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Sheet Pan Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli
I had taken out some chicken thighs to cook yesterday but I was NOT in the mood to do a bunch of dishes. On top of that, I was totally craving Chinese take-out. Out of that, this super easy sheet-pan supper was born. You get that delicious combo of sweet, spicy, and salty that every good take out dish seems to have, but it's so much easier than battering and deep-frying the chicken, steaming the broccoli, and tossing it all together in a wok - not to mention roasting everything is SO much healthier. This dish is perfect for beginners - all you have to do is toss everything onto a pan and put it in the oven.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Start by cutting up four boneless, skinless chicken thights (or two boneless, skinless chicken breasts) into one-inch chunks. Toss them onto a sheet pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Put the sheet pan in the oven for 25 minutes while you prep the sauce and the broccoli.
All you have to do for the broccoli is chop one whole head into florets, then toss those with a little oil, salt, and pepper as well.
For the sauce; zest and juice a large navel orange into a small bowl. You should have half to 3/4 cup of orange juice (if you can't find a really big orange, two smaller ones work fine). Add a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of honey and two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.
Use the same zester to grate a whole clove of fresh garlic into the bowl as well.
Then use the zester again to grate about an inch of fresh ginger into the bowl (peel it first, then grate away!)
Toss in a big (or small, if you don't like heat) pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. If you'd prefer, you could also use about a teaspoon of sriracha.
Last, whisk in a tablespoon of sesame seeds.
Once the chicken has been roasting for 25 minutes, mix it around the sheet pan with a spatula and pour the sauce all over the chicken. Sprinkle the broccoli florets over the top and roast for another 15 minutes. (I was too excited to eat and didn't take a picture of this step - oops!) Here's a picture of the chicken after 25 minutes of roasting, though.
Remove from the oven and mix everything around, then serve. This is great over some white rice or quinoa as well! The honey in the sauce helps it thicken and coat the chicken, and you can really taste the sweet orange, salty soy, and spicy pepper flakes.
Recipe:
Total time: 45 minutes | Serves: 4 (with rice), 2 (on it's own)
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
3 tbs olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1 large navel orange
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
Fresh ginger, a 1" section, peeled, minced or grated
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs sesame seeds
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Toss the cut-up chicken, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper together on a sheet pan. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
3. Mix the cut-up broccoli with the remaining olive oil and another sprinkle of salt and pepper.
4. Zest and juice the orange. There should be at least 1/2 cup of juice, up to 3/4 cup.
5. Combine the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, honey, cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds.
6. After the chicken has cooked for 25 minutes, pour the orange juice mixture over it and toss it around with a spatula. Scatter the broccoli on the pan as well and put everything back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
7. Serve on it's own or over white rice or quinoa.