Description

Jessica’s Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken is a vibrant and flavorful one-pan meal combining tender chicken breast pieces with colorful bell peppers, red onion, and crunchy cashews, all coated in a savory-sweet soy-honey sesame sauce. Roasted to perfection in the oven, this easy sheet pan recipe makes a delightful and wholesome dinner served over rice, garnished with fresh scallions and toasted sesame seeds for added texture and taste.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (or regular sesame oil)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

Vegetables & Chicken

1 red bell pepper, chopped into large chunks
1 orange bell pepper, chopped into large chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into large chunks
1 red onion, chopped into large chunks
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup raw unsalted cashews

For Serving

Cooked brown or white rice
Chopped fresh scallions or chives, for topping
Toasted sesame seeds, for topping

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Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) to prepare for roasting the ingredients perfectly and evenly on the sheet pan.
Prepare Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, minced garlic, and freshly grated ginger until fully combined and smooth, creating a flavorful marinade and glaze.
Toss Vegetables: Place the chopped red, orange, and yellow bell peppers along with the red onion on a large baking sheet. Pour half of the prepared sauce over the vegetables and toss well to coat evenly. Spread them out to roast.
Roast Vegetables: Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, allowing them to soften and develop roasted sweetness.
Marinate Chicken: While the vegetables roast, place the cut chicken breast pieces into a bowl and coat them with the remaining half of the sauce. Set aside briefly to absorb flavors.
Add Chicken and Cashews: After the vegetables have roasted, push them to one side of the sheet pan. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces beside the vegetables and scatter the raw unsalted cashews on the pan as well.
Final Roast: Return the sheet pan to the oven and roast everything together for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and cashews are lightly toasted.
Toss and Serve: Remove the sheet pan from the oven and gently toss the chicken, vegetables, and cashews together on the pan to evenly distribute flavors. Serve the cashew chicken mixture hot over cooked brown or white rice.
Garnish: Top servings with chopped fresh scallions or chives and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the dish for added color, crunch, and aroma.

Notes

For extra heat, add red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Use gluten-free soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free.
Cashews can be toasted separately if a crunchier texture is preferred.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 420 kcal
Sugar: 14 g
Sodium: 800 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 30 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 36 g
Cholesterol: 80 mg