I was stuck for what to make for dinner tonight, but I had some chicken thighs and cauliflower in the fridge to experiment with. (If you’ve been a reader for any length of time you’ll know we always have cauliflower!) I’ve been craving curry lately, so I decided to make a baked curry chicken and cauliflower dish.
I chopped up the cauliflower and a small head of broccoli I found in the produce drawer and microwaved them for about 5 minutes, or until they were fork tender but still firm and brightly coloured. I spread the vegetables in the bottom of an oven-safe glass dish.
Then I cubed about a pound and a half of boneless chicken thighs and set it aside. I heated some coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat and added a finely diced shallot and two cloves of minced garlic. After a minute or so, I added the cubed chicken and sauteed it until the chicken was cooked through. I used a slotted spoon to scoop the pieces out of the fat and layered the chicken over the cauliflower and broccoli.
For the curry sauce, I started with one cup of full fat coconut milk and mixed in half a cup of homemade mayonnaise. I added about four teaspoons of curry powder, two teaspoons of cumin, one teaspoon of coriander, and half a teaspoon each of cinnamon, fresh ground pepper, and sea salt. I whisked it up until all the spices were well mixed in, then I stirred in three quarters of a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. I used goat cheddar because of hubs’ issues with cow dairy, but I’m sure you could use any hard cheese. I poured the sauce on top of the chicken and vegetables and put it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
And here’s the baked cheesy curry chicken and cauliflower! I served this with a side salad, and you know, it was really good! I know it’s not a traditional ingredient, but the mayo made the curry sauce wonderfully rich and creamy. I’ll be making this one again!
Cheesy Curry Chicken and Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower chopped
- 1 small head of broccoli chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 small shallot finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 pounds boneless chicken thighs cubed
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Microwave cauliflower and broccoli florets about 5 minutes, until fork tender but firm. Spread cooked vegetables in bottom of an oven-safe glass dish.
- Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering then add shallot and minced garlic. Saute approximately one minute.
- Add cubed chicken and saute until fully cooked. Drain chicken from fat and layer pieces over cauliflower and broccoli.
- In a separate bowl, whisk coconut milk, mayonnaise, and spices together. Mix in shredded cheese.
- Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables and bake for 30 minutes.
1-I dig that you always have cauliflower. It’s one of those underappreciated vegetables. 2-I like that you turned curry into a casserole. Fun twist. And looks good too!
Thank you for linking up!
Thanks Michelle! It took me a while to really appreciate cauliflower, but now we always have a couple of heads in the fridge. 🙂
Cauliflower is one of my absolute favourite vegetables, year round, so I too nearly always have it on hand. This recipe looks delicious and one I would definitely try.
Thanks! Let me know if you do give it a try. It’s yummy!
curry and cauliflower – Fab! Have a great week.
Thank you! You too!
That looks and sounds delicious. I love curry.
I love curry too! This was an easy way to satisfy that craving. 🙂
This looks amazing!! I love all of the different ways you use cauliflower; makes it far more bearable to eat! 🙂
Thanks for linking up to DDT!
It’s okay, I never used to care that much for cauliflower either! 🙂
This recipe looks delicious.thanks for sharing