 3-5 minutes more. Molly, you are a genius. I love this trick because it requires no more dishes!

   • Note: If your chicken is done when you are adding or flipping the halloumi, take the chicken off and set aside. I love using a meat thermometer here to do a quick check!

   • Halloumi crispiness trick: If you are finding your halloumi is not getting crispy because pan is too moist, move the halloumi onto one side of the pan and carefully wipe off some of the liquid. This will help it get nice and crispy!

9. Once the halloumi is nice and crispy, check that your chicken is done (165°F) if not already and then transfer everything to a platter. Drizzle some of the pan drippings and the dressing over the chicken. Top with the herbs and flakey sea salt.

   • I like serving this over a bed of arugula. Arugula is a little bitter and pepper-y and it tastes DELISH with the plums!

The first two photos were so pretty I have to be real with you, this is what mine looked like after I mixed it all up and got ready to dive in.

Swaps and Tips

• Plums: Don’t have plums? Try using another stone fruit!

• Boneless thighs: You can use any cut of chicken here, just be mindful of the size of the meat and then adjust cook time accordingly in step 6.

• Want to add more fiber to this meal? When serving on top of salad, add in some sliced avocado, or sprinkle on some Zen Basil seeds.

Reel

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Nutritional Info

Just like I said last week, I really advocate for NOT counting calories and instead focus on getting enough protein, fiber, and a variety of micronutrients. It’s liberating to think in terms of “how much protein, fiber, and color can I get in each meal” vs. “how many calories was this meal.”

For example, this meal has 5 major colors (1. Plums 2. Halloumi 3. Chicken 4. Arugula 5. Green herbs) plus tons of micronutrients in the herbs and spices!

Per serving, makes ~4 servings

Calories: 660
Carbohydrates: 13g
Fiber: 3g
Net carbs: 10g
Protein: 32g
Fat: 45g

• If you want to lower fat, cut down on olive oil (but remember, olive oil is a good fat!)

Sodium: 1609mg
Sugar: 7g

If you make these, I’d LOVE to hear how they turned out and any feedback you have!

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