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    Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner

    Traditional tandoori spices like turmeric, cumin and cinnamon are the secret to this simple cauliflower and chicken sheet pan dinner’s rich, warm flavors.

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    Tandoori Chicken Sheet Pan dinner with cauliflower, and chickpeas served with a bowl of Raita

    Tandoori Chicken, But Make It A Meal

    We love our whole roasted tandoori chicken as much as anyone—there’s nothing quite like setting a whole chicken down on the table. But, what this Indian-inspired chicken sheet pan dinner lacks in terms of presentation, it makes up for by being a complete, one-pan meal. The cauliflower florets and chicken thighs that make up the bulk of this hearty, satisfying supper are both slathered in a thick, spicy coating of tandoor-spiced yogurt, which caramelizes and infuses the chicken and cauliflower with flavor as it roasts. We added some chickpeas to the mix for texture and a little added bulk. Finished with cool, creamy raita—homemade, if you’re up for it!—this easy chicken sheet pan recipe is here to add some big flavors to your weekly dinner routine.

    cauliflower in a bowl next to chicken thighs, garlic, yogurt, olive oil and chickpeas

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    Everything You’ll Need to Make Our New Favorite Chicken Dinner Recipe

    And by “our new favorite chicken recipe” we mean this tandoori chicken sheet pan dinner, in case you didn’t pick up on that. The major components of the meal are:

    • Chicken thighs
    • Cauliflower
    • Garbanzos beans

    And you’ll spice them with a heady combination of tandoori spices, stirred into creamy Greek yogurt:

    • Fresh ginger
    • Fresh garlic
    • Turmeric
    • Chili powder
    • Cayenne powder
    • Cinnamon
    • Cumin
    tandoori yogurt marinade
    tandoori chicken marinating in a bowl

    How To Make This One-Pan, No-Fuss Tandoori Chicken Sheet Pan with Cauliflower

    Colorful, healthy, and warmly-spiced, this tandoori chicken bake is nothing short of magical. A quick roast, and dinner is served. Here’s how easy it is to make:

    1. Begin by mixing up the tandoori chicken yogurt sauce, and use the creamy, spiced mixture to coat both the chicken thighs and the cauliflower. It will imbue them both with warm spices and help them develop a lovely caramelized exterior as they roast.
    2. Put the yogurt-coated chicken and cauliflower on a baking sheet, and sprinkle the garbanzo beans over them.
    3. Bake! For about 30 minutes, or until the chicken thighs register an internal temperature of 165°F.
    4. Dig in! We love to serve this with homemade raita, basmati rice and a little fresh cilantro.
    Tandoori Chicken Sheet Pan dinner with cauliflower, and chickpeas

    Tools You’ll Need

    More Indian-Inspired Recipes to Try

    From a vegan cauliflower curry recipe to a sweet-savory mango chutney sheet pan dinner, these easy recipes sing with the warm, rich flavors of India:

    Tandoori Chicken Sheet Pan dinner with cauliflower, and chickpeas
    Tandoori Chicken Sheet Pan dinner with cauliflower, and chickpeas served with a bowl of Raita

    Sheet Pan Chicken to the Rescue!

    When in doubt—or when we’re just OVER IT—we grab our sheet pan. Add a protein, a vegetable, a bunch of spices and pop the whole pan in a nice, hot oven. 40 minutes later dinner is served. And you know what? It’s usually pretty good! Or, in the case of this tandoori chicken and cauliflower sheet pan dinner, sometimes it’s REALLY good. We hope you love this simple chicken thigh recipe. If you try it, let us know! Snap a photo of your dinner and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

    Related Recipes

    Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner

    May 7, 2020

    • Serves: 6
    • Cook Time:  30 min
    • Calories: 362
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (2 lbs)
    • 2 lbs cauliflower, cut into florets
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
    • 3 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp ginger, grated or minced
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • 1/4 cup minced cilantro, plus more for serving
    • 1 tsp salt (adjust to your liking)
    • 1 (14 oz) can garbanzos beans, drained rinsed
    • thinly sliced red onions, optional
    • raita, optional

