I’ve got another super easy, flavorful, meal-prep-worthy sheet pan dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
This beautiful sheet pan sesame chicken and asparagus takes just 15 minutes to prep and is packed with tons of veggies and protein. It’s truly as easy as whipping up a sauce, chopping your veggies, and baking everything right on one pan.
Easy dinner AND easy cleanup? That’s all I need when I’m busy chasing my 3 kiddos around all week. There are tons of ways to make it your own, too, so remember to check out all of my tips throughout the post!
Everything you’ll need to make this sheet pan sesame chicken
The easy sheet pan dinner requires super simple ingredients and comes together in no time. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- For the sauce: you’ll whisk together low-sodium soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, olive oil, sambal olek, fresh ginger, and fresh garlic. This will be both the marinade and sauce.
- Chicken: I love to use boneless skinless chicken thighs because they bake up juicy and flavorful.
- Veggies: roast up a mix of asparagus, red bell pepper, and red onion.
- Cashews: you’ll also add cashews to your sheet pan to bake with everything. They get deliciously toasty and add a lovely crunch to the meal.
- To serve: top everything with any fresh herbs you have like cilantro, mint, and basil, plus scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve everything with a scoop of fluffy rice!
Make this sesame chicken dinner your own
There are tons of easy ways to customize your one pan sesame chicken:
- Choose your veggies. Feel free to use any vegetable you like or have on hand! Broccoli and green beans would also be delicious.
- Try a new protein. You could easily swap the chicken thighs for chicken breasts, or even use salmon or shrimp. Just note that salmon will take just about 15 minutes to cook, and shrimp will take about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Make it nut free. Simply omit the cashews if you need to keep the meal nut free.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Sure! Feel free to swap the chicken for cubed tofu or a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas. You can marinate them both just like you would with the chicken.
Our favorite ways to serve the sesame chicken and asparagus
Just like with your favorite stir fry recipe, try serving the sesame chicken and vegetables with:
- A scoop of white rice or brown rice — my Coconut Rice would be delicious.
- Rice noodles, ramen noodles, or udon noodles
- Fluffy quinoa for another boost of protein
How to make this sheet pan sesame chicken recipe
- Make the sauce. Whisk together your sesame sauce to use as a marinade and for finishing the dish.
- Marinate the chicken & veggies. Add the chicken and veggies to an extra large bowl and toss with half of the sauce.
- Roast the chicken. Add the chicken to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake it for 15 minutes.
- Add the veggies. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer all of the veggies onto it in a single layer. Sprinkle the cashews onto the pan, and bake everything until the chicken is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.
- Garnish & serve. Add a scoop of rice to your bowl, top with chicken and veggies, then drizzle a little extra sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs, scallions, and sesame seeds, and enjoy!
Storing and meal prep tips
Store any leftover chicken and vegetables in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I love to meal prep this recipe by dividing everything into 4 separate containers with rice to enjoy during the week!
More one pan meals you’ll love
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Potatoes and Chickpeas
- One Pan Sazon Skillet Chicken
- Sheet Pan Herby Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes
- One Pan Cilantro Chicken Meatballs in Mango Coconut Sauce
- Sheet Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Veggie Glow Bowls
Get all of my one pan meals here!
I hope you love this sheet pan sesame chicken recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Sheet Pan Sesame Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients
- For the sauce:
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sambal olek, depending on your heat tolerance
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- For the chicken and veggies:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks or sliced
- ½ cup raw cashews
- Garnish and serving:
- ¼ cup fresh torn leafy herbs (mix of cilantro, basil and mint)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (i love a mix of white and black!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the sesame sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil, sambal oleek, ginger and garlic.
- In an extra large bowl, add the chicken and veggies and pour HALF of the sesame ginger sauce all over the chicken and gently toss to coat the chicken with the sauce. (Reserve the remaining half of the sauce for later.) Allow the sauce and chicken to marinate while the oven preheats.
- Use tongs to remove ONLY the chicken from the bowl and transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the pan and transfer the vegetables to the pan in between the chicken, making sure everything is in a single layer. Sprinkle cashews over and bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through, vegetables are tender with a slight bite, and cashews are roasted and golden brown.
- To serve: Place a scoop of rice in a bowl and top with chicken and veggies. Add a spoonful or two of the reserved sauce on top. Garnish with fresh torn mint, basil, cilantro, scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Soooo good! Thank you so much for this, my husband and I loved it! Such great flavor was so tasty. Will def be on repeat
So happy to hear that!
This has become my go to recipe using it at least once every 2 weeks. It is extremely versatile. I’ve made it with chicken as well as shrimp and pork. I use whatever veggies I have on hand and prep each one individually separating them on the sheet pan- usually carrots, asparagus, peppers, zucchini, summer squash, broccoli. Each person can pick the veggies they like leaving everyone happy. I don’t have sambal so I substitute harissa paste. If we feel like something a little sweeter. I save the veggie marinade and add a small can of diced pineapple including juice. I warm it all on the stove adding a corn starch slurry to make some extra sauce for the protein. Our favorite starch to go with it is short grain brown rice cooked in coconut water. Definitely try this recipe!!!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 One of our fav dinners, too!
SO easy and delicious! Even my toddlers loved it!
I’m so glad!
The chicken came out rubbery for me. I don’t know why, because I followed the recipe exactly?!
So strange! I’m not sure what in the recipe could make the chicken turn out like that as it’s simply baking it on a sheet pan. Was it overcooked?
Very easy, quick meal to make. The addition of the fresh herbs on top makes it so so good…highly recommend you don’t skip out on them. Served with basmati rice and hot sauce on the side. Will make again, but double the recipe for next.
So good! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! The flavors of the sauce are so well balanced and the veggies and chicken came out perfectly. I had it with the coconut rice and it was a marriage made in heaven. It was also really quick and easy to prepare. I loved it!
So happy to hear that! Perfect weeknight dinner 🙂
This dinner was so easy and absolutely delicious! I already can’t wait to make it again! Even my picky toddlers gobbled it up.
So good! Glad it was a hit with your little ones!
I made this last night and the whole family approved. I doubled the sauce bc we like extra for the rice but otherwise made it as the recipe stated. Next time I think I will double the entire recipe since there were no leftovers. Highly recommend!
So happy to hear that!
Soo easy and sooo good! I marinated the chicken for an hour but otherwise followed the recipe. Doubled it for guests with asparagus for the adults and green beans for the kids. Everyone loved it. Will make again soon. Thanks for another tasty recipe!!
Amazing! So glad it was a hit!
My husband and I loved this meal! Great flavor combos! Neither of us are huge ethnic eaters, but this hit the spot for both of us. I used just 1 tablespoon of the sambal olek because my husband is pretty sensitive to spice, and that worked out perfectly for us. Just right flavors with no kick in it for him. This will be a regular meal for us!
My whole family loved this for dinner! I used all the ingredients as the recipes states. Made it in the morning and had it marinate all day which made dinner time go very quickly. I forgot to only use half the sauce in the marinade and it would be better as Monique recommended by pouring it over the final dish. Loved it served over rice noodles.
So glad the whole family enjoyed! Rice noodles are a great idea!