Sheet-Pan Kung Pao Chicken with Peppers and Peanuts

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Everything takeout-night wants, roasted on one tray: chunks of chicken thigh that catch and caramelize in a sticky soy-honey-chili glaze, with sweet bell pepper and crunchy celery roasted alongside and a handful of peanuts tossed in at the end. No wok, no stir-frying, no second pot — just one lined sheet pan and a bowl of rice.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chili flakes.
2. Put the chicken chunks on the sheet pan, add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and half the glaze, and toss with your hands until coated. Spread into a single layer with space between the pieces and roast for 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile cut the bell peppers and celery. Scatter them over and around the chicken, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and toss everything together right on the pan so the vegetables pick up the pan juices. Spread out again and roast 12 minutes more.
4. Drizzle the remaining glaze over the pan, scatter on the peanuts, and toss once. Roast 5 minutes more, until the glaze is sticky and clinging and the chicken reads 175°F (80°C) on a thermometer.
5. Let the pan sit 3 minutes, then scrape everything up with the syrupy juices from the foil and spoon over steamed rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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