Sesame chicken & cauliflower sheet pan


When it comes to chicken, you'd think there would be no way of getting it wrong. Think again. This was and I quote my dear other half 'another one of your naff dinners'. He was right. I have been cooking a lot of naff dinners lately and I don't really know why. Perhaps it is universe's way of evening things out, as there was a time when plenty of lovely meals were plated up in our kitchen. Surely it can't be my own fault... Of course it can, but I don't want to admit it.

I'm perfectly capable of cooking good food and there are plenty of blogs to prove it. Lately I have made a few questionable choices in regards to substitutes or simply when it comes to picking new recipes. To break the cycle, I may have to reboot and stick to old classics for a while, until the naff-curse has lifted and I'm able to pick successful recipes from the Pinterest jungle once again.

As you know by now, I blog most new meals I cook, even those that were not good. One of my many mottos is: I try, so you don't have to. It the try is successful, I'm happy to share it. If it isn't, I'm equally happy to issue a warning, not to do what I did. Documenting and owning up to failures is an effective way of preventing big-headedness. Should I put my hat on, I prefer if it fits.

A top tip when picking a recipe to cook is to make sure you have everything you need at home, or at least suitable substitutes. As a gathered the ingredients for this meal and rummaged in the sauce basket, there was no soy sauce. End of the world horror! How was it possible to run out of soy sauce?I should be ashamed of myself.

I learnt the hard way that soy sauce can't successfully be replaced with a Worcestershire sauce - hoisin sauce combo. Don't be fooled into making the same mistake. Both are nice on their own, but they are not soy sauce. That's actually the only thing I changed in this recipe and the result was quite devastating. Well, sad more than devastating, the way you feel sad when a decent meal crawls into a dark corner and dies.

I have decided to share the original recipe, because I would like to try again. Why? The following day we had the leftovers and by then I had been shopping. Soy sauce was to the reheated meal and it sprung to life. There is no way of telling if the addition of fresh say sauce was necessary or if the dish could have been successful it had been added prior to cooking. I will have to try again and find out.

This is what you need:
500g - 1 kg chicken, diced (weight depending on how meaty you want it)
1 large head of broccoli or 1 medium head of cauliflower, in florets
2 bell peppers, in bite sized chunks
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half
salt & peppar
sesame seeds

Sauce:
1/4 soy sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped


1. Get all ingredients out.

As you can see, I used hoisin sauce and Worcestershire sauce instead of soy. Don't do that.


2. Chop the vegetables and toss them in a little oil on an oven tray. Season with salt and peppar.


3. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and to the vegetable tray and mix well. 


4. Chop the ginger and garlic and place in a small saucepan without oil.


5. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the saucepan.


6. Bring the sauce to a boil while stirring.


7. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer until it thickens. Stir every so often.


8. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and mix well.

I used 1 kg chicken and needed all of the sauce, which meant I had nothing to add later.


10. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft enough to eat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.


11. If you are good at spells, this is your time to shine. Cast a taste-good-spell before dishing up.


12. Dish up and enjoy.

Fingers crossed, it will be nice if you have used the correct ingredients. I will try this again,
but when my hubby isn't at home, in case it comes out naff again. I can't be caught
cooking and serving the same bad meal twice. I will report back.




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