This easy Chinese-style sheet pan dinner is so easy to throw together and uses simple ingredients. Carrots and broccoli get baked until they are beginning to char, then chicken gets baked right on top until cooked through and those veggies are super tender and beautifully charred. A simple sesame soy sauce gets poured over top and tossed together directly on the sheet pan. You can enjoy this as a light meal, but I highly recommend serving over a bowl of warm rice to soak up the sauce.
Ingredient Highlight
Broccoli! This mighty cruciferous veggie is packed full of nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, fiber, iron and calcium. It’s also loaded with antioxidant compounds like sulforaphane, kaempferol, and quercetin. Plus, it’s large tree-like flowery heads absorb sauces extremely well, making it one of my favorite veggies for things like stir-fry’s and anything with a sauce or dressing!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 35 minutes Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs carrots, peeled, chopped into ½-inch pieces about 4 cups*
- 4 cups broccoli florets about 1.25 lb broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs**
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 2-3 cups cooked jasmine rice (optional)*
- Toasted cashews, almonds, and/or sesame seeds
- Chopped avocado (optional)
- Fresh herbs (scallions or cilantro)
- Lime wedges
- If serving with rice, reduce the carrots to 1 lb or just under 3 cups.
- * You can also use breasts, but I would either cut them into cubes or slice them in half lengthwise before adding to the baking sheet since they take longer to cook.
- Note: ** You could use any veggies you want here, you just need about 8-9 cups worth of veg.
Instant Pot jasmine rice instructions:
- Add 1 cup rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse, using your hands to agitate the grains, until the water runs clear. This gets rid of the extra starch so your rice isn’t mushy.
- In a 6-quart Instant Pot, add 2 cups jasmine rice and 2 cups water.
- Lock the lid in place and set the vent to “sealing”. Select “manual pressure” (set to high) and set the timer for 4 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then carefully move the vent to “venting” to release the pressure.
Stovetop jasmine rice instructions:
- Add 1 cup rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse, using your hands to agitate the grains, until the water runs clear. This gets rid of the extra starch so your rice isn’t mushy.
- Add rice to a medium pot along with 1 ½ cups water. Cover and turn the heat on high. Once the water starts to simmer rapidly, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, covered, for about 12-15 minutes, or until the water is evaporated and rice is cooked. Don’t remove the lid until the timer goes off!
Instructions
- Cook your rice (if using, instructions below recipe).
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 425F convection. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add carrots, broccoli, and bell pepper to the baking sheet and toss thoroughly with the oil, garlic, and salt. Spread into an even layer and bake for 15-20 minutes or until starting to caramelize and char in spots.
- Place the chicken on top of the veggies and drizzle each thigh lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Then just use your hands to spread it around to coat. Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or jar, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, vinegar, and sriracha. To help the honey mix in better, you can warm the mixture in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice, shred, or chop it up. Add back to the baking sheet and pour about half of the sauce (about ⅓ cup) all over the chicken and veggies and toss to coat.
- Serve over warm rice (if using). Top with nuts or sesame seeds, avocado (if using), and herbs. Squeeze lime all over and drizzle the remaining sauce over top. For more spice, top with sriracha.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Peel + chop 1.5 lbs carrots into ½-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- Chop 5 cups broccoli florets
- Mix together the sesame soy mixture
- Toast about 1 cup cashews, if using
- Cook 1-2 cups of rice, if using
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, substitute the chicken with tofu! If doing so, press your tofu, then cut or tear into bite-sized pieces. Toss it in 1 tbsp olive and a pinch of salt before adding to the baking sheet.
- You can use any veggies(about 8-9 cups worth). Try with sweet potatoes or squash in place of the carrot.
- I tested this with frozen broccoli and it turned out great – just thaw the broccoli out a bit and chop it up if the chunks are huge before adding to the sheet pan.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Veggies: up to 6 days in the fridge
- Chicken: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Rice: up to 5 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 2 months
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover chicken and veggies. Top with a fried egg, lots of herbs, avocado, etc…
- Have it for breakfast with scrambled eggs or just topped with a fried egg.
- Chop up the chicken and add the veggies + chicken to a pan to heat up. Stir in rice to make a quick and easy fried rice. Add more soy sauce or vinegar, to taste.
