Easy One Pot Meal: Chicken with Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a tough vegetable to like. I wasn’t a huge fan myself until I discovered simple roasted cauliflower, as in the recipe below, or cauliflower and potatoes roasted with some spices (cumin, coriander & chilli powder). I have Ria “more interested” in cauliflower since I told her that it is a flower that you can eat. She’s is not fully convinced but I keep trying to talk it up. For now, I mash the cauliflower below with some rice and yogurt and serve the chicken cut up in bite size pieces on top and she’ll gobble it up after school when she is starving. It’s pretty amazing how finickiness goes down the hungrier they are! I am not into “hiding” vegetables but sometimes a parent has to do what a parent has to do!
I am also looking forward to trying Cauliflower Cheese by Food-4-Tots – it looks delicious and I think mixed with some macaroni it could be a kiddie hit.
Chicken with Cauliflower (adapted from Everyday Food)
Ingredients
I modified the recipe slightly by sprinkling some cumin powder and a pinch of chllli flakes on the cauliflower before adding it to the pan. Also, if you like “crunchier” cauliflower don’t salt it till the cooking it done. The salt draws out the water and makes the cauliflower mushy. Which if you are mashing it for the kids is not a terrible thing.
Serves 4
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (6 to 8 ounces each)
- 1 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into large florets
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed (optional)
Method
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Season chicken with coarse salt and ground pepper. Cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
- Place cauliflower around chicken, turning to coat in pan juices; season with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken is cooked through and cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in parsley, vinegar, and capers (if using).
I’ve been making cauliflower soups because they are creamy and velvety without cream. I don’t necessarily love cauliflower in general but I like them a lot in soup format. I’ll have to try some of these other preparations! THX
Yes! Cauliflower soup does end up creamy without the addition of any heavy cream. It’s pretty yummy and probably a good introduction to cauliflower for kids.
LOVE one pot meals! And cauliflower doesn’t get nearly enough credit–this looks delish!
You’re such a creative mom. This one pot meal looks so delicious! A great way to “convince and confuse” our picky eaters.
“Convince and confuse” seems to be the way to go!
What a vegetable this is. I love how versatile cauliflower is. I so tempted to try your recipe later this week (I have 3 heads of cauliflower waiting for me at home.) I will come back to your site and report on how your recipe turned out for sure! Would you like to take a look at my most recent cauliflower creation? http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/09/marinated-cauliflower-salad/
Yes, please do report back. Hope it turns out good! I did check out your recipe.
What a yummy combination, the chicken looks amazing, I love roasted cauliflower. Cauliflower mash is also good, almost like mash potatoes but without the carbs. Have a great week.
This looks simple and delicious. I like the idea of adding the cumin!
Yum! I made this last night and it was a big hit with both my husband and my 19-month-old, who gobbled up the cauliflower FIRST and then moved on to his chicken
I added cumin and a bit of red pepper flakes, and used red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar. It also gets points for being super-easy, quick and cheap! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your feedback and I am so glad your family enjoyed this. Red wine vinegar works well – I am glad you substituted!
This looks like a winning dish. I add the same spices to my potatoes and cauliflower and they always turn out well. I can only imagine adding chicken, too. Very nice one pot meal.
We tried this dish last night with good results. I made it with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and skin on drumsticks. The drumstick pan won out due to the extra flavor from the skin and additional pan juices to flavor the cauliflower. The parsley takes it from ordinary to delicious. Thank you for your great recipes!
I so glad it turned out good. It seems like more of a dark meat recipe though I am glad you tried it with chicken breasts! Thanks for reporting back!
YUM! I made this the other night and the whole family enjoyed it. I cut the chicken up into small pieces and mixed it back in with the cauliflower and sauce before serving – to make it easier for the kids – but I think the adults liked the presentation that way too.
The cumin and capers were both excellent additions to the recipe. I used rice wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar because it was all I had, and it worked out well.
I can imagine that some raita or yogurt would taste great with this, but we are avoiding dairy these days.
Please keep these simple recipes coming!!
I tried this recipe for dinner last night. It was so easy and tasty, will be in my rotation for sure.