If you love sweet and savory chicken dinners, this honey sesame chicken needs to go on your list. Everything cooks together on one sheet pan, so you get tender chicken, colorful veggies, and crunchy cashews all coated in a delicious honey sesame sauce. It’s an easy dinner with very little cleanup, and you can serve it over rice, quinoa, or noodles for a complete meal.
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Vegetables
- ½ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
- Pinch of chili flakes
- 2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 small red onion, or ½ large red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup cashews
- ¼ cup finely chopped scallions (green onions)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For Serving
- White or brown rice
- Quinoa
- Rice noodles
Directions
Step 1: Get the Oven Ready
First, preheat your oven to 425°F. While it’s heating up, you can get the sauce and vegetables ready.
Step 2: Make the Honey Sesame Sauce
Grab a large measuring cup or mixing bowl and then whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and chili flakes. Give everything a good stir until the sauce is smooth and well combined and set it aside.
Step 3: Start with the Vegetables
After that, spread the bell peppers, red onion, and broccoli evenly over a large baking sheet. Pour half of the sauce over the vegetables and toss everything together until the veggies are nicely coated. Spread them back out into an even layer, then roast for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Marinate the Chicken
While the vegetables are roasting, you can quickly prepare the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl and then pour the remaining sauce over it. Toss well so every piece is coated, then let it sit and soak up all those flavors while the vegetables finish their first round of roasting.
Step 5: Add the Chicken and Cashews
After 15 minutes or so, carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven.
Push the roasted vegetables over to one side of the pan, leave enough room for the chicken though. Then add the marinated chicken to the empty space, along with any sauce left in the bowl. Next, scatter the cashews over the pan. Give them a quick toss in the sauce so they pick up all that sweet, savory flavor as they roast.
Step 6: Finish Roasting
Now, return the sheet pan to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. The chicken should be fully cooked in the center, while the vegetables should have some nice roasted edges.
Step 7: Bring Everything Together
Once everything is cooked, give the chicken, vegetables, and cashews a good toss right on the baking sheet. This helps coat everything in the flavorful sauce and makes sure you get a little bit of everything in every bite.
Step 8: Garnish and Serve
Finally, sprinkle the finished dish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve it over your choice of white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or rice noodles.
And that’s it! You’ve got a delicious one pan dinner with sweet honey, savory soy sauce, nutty sesame, tender chicken, crunchy cashews, and plenty of roasted vegetables. It’s the kind of easy weeknight meal that makes getting dinner on the table feel almost effortless.
Click here for more healthy, delicious recipes!
About The Author
