Char-Roasted Ube & Black-Garlic Sheet-Pan Dinner
Ube and black garlic are the two quiet ingredients having a very loud fall: ube brings a gentle vanilla-laced sweetness, and black garlic brings the molasses-deep, balsamic-like umami that only weeks of slow fermentation can build. Put them on one screaming-hot sheet pan and you get this dinner's whole point — char. The trick is heat plus space: preheat the pan so the ube sears the second it lands, and leave gaps between the wedges so steam escapes and the edges blister instead of braise. A par-roast softens the ube first, then a final blast under the broiler — with a few drops of liquid smoke and a hit of smoked paprika folded into the glaze — builds the layered smoke you'd normally need a smoker for. It all comes together swokey in the truest sense: sweet from the ube and maple, smoky from the char, the paprika, and the fire-roasted edges, and deeply savory from the black garlic. If you're already sold on this sweet-plus-smoky energy, try our Chipotle-Maple Glazed Salmon, Miso-Maple Glazed Salmon, or Smoky Maple Delicata Squash.
Dinner · Fall, Sheet-Pan, High-Protein, Smoky • 40 min
Nutrition (per serving)460Calories·16gFat·38gCarbs·40gProtein
Per serving. Values are approximate and calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
Ingredients
- For the black-garlic glaze:
- 8 cloves black garlic, mashed into a paste
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- For the ube and chicken:
- 1½ pounds ube (purple yam), peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (avocado or grapeseed), divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
- For serving:
- Cooked jasmine or coconut rice, for serving
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for serving
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Steps
- Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 450°F. Slide a large rimmed baking sheet onto the rack to preheat — the hot metal is what sears the ube on contact so it blisters and chars instead of steaming.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, mash the black garlic into a paste with a fork, then whisk in the maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, smoked paprika, and liquid smoke until smooth. Transfer 3 tablespoons to a small bowl and set aside — this stays raw as a glossy finishing sauce; the rest is for basting.
- In a large bowl, toss the ube wedges with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the kosher salt, and the black pepper. In a second bowl, toss the chicken chunks and red onion wedges with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt.
- Carefully pull the hot baking sheet from the oven and scatter the ube in a single, well-spaced layer — leave gaps so the steam can escape. Roast until the ube is just fork-tender and beginning to brown at the edges, 14 to 16 minutes.
- Remove the sheet from the oven and push the ube to the outer edges. Add the chicken and red onion to the center in a single layer, then brush everything with about two-thirds of the basting glaze. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through (165°F at the thickest chunk), 10 to 12 minutes.
- Turn the broiler to high. Brush the ube and chicken once more with the remaining basting glaze, then broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until the edges char and blister and the glaze lacquers and bubbles, 2 to 3 minutes — watch closely, the maple sugar can burn fast.
- Let the sheet rest 3 minutes, then drizzle with the reserved finishing glaze. Scatter with scallions, sesame seeds, and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges and rice.
Tips & Variations
Make Ahead
The glaze keeps well — whisk it together up to 3 days ahead and store in a sealed jar in the fridge; bring it to room temperature and re-whisk before using (the black garlic settles). Peel and cut the ube up to a day ahead, submerge the wedges in cold water to keep them from browning, and pat them very dry before roasting — moisture is the enemy of a good char. The chicken can be cut and seasoned up to an hour ahead, kept covered in the fridge.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on a foil-lined sheet pan in a 400°F oven for 6 to 8 minutes to recrisp the edges, or microwave in short bursts (the char softens but the flavor holds). The reserved finishing glaze keeps another 3 days in the fridge and doubles as a sauce for rice bowls or roasted vegetables.
Substitutions
Can't find ube? Purple sweet potato (Okinawan sweet potato) is the closest swap — nearly identical flavor and that same violet color — or use garnet or jewel sweet potatoes and lose the purple but keep the sweetness. No black garlic? Roast 6 peeled garlic cloves in a foil packet with 1 teaspoon olive oil at 375°F for 40 minutes until soft and caramelized, then mash with 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar and ½ teaspoon molasses to approximate its sweet-umami depth. Swap the chicken for boneless thighs (same cook time, juicier) or firm tofu slabs for a plant-based version. Use tamari and confirm your liquid smoke is gluten-free for a strict GF version, swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos, and use brown sugar or honey in place of the maple syrup.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 serving (about 6 ounces chicken, ½ cup ube, with glaze; rice not included)
Reviews
Reviews coming soon! In the meantime, let us know what you think of this recipe.
