Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Teriyaki and Veggies

Hello Bumkins Blog readers (and those visiting from our feed); @lunchesandlittles here sharing another recipe with you all! 

It’s hard to believe, but Summer is officially here. And, if your house is anything like ours- when school is out, the days aren’t just longer and warmer, they are often times busier too. That is why we are so excited to be sharing a simple, healthy recipe that is both quick and easy to make- perfect for all the summer nights, right? Oh, and did we mention it all cooks up on one sheet pan? Yeah, that’s a definite mom win, but it isn’t the only reason why we love this one!

This Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Teriyaki and Veggies is the perfect meal for varied vegetable exposure with your little ones, and it can also be easily modified to include what you have on hand or are currently trying to expose your kids to. We have followers ask us all the time about how we manage to get our kids to eat their veggie; in fact, it is probably our most asked question in one form or another. Truth is, there is no magic recipe or secret sauce- all kids are different, yes. But, all kids (and adults!) eat foods they learn through exposure. So, if you are exposing your little ones to the same foods day after day, they will never branch out from those. We have, from a very young age offered our little ones all sorts of different foods- sometimes through just single exposures, like a piece of broccoli, or a piece of shrimp paired with more familiar, loved foods. And whether you have been doing it from a young age or not- it’s never too late to start incorporating more variety into your kid’s meals. And this meal is kind of perfect for doing just that.

We have used this Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Teriyaki and Veggies dish to expose our little ones to all sorts of learning it foods with success (for more information on the Love it, Like it, Learning it ™ approach head on over to our friend’s feed, @veggiesandvirtues). With this meal you could serve your child certain vegetables off of the pan that they may not love- perhaps just a piece of red pepper, or a piece of pineapple with the rest of the dish. These small exposures, can lead to big meal-time successes over time, and the delicious sauce on this one can really help your picky eater enjoy a new food too

The sweet, tangy teriyaki sauce we use for this dish is just sweet enough, full of kid-friendly flavor and is great for mixing up with chicken, and vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, potatoes and carrots. Our kiddos love pineapple, so adding that into the mix is a great addition too. Other vegetables this dish would work well with include cauliflower floretts, snap peas, asparagus, green beans, onion, edamame, mushrooms and more. As with any of our recipes, feel free to put your own spin on this dish, making it something your own family will love.

And we have to mention that we love using the Bumkins Silicone Grip Dishes for all sorts of meals, but especially with ones in which we are utilizing Love it, Like it, Learning it ™ because we can easily separate things out visually, which can be a help to some picky eaters. Check out the Silicone Grip Dish here and their new Spoon and Fork Utensils here.

Check out the full recipe for our Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Teriyaki and Veggies below, and be sure to tag #bumkins and #lunchesandlittles in your posts! *And, as always, before starting, be sure to read through the entire recipe below, to ensure best results! 

Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Teriyaki and Veggies Recipe:

Ingredients (for Teriyaki Sauce):

• 1 cup soy sauce

• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 2 and 1/2 tbsp honey

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

• 2 tbsp water*

• 5 garlic cloves (pressed or finely grated 

• *Optional: finely grated ginger (we used about 1/2 tsp or so)

Ingredients (for remainder of dish):

• 2- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 small head of broccoli- florets only (you can save stalks for something else, or disregard)

• 2 large carrots (peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces) 

• 1 bell pepper; we used red for more color (cut into bite-sized pieces)

• 1 cup pineapple chunks

• a handful or two of baby or mini potatoes (we used these ones) 

• salt and pepper to taste

• rice or quinoa for serving

• *Optional: green onions (finely sliced) and sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large sheet pan (at least 12 x 17) with parchment paper. Set aside.

• Start off by making teriyaki sauce: in a small saucepan over medium-high heat whisk together all sauce ingredients from above.  *Start with 2 tbsp water. If sauce becomes too thick, add more water as needed. Once well-combined, bring your sauce ingredients to a simmer. Once thick and bubbly, remove from heat. Set aside.

• Next, cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4- 6 pieces. Seasons chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.

• Place chicken on prepared sheet pan and drizzle each piece with enough of the sauce to cover. Cook in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove pan from oven and flip chicken over. Drizzle sauce on other sides and return to oven, cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Then, again remove pan.

• Next, carefully add broccoli, carrots, pepper, pineapple and potatoes (as well as any additional vegetables you would lie to add in) to pan, placing them all around the chicken.

• Drizzle with additional teriyaki sauce, and toss veggies to coat. Be sure to reserve some sauce for serving.

• Return pan with chicken and veggies to oven and cook 18- 20 minutes until chicken is completely cooked through and veggies are fork tender. Check chicken around the 12- 15 minute mark to make sure it is not getting too done. If it is, simply remove your chicken from the pan first, then continue cooking veggies.

• While chicken and veggies cook, prepare some rice or quinoa to serve your Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Teriyaki and Veggies over. Set aside.

• When chicken and veggies are done, carefully remove from oven. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

• Cut chicken into strips or kid-friendly sized pieces. Serve chicken and veggies over rice/quinoa. Drizzle with remaining sauce and serve immediately.

• Enjoy!

For more quick and easy recipes perfect for the whole family be sure to check out our feed @lunchesandlittles where we are making meals just like this one (along with lunchboxes, treats and more!) all of the time. And check out www.bumkins.com for feeding essentials and more for your little ones, like the divided silicone dishes shown here. Bumkin’s tableware is so fun – perfect for all your little ones.