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This simple Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts dinner is about to become your new go-to meal. Easy homemade Asian inspired chicken, tossed in a gingery, sweet, spicy, and extra sticky soy pomegranate sauce. Serve this meal with roasted brussels sprouts, cooked right alongside the chicken, for the easiest sheet pan dinner. Then add a side of steamed rice topped with plenty of sesame seeds. And the best part…this sticky chicken is made quicker than any take-out meal and much healthier too. A delicious, fun, and healthy dinner any night of the week!
I love a good Asian inspired recipe more than you know. Anything that semi resembles take-out style meals seem to end up as a family favorite. Well, we love pizza and pasta too. That’s why I try to provide a variety of recipes here on HBH for whatever food mood you’re in.
Anyway, tonight we’re going the take-out at home route and I’m excited. It’s been a while since I’ve shared a “take-out” style recipe.
I originally had the idea to make this chicken last week, but then we had snow. The cold swayed me towards creating a cozier rosemary chicken and rice pilaf. But this week, the sun is shining and we’re back to normal fall weather around here. Enter this chicken, it’s the perfect fall dinner that highlights in-season brussels sprouts and sweet pomegranates.
Making this sheet pan sticky ginger chicken is easy…
Here are all the details. I wasn’t planning on breading the chicken, but as I was testing, a light went off in my head. Sure, I wanted a sticky sauce, but how would the sauce really stick to the chicken without any coating?
So I quickly decided to toss the chicken with a beaten egg and dredge it through some flour. This is a very, very light coating, but it’s just enough to help all that sticky sauce actually stick to the chicken. Once you’ve coated the chicken in flour, arrange it to one side of a large greased baking sheet. Then drizzle generously with sesame oil (or olive oil) to help the chicken crisp up a bit.
Now that you’ve got the chicken ready, let’s talk about those sprouts.
First off, sure you can use broccoli if you hate brussels sprouts. But I LOVE a well-roasted sprout and also find them delicious when paired with a salty Asian recipe.
I kept the sprouts basic, just sesame oil, salt, and pepper. But the real secret? Getting them extra crispy in the oven. Since the chicken cooks at such a high temperature, the sprouts have time to roast, soften, turn crisp, and lightly char on the outside. Delicious.
While everything is roasting, make the sticky sauce.
The truth? The sauce is truly why you should make this recipe. The sauce + the sprouts, because I really do love brussels sprouts the most.
Oh, and the sauce? It’s honestly so addicting. Sweet, tangy, a touch spicy and once boiled down, super sticky. The secret ingredient is one of my autumn favorites, pomegranate juice. I know it might sound odd, but please, don’t doubt me here. The pomegranate juice adds sweetness, tanginess, and deep dark color too. It’s one of my favorite ingredients to use in Asian inspired recipes. Plus, I always love the added pop of color, especially this time of year when the pomegranates are coming into season.
The sauce takes only a few minutes to thicken up on the stove. It’s usually ready by the time the chicken has finished cooking.
Then just toss the sauce with the chicken, return to the oven for a few more minutes, and you’re done. I was shocked at how well the timing of everything ended up working out.
Nothing fancy here, just simple cooking, but very delicious.
Serving suggestions?
Steamed rice, plenty of green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and pomegranate arils – if you can find them. Sadly ours have yet to show up for the season, but they’ll be here soon! Then drizzle with a generous amount of the leftover sauce…because saucy sticky chicken is the only way to go.
Tip…double the recipe and save the leftovers for quick and easy lunches. The chicken would also be great atop a chopped salad or served with rice noodles.
If you’re looking for something fresh and healthy…ish for dinner this week, make this sticky chicken!
Looking for other Asian style recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Thai Basil Sesame Cashew Chicken with Coconut Rice
Weeknight Sesame Teriyaki Chicken with Ginger Rice
Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers with Sweet Chili Pomegranate Sauce
Lastly, if you make this sheet pan sticky ginger sesame chicken and crispy brussels sprouts, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 454 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup all-purpose or gluten free all-purpose flour
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3/4 pound brussels sprouts, halved
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil
- 2/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup pomegranate juice (equal amounts of apple cider or orange juice are great substitutes)
- 1/4 cups honey
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon molasses or pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, use more or less to taste
- rice, sesame seeds, and green onions, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with oil.2. Add the chicken, egg, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Toss to combine. Add the flour to another bowl. Dredge the chicken in batches through the flour, tossing to coat. Place the chicken on one side of the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Add the brussels sprouts to the other side of the pan and toss with 2 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange cut side down. Bake for 12 minutes. Toss the sprouts, flip the chicken and return to the oven another 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Reduce the oven temp to 400 degrees F.3. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, pomegranate juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, molasses, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil 5-8 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/3. Remove from the heat.4. Pour half the sauce over the chicken, tossing to combine. Toss the sprouts with 1 tablespoon oil. Return everything to the oven for 3 minutes, until the sauce coats the chicken, watch close the sauce can burn. 5. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice topped with additional green onions, pomegranate arils, and sesame seeds. Serve the brussels sprouts on the side.
