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    Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner

    September 3, 2024

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

    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

    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!

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    Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe

    Updated September 3, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  30 min
    • Calories:  362
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    Ingredients

    • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (2 lbs)
    • 2 lbs cauliflower, cut into florets
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ½ cup Greek yogurt
    • 3 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp grated or minced fresh ginger
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • ¼ tsp cayenne powder
    • ½ tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp cumin
    • ¼ 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
    • Calories 362
    • Protein 37 g
    • Carbohydrates 20 g
    • Total Fat 16 g
    • Dietary Fiber 7 g
    • Cholesterol 125 mg
    • Sodium 448 mg
    • Total Sugars 5 g

    Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Valerie

      Would this recipe work in a slow cooker?

      we have not tested this yet in a slow cooker.

    • Samantha

      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

      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. : )

    • Sarah

      I loved this recipe! I prepped all my veggies and marinated everything in the morning, and then the hubs just dumped it all on the pans and it was such a convenient and super tasty dinner! Even my seven-year-old ate it up! :)

      Thanks, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Barman

      I made this and it was out of the park! I had bone in skin on chicken thighs and was worried it wouldnt work out but man it sure did! I know its not as healthy but sure was good. I arranged the chicken so the skin was up and broiled it at the end of cooking. Crispy with all the goodness of the recipe. Thank you its a good one!

      Thanks so much Barman we are so glad you loved it!

    • Stephanie

      We use mayo instead of yogurt to make it dairy free and its great!! 👍🏼

      That's awesome, thanks Stephanie!

    • Diana

      Absolutely delicious! Super flavorful and the chicken was fork tender. I marinated for about 2 hours.

      Thanks Diana, so glad you loved it!

    • Kristen

      This was delicious & I will definitely make it again. I served it over coconut rice.

      Thanks Kristen, we are so happy you loved it!