Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (Stir Fry in the Oven)

Name: Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (Stir Fry in the Oven)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1/2 inch strips; 2 garlic cloves, minced; olive oil; salt, ground black pepper; 1-2 teaspoons dry herbs (or seasoning mixes, like poultry seasoning, onion salt, containing dry basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, granulated garlic, dry chives, granulated onion, red pepper flakes, etc.); 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced; 2 celery stalks, sliced; 1 red onion, sliced; 10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (white button or cremini mushrooms); 2 medium zucchini, cut into strips; 3/4 cup chicken broth; 1-2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon grated ginger, optional; 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch; 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (I like tamari sauce); 1 Tablespoon mirin; 1 Tablespoon honey

This chicken sheet pan dinner is such an easy recipe to make a stir fry in the oven, all cooked on the sheet pan. The juicy chicken, mushrooms and vegetables roast in the oven until everything is golden brown and flavorful.

Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
(Sheet Pan Stir Fry)

Chicken sheet pan dinners are some of my favorites for weeknights. This one is a fun adaptation of a stir fry. I decided to use a sheet pan to cook the chicken and vegetables. It was awesome to eliminate oil splatters at the stove. Cooking everything in the oven is healthier too, since you use a lot less oil.

Traditionally, stir fries are cooked in a wok or a skillet. Cooking a stir fry in the oven is a brilliant way to make the process even easier. It’s so convenient to cook the chicken and vegetables all on one sheet pan. Preparing chicken stir fry in the oven on a sheet pan is a genius way of simplifying the process.

The juicy chicken, mushrooms and vegetables roast in the oven until everything is golden brown and flavorful. The delicious honey, garlic and soy sauce brings everything together perfectly and coats the chicken and vegetables in the sweet and salty saucy goodness. I love serving this with long grain white rice or rice noodles.

Video of How To Make Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (Sheet Pan Stir Fry)

Ingredients:

chicken (boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
vegetables:
- carrots
- celery
- red onion
- mushrooms
- zucchini
- garlic
salt, pepper, herbs and spices
oil (olive, avocado, grape seed, sunflower, vegetable, etc.)
Sauce ingredients:
- chicken broth (vegetable can be used too)
- garlic
- ginger
- cornstarch
- soy sauce
- mirin
- honey

Use an Extra Large Sheet Pan

The more space for all the ingredients to spread out, the faster they will cook, and the more hot air will be able to circulate around them. Less steaming and more searing.
If you don’t have an extra large baking sheet, halve the recipe and use a half sheet size baking sheet.

This is the sheet pan that I have. *

How to Make Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Preheat the oven, placing the sheet pan in the oven, since it needs to gets really hot.
Slice the chicken into 1/2 – 3/4 inch strips and place into a large bowl. Season with salt, ground black pepper, olive oil, minced garlic and dry herbs. Mix to combine.
Prep all the vegetables. (Slice the carrots and celery into 1/4″ slices, mushrooms – 1/2-3/4″ pieces, onion – 1/4″ slices, and the zucchini should be julienned into 1/2″ thick sticks.
In another bowl, mix the carrots and celery together first with a bit of oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and dry herbs and spices of your choice.
Add the chicken to the hot sheet pan first, then add the carrots and celery on top, roasting for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the mushrooms and onion, seasoning with salt, pepper, herbs, oil and garlic. Add to the sheet pan and roast for 8-10 minutes.
Lastly, mix the zucchini with the oil, salt, pepper, garlic and herbs. Place them in the sheet pan as the final layer. Roast for only 3 minutes. You can use the broiler to get a bit more char.
While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan, then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until it thickens.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables, mix to combine and serve.

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

What type of chicken is best in a sheet pan recipe?

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the best choice. Dark meat is much juicier than white meat, so the chicken stays really tender and juicy, while also getting a nice sear and golden color, which means more flavor.
You can use chicken breast, but you will need to cook it for a shorter amount of time and it won’t get a nice sear. If you cook white meat too long trying to get a sear, it will be too dry.

For the best results when making a chicken sheet pan dinner, use high heat.

While the oven is preheating, place the sheet pan into the oven so that it gets really hot. You should hear a sizzle when adding the chicken.

Add the ingredients in intervals, not all at once.

If you add all the ingredients at once, some of them will be overcooked by the time all of them are done cooking. Add the chicken with the vegetables that take the longest to cook through, such as carrots and celery and also broccoli and cauliflower if, you want to use those instead.
Mushrooms, onions and zucchini don’t take as long to cook, so they are added later.

Cook the sauce separately and then pour over the chicken and vegetables.

If you add the sauce ingredients to the baking sheet, they will make everything steam and bake instead of roasting and searing. Plus, it’s so easy to cook the sauce in a small saucepan on the stove while everything else is in the oven. The sauce will have a much better consistency.

Serving and Reheating the Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

Serve the stir fry over rice, couscous, ramen noodles or rice noodles.

Recipes:

How To Cook White Rice Perfectly

How To Cook Brown Rice

Couscous Recipe

You can reheat the stir fry in the microwave or in a skillet. That’s why I like making such a big batch. It never goes to waste and I get a night off cooking:).