This post was originally published on September 16, 2020
Made this last night, it was a winner! I subbed in brown sugar for molasses and OJ for the pom juice, just so I didn’t have to go to the store. The sauce was *awesome*. I did want the extra sauce to be thicker, so I might continue simmering it next time after I pour some on the chicken. Also, after dredging I tossed the chicken in a mesh strainer to get rid of the excess flour: extra step, but my pan was cleaner, haha. Will def add to my rotation of HBH recipes!
Hi Sammie,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Just made this and it was delicious, the sauce is amazing. Trader Joe’s didn’t have pomegranate juice so I substituted with tart cherry juice which worked very well!
Hi Annie,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. xTieghan
This sounds delish but I really dislike vinegar. Can you taste it, and if so, are there any substitutions?
Hi Lori,
The vinegar just adds a tanginess to the sauce. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Going to make this tonight but don’t have molasses. Swap recommendations?
Hi Elizabeth,
You can use brown sugar in place of the molasses. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
So delicious! The pomegranate juice is adds great flavor!
Hey Bethany,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken and it tasted pretty tangy. Any recommendations?
Hey Jessica,
Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? You can always add some cornstarch to help thicken the sauce. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Hi! Any have advice for making sure the chicken gets crispy? No matter what I seem to do it stays sort of soft and gooey (maybe my dredge was too thick? I used the amounts suggested so not sure how to adjust). Same with the brussel sprouts. The sauce was amazing and I definitely suspect a user error on my part so any advice for how people achieved crispy perfection appreciated!
Hey Sally,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! I would say to leave longer in the oven or increase your temp, all ovens run differently. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Has anyone tried this in an air fryer? Any tips if so? I just bought one, and it’s still a bit scary to try!
Hey Kelly,
So sorry I have not tried this recipe in the air fryer, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this again and will be doubling it next time for lunches! Just packed with flavor. It is super important, however, to use low sodium soy sauce.
Hey Randi,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
Agreed! I used regular soy sauce and it was SO salty it was difficult to enjoy the flavor. Would love to try again in the future with low sodium sauce, and maybe even a lesser amount. I’ll probably try half the suggested amount and then add more if it needs it.
Hi Madeline,
So sorry to hear this, thanks for giving the recipe a try! xTieghan
First HBH recipe but not my last! I agree that low sodium soy sauce would have likely been a better choice, but it was still amazing! Balanced the salty with jasmine rice. Kids loved it too, added bonus.
Hey Melissa,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
I just made this and it was amazing but I wanted to come and post a warning for people who are like me and think SURELY IT WILL BE FINE IF I DON’T USE LOW-SODIUM SOY SAUCE. Reader, it will not be fine. Use the low-sodium.
Anyway, the chicken was phenomenal and I highly recommend!
Hey Bee,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This dish is fantastic – the flavors are on point! After many minutes of boiling the sauce, I was not able to thicken it up. I ended up using a bit of flour and whisked into the boiling sauce and it did the trick. We love a saucy dish so I also recommend saving a bit of the non-thickened sauce to coat the brussel sprouts in. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Makensie,
Awesome! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have the best weekend❄️ xTieghan
This dish is a staple at my house now. I use slightly less soy sauce since it was too salty, but now it’s perfect.
Hey Courtney,
Wonderful! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Unfortunately, I didn’t have success with this recipe. I followed the instructions. Sauce never thickened, had to add corn starch, and the chicken didn’t get crispy. I ended up finishing the chicken in my air fryer.
Hey Michelle,
So sorry to hear this, thanks for giving the recipe a try. Please let me know how I can help for next time! xTieghan
For a peanut allergy what can you substitute for the creamy peanut butter?
Hi Lisa,
You could use sun butter in place of the peanut butter. I hope you love the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan