Sheetpan Cashew Chicken w/ Broccoli

I love easy and love sheet pan.  When I need an interesting new recipe go down my social media feed, I always make a note somehow.  This recipe from a site called Easy Family Recipes used a bit more commercial, bottled sauces than I like, but I was in a time crunch that day and had everything I needed to create it.

It was super easy to season the chicken, then spread out on a large sheet pan with the veggies. Usually when roasting veggies they are either tossed in a little oil or some is sprinkled on top and they didn't, so I added that. I also increased the amount of broccoli slightly. Lastly I found, as I cleaned up the prep area as soon as the pan was in the oven, I was really rushed to get the sauce made in time.  So I moved making the sauce to the early prep stage in the instructions below.

The final dish had a nice flavor and just enough sauce. My husband who is not a foodie even gave it a thumbs up - very rare.  If I could somehow create the sauce from all fresh ingredients so it had less sodium and other ingredients, I would prefer it, but that would take a lot of experimentation. I suspect I will continue to make this in the future as is. One note is the sesame oil has a strong taste, so if it isn't your favorite, you might want to reduce it a little. 

Enjoy!

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Sheetpan Cashew Chicken w/ Broccoli

Serves 4

For the chicken - 

1.5 lbs.                 Boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
1 T                        Sesame oil

2 T                        Corn starch
1 tsp                     Salt
1 tsp                     Garlic powder
1/2 tsp                  Paprika

For the veggies - 

6oz.                      Small broccoli florets

1                          Red bell pepper, sliced or diced
1/2                       Sweet onion, coarsely diced
1 C                       Cashews (they left whole, I coarsely chopped)

For the Sauce

1/2 C                    Hoisin sauce
1/4                        Low sodium Soy sauce (or Tamari or coconut aminos)
1 T                        Sriracha
2 T                        Brown sugar
1 Clove                Garlic, minced
1 tsp                    Fresh ginger, minced (I added more, about a tablespoon)

Garnish (optional) -

Green onion
Sesame seeds

Instructions - 

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a large sheet pan with foil (for easy clean up), then coat with cooking spray, oil or grease. Make the sauce by whisking together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.

Cut the chicken into 1 inch bite-sized pieces. Add the sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Work the chicken until it is evenly coated with the mixture. Spread chicken in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Add the broccoli, red pepper, and onion (optional - you can sprinkle with oil or spray with cooking spray). Then sprinkle cashews over the top. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Use tongs or a spatula to toss the chicken and veggies with the sauce. Return the sheet pan to the oven for 4-6 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165˚F internal temp.).

Optional. Garnish with your choice of sliced green onions and sesame seeds. I served this plated with some rice on the side.  You could also serve with noodles. And you can serve the dish on top of the rice or noodles instead of side-by-side.