    Method

    1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
    2. In a medium sized bowl combine olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro and salt. Mix well and coat chicken and cauliflower entirely in yogurt mixture.
    3. Arrange chicken and cauliflower on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the sheet pan evenly with the drained, rinsed chickpeas.
    4. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until internal temp of the chicken reads 165°F. For extra brown crispy color, broil until desired caramelization is achieved.
    5. Serve the chicken with fresh cilantro, basmati rice and our favorite recipe for raita.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories362
    • Protein37 g
    • Carbohydrates20 g
    • Total Fat16 g
    • Dietary Fiber7 g
    • Cholesterol125 mg
    • sodium448 mg
    • Total Sugars5 g

    Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner

    Questions & Reviews

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    • Valerie

      Would this recipe work in a slow cooker?

      we have not tested this yet in a slow cooker.

    • Samantha Cadieux

      Can I use boneless chicken breasts instead? My supermarket was out of thighs :(

      Sure! IT will change the cook time so just make sure chicken is 165 F before taking it out of the oven.

    • Kaycie

      Great flavor! However, the chicken seemed to cook much faster than the cauliflower. At the 30 minute mark, the chicken registered over 165 - at about 180 - and the cauliflower was still fairly crunchy, with no caramelization anywhere. Tips?

      I let my boneless, skinless chicken thighs go higher than 165° often. It doesn't seem to ever dry them out. As far as the cauliflower goes, I would just make smaller florets! If you want more crispy then just hit it with the broiler for a little bit.

    • Marilou Garon

      This was delicious! I did have less chicken than the recipe called for and since I made the same amount of marinade, at some point during the baking I noticed alot of liquid accumulated on the sheet pan. I removed it all with a spoon, afraid the chicken and vegetables would end up "steaming". I also let the pan a bit longer under broil to get it nice and charred. I also added the red onions at the same time as the rest of the ingredients, in order to get them roasted as well. Thank you for a great recipe!

      Glad it worked! The problem with sheet pan dinners will always be the liquid that they produce. I've started baking mine on a cookie cooling rack so the liquid collects at the bottom. : )

    • Elizabeth Fleming

      This was phenomenal!!! We are always obsessed with all of your meals (seriously they never disappoint)! The whole family loved it- so simple & so flavorful. Definitely make the sauce as well! Thank you for another winner

      Thanks Elizabeth, we are so happy the whole family enjoyed it!

    • Shanthini Jayanthan

      Made it for a early dinner today and came out perfect. Always wanted Indian recipes to make in the oven. I used the spices for 1.5 pounds each of chicken and cauliflower. Added the Chickpeas for the last 5 minutes only.
      I will make this more often now. Thank you

      This is so great to hear, we are glad you loved it Shanthini!

    • Casey

      My family loves this recipe! We love bold spices so this recipe was right up our alley. Sometimes we even throw in a little garam masala or curry powder. This one is part of our regular dinner rotation.

      Thanks Casey, it's so great to hear when a recipe becomes part of regular rotation. So happy you and your family enjoy this one!

    • Kirsten

      If I could give this 10 stars, I would! Our family has been on a steady diet of Modern Proper meals for the last 4 weeks and this meal takes the cake! Both the adults and kids devoured every bite. I added a sprinkle of anise seed to our basmati rice and it was such a nice touch. We can't wait to host with this meal. Bravo!

      Thank you so much Kirsten! We are so flattered you've been eating TMP meals for weeks straight! Happy to hear everyone loved this one!

    • Nicole

      This was absolutely amazing! My friend and I meal prepped ahead of time and tossed it on the oven when ready to eat. It was so flavorful and delicious, especially with the homemade raita and a side of naan. Truly a restaurant quality dish!!

      Thanks so much Nicole! We are so happy you loved it!