Sheet pan meals are the dinner version of microwave popcorn. They take almost no effort, you can find the ingredients in any grocery store and the end result is just so tasty.

This recipe is built around everyone’s favorite economical and easy-to-find meat — chicken — with a sweet and slightly spicy homemade teriyaki sauce adding some zing and a beautiful shine.

Always mindful of waste, I adapted the ingredient list to include what I already had on hand in my refrigerator, using sugar snap peas and sliced bell pepper instead of broccoli and asparagus. I also swapped chicken thigh for breast meat because I think it’s tastier and it’s also cheaper.

Serve with white or brown rice, with extra teriyaki sauce on the side for drizzling.

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Teriyaki Chicken Tray Bake

INGREDIENTS

For teriyaki sauce

3 ounces orange juice (about 2 oranges)

4 ounces soy sauce

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated or minced

2 teaspoons cornstarch

For chicken

2 carrots, sliced

8 spring onions, sliced

8 skinless chicken thigh fillets

6 tablespoons prepared teriyaki sauce (recipe above)

1/2 cup water

Generous handful sugar snap peas

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced

Olive oil, for pan

Salt and pepper

Cooked white or brown rice, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare teriyaki sauce: Put orange juice, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, minced garlic and ginger into a small saucepan.

In a small bowl or ramekin, stir cornstarch into about 2 tablespoons cold water to form a smooth mixture. Add to ingredients in saucepan.
Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring as it heats. Once it’s bubbling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly as it thickens to prevent sticking. Pour into a jar and set aside. (You can keep this sauce stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.)

Place carrots and spring onions in a large baking tray and lay the chicken thigh fillets on top.

Mix 6 tablespoons teriyaki sauce with water, pour over chicken and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, add sugar snap peas and pepper slices, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt and a good grind of black pepper, cover the tray tightly with foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Divide evenly between four plates and serve with rice. Serves 4.

— adapted from “Easy Meals Every Day: Healthy Dinners for the Whole Family” by Pip Payne (Hamlyn, $27)

Tribune News Service