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Sheet Pan Magic (Chicken Tikka)

Ingredients

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

    For the chicken

    • 1 3/4- inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
    • 4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
    • 1 fresh green chili jalapeno, seeded and minced
    • 1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne or adjusted to taste
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 2 pounds chicken thighs drumsticks or halved chicken breasts (skin-on, bone-in)

    For the vegetables

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 1/4 pounds about 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
    • 1 3/4 pounds 1 small or half a very large head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

    To finish, if desired

    • A few thin slices of red onion
    • Lemon wedges
    • Salt
    • Dollops of yogurt optional
    • A few tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro parsley or mint, or a mix therof

    Instructions

    • Combine ginger, garlic, fresh chili, yogurt, salt, spices and sugar in a bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to a day in the fridge.
    • Heat your oven to 425°F.
    • Line a half-sheet (13×18-inch) with foil and coat it with 1 T of olive oil or use parchment paper.
    • Add potatoes, cauliflower, salt, cumin and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss together until evenly coated. I like garlic