Sheet Pan Sticky Pomegranate Chicken and Honey Roasted Squash.

This Sheet Pan Sticky Pomegranate Chicken and Honey Roasted Squash is a new fall favorite. The chicken is breaded in coconut, oven-baked, then tossed in a spicy, sweet, and extra sticky Thai pomegranate sauce. Then just add honey-roasted autumn squash…cooked right alongside the chicken…for the easiest weeknight sheet pan dinner. Serve the sticky chicken and squash over coconut rice topped with plenty of juicy pomegranate arils. The perfect easy fall dinner any night of the week…that’s delicious too!

Happy Wednesday guys, this week is already flying by! I’ll have a special post tomorrow to share a fun new launch. It’s feeling very exciting, I can’t wait!! More on all of that fun stuff tomorrow. But for now, I’m moving right on into this recipe…

The craziness of the week has left me needing super quick and easy dinners. I’ve been testing out slow cooker meals, one pot dishes, and plenty of sheet pan dinners. Like this chicken! It’s perfect for the crisp, cool fall weather that’s hit us these past few days, especially the night time temps! It’s safe to say we’re entering into cold-weather season. Am I ready for it? No, not at all, but I am ready for all the cozy, comforting fall recipes.

Which brings me back to this chicken. It’s still chicken and rice, just all done up for fall and with a sticky pomegranate chill sauce and a side of sweet honey roasted squash. And it is delicious!

Just add a side of coconut rice and you’ll be good to go. One word? Yum.

The second I see pomegranates show up come fall, I’m immediately brainstorming new recipes. I love pomegranates!

It’s typical to serve pomegranates in a salad, or on a cheeseboard, but I love allowing them to shine. They have so much flavor and can be used in such a variety of recipes. They’re the sweet jewels of autumn, and if you ask me, we should be showcasing them more.

So instead of the usual salad, I thought we’d do a Thai inspired sticky chicken recipe. The pomegranates in the sauce add the most delicious sweet and tangy flavor.

Here are the steps to this sheet pan chicken.

First up, the rice! All sticky chicken dinners need a side of rice. For this chicken, I’m also giving you my coconut rice recipe. It compliments this chicken so well. You just need rice and coconut milk, plus about twenty minutes of time. It’s the easiest to make, but my favorite way to cook rice these days.

While the rice cooks, make the chicken and roast the squash. Since it takes a little longer than the chicken to fully cook, I like to give the squash a little head start. What’s key with the squash is to simply roast it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. You’ll then want to add the honey and chili flakes towards the end of cooking. Once the honey is added, the squash will caramelize on the edges, making them crisp, sweet, and delicious!

For the chicken, I decided to give it a coconut/panko breading. It’s a light breading, but it’s just enough to help all that sticky sauce actually stick to the chicken. The coconut adds just the right amount of flavor and taste, while giving the chicken some texture too.

Once you’ve breaded the chicken, pull the squash out of the oven and arrange it to one side of the pan. Now, take the breaded chicken and arrange it to the other side of the pan. Next, drizzle the chicken generously with olive oil. This will help it to crisp up a bit in the oven. Now just bake everything until the chicken is cooked and the squash has caramelized.

The sticky pomegranate sauce.

The truth? The sauce is truly why you should make this recipe. It’s my favorite sauce, and it’s addicting.

Sweet, tangy, a touch spicy and once boiled down, super sticky. The key ingredient is the pomegranate juice. I know it might sound odd, but the pomegranate juice adds sweetness, tanginess, and deep dark color.

The sauce takes only a few minutes to thicken up on the stove. It’s usually ready by the time the chicken has finished cooking.

Then just toss the sauce with the chicken, return to the oven for a few more minutes, and you’re done. Easy, right? It’s not fancy by any means, but it’s incredibly delicious.

Now serve it all up.

Spoon the rice into bowls, add the squash and chicken, then garnish with plenty of juicy pomegranate arils and drizzle with a generous amount of the leftover sauce…because saucy sticky chicken is the only way to go. Finish with cilantro.

Such a simple weeknight dinner that’s healthy, pretty (hello to those pomegranates), and the easiest to make. I know this one is going to be on repeat all season long.

Looking for other pomegranate recipes? Here are a few ideas: 

Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad

Spicy Pomegranate Moscow Mule

Pan Roasted Pomegranate Glazed Salmon

Fall Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Kale Salad

Lastly, if you make this Sheet Pan Sticky Thai Pomegranate Chicken and Honey Roasted Squash, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Sheet Pan Sticky Pomegranate Chicken and Honey Roasted Squash.

3.87 from 576 votes

6

by Tieghan Gerard

calories 630kcal

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Prep15 minutes mins

Cook25 minutes mins

Total40 minutes mins

Add honey-roasted autumn squash and serve over coconut rice for the easiest weeknight dinner!

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 acorn or kabocha squash seeded and sliced into half rounds
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• ▢ kosher salt and black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 egg, beaten
• ▢ 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• ▢ 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1/2 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
• ▢ 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• ▢ 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, grated
• ▢ arils from 1 pomegranate
• ▢ coconut rice, for serving , (recipe in notes)

Instructions 

• 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with oil.

  2. On the prepared baking sheet, toss the squash with olive oil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, add the chicken, egg, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. Toss to combine. Add the coconut, Panko, and a pinch of pepper to a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine. Dredge the chicken in batches through the coconut mix, tossing to coat. Remove the squash from the oven and arrange to one side of the pan. On the other side, arrange the chicken. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Bake for 12 minutes. Toss the squash, flip the chicken, and return to the oven another 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Reduce the oven temp to 425 degrees F.

  4. Meanwhile, combine the chili sauce, pomegranate juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/3. Remove from the heat.

  5. Pour 2/3 of sauce over the chicken, tossing to combine. Toss the squash with the honey and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Return everything to the oven for 3 minutes, until the sauce coats the chicken.

  6. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of coconut rice. Top the chicken pomegranate arils and cilantro. Serve the squash on the side.

Notes

Coconut Rice: Combine 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot. Bring to a low boil. Add 1 cup basmati rice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

Nutrition

Calories: 630kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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