Excuse me while I produce hearts with my eyes over this One-Pan Curried Chicken Cauliflower. It was insanely delicious! One of those suuuuper simple but exceptionally scrumptious dinners that become a once a weeker until you can’t smell curry anymore….ummm maybe in 10 years??
I’ve been wanting to do a one pan meal in forever but never quite knew with what ingredients until I was left with one chicken breast, one head of cauliflower and one zucchini in the fridge for dinner and literally didn’t have another choice. Ha! You see how organized I am as a blogger or a mom for that matter?
The good thing is, the best recipes always seem to be born out of either accidents in the kitchen or pure necessity to create something with little to no ingredients. Dry, flavorless baked chicken breast with mushy boiled cauliflower and tasteless zucchini? No thank you! We’ve got to invent something here and do some magic to transform this into something my kids will love me for and that doesn’t create a big mess and too many dishes because, hello?!? who’s gonna clean that up? And here you go: One-Pan Curried Chicken Cauliflower!This was just right for me and two under 6 year-olds. So I’d say it’s perfect for two adults. If you have to cook for more you will have to cook in two pans, sorry :S
The best part about cooking it all together in one pan is that the chicken juices get sucked up by the zucchini and cauliflower and make them even more delicious. Besides, all three ingredients happen to take the same amount of time to be cooked to perfection so how awesome is that? Carrots, potatoes etc. would have taken muuuch longer. It wouldn’t have worked with either.
Ok, so, before you jump into your computer to tele-transport to Montreal and give me a bear hug for this recipe there is one disclaimer. You will also need a small cutting board and a bowl comes in quite handy as well. So, no, you will not only have to wash one pan but also at least a cutting board and maybe a bowl but without you would end up with the yucky veggies, so it’s obviously totally worth it.Preparing everything this way you’ll end up with deliciously juicy chicken, cauliflower cooked to perfection, soft but without being mushy or falling apart, and zucchini that melts away in you mouth.
Oh, and did I mention all of this tastes and smells like the most amazing curry you’ve tried in you life? It does and we loved it. Give it a try and let me know how you found it in the comments below ;)
One-Pan Curried Chicken Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 10- oz chicken breast - (300g)
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 1 clove garlic - (crushed)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 hand full fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the largest pan with lid you have over medium heat.
- Add salt, cumin, coriander, curry powder, crushed garlic and olive oil to a large bowl and mix well together. You can use your finger for that, no need to get a whisk dirty :P
- Wash and dry chicken breast and place in bowl turning around to be covered in marinade, then take out and place on cutting board. Salt and pepper in addition on both sides.
- Cut up cauliflower into bite-sized florets, wash and drain well in between your hands, no need to get a colander dirty :P add to large bowl and mix with your hands to work in the marinade into the little nooks of the cauliflower florets with your fingers.
- Wash and slice zucchini discarding the ends. Sprinkle salt and pepper over it. Set aside.
- The pan should be hot by now. Add a tiny splash of oil into the pan, and add chicken breast flat into pan. Fry for 1 minute on one side, turn and then add zucchini and cauliflower into the pan.
- Cover pan with tight-fitting lid and immediately reduce heat to low.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- Once timer goes off, remove pan from heat but leave lid ON the pan. NO PEEKING. Not even once!
- Set a timer for 10 minutes again.
- Once timer goes off the second time (10 minutes on low + 10 minutes in heat remaining in closed pan = perfectly juicy chicken breast) your dinner is ready.
bex says
my fingers have been dyed yellow for the last three days, i think i may use a whisk next time
Lorena Grater says
Ohhh, I wonder why. When I use turmeric my hands get stained but as soon as I wash them it all comes off. I once heard that lemon juice may help get stains off the skin.
Sandy says
Just made this. My husband detests zucchini, but I was in the same situation as you – chicken breast in the freezer and cauliflower that needed to be used along with one lonely zucchini. I decided to give it a try. Amazingly moist and flavorful. I doubled the curry powder to give more robust curry taste. My husband eyed up the zucchini but didn’t say anything until he tasted it. His next words, “This recipe is a keeper.” Yes – this was an easy and simple cleanup meal that we will have again.
Ali says
This sounds amazing and I can’t wIt to make it! But a 10 oz chicken breast? Do you mean both halves? Picture looks like one half, but 10 oz seems HUGE.
Lorena says
No, I meant one 10-oz but you can buy two 5-oz as well instead. The organic chickens here seem to be giants I guess :S
Barbara McGovern says
I’d like to try this. You mentioned a marinade, but I wasn’t sure what goes into that.
Lorena says
Step 2 in the ingredients lists all the ingredients of the marinade. Step 3 tells you to place the chicken in that marinade.
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
One pan dinners make life soooo much easier! So much goodness in one pan! I’m sure it’s super flavorful :)
Lorena says
It was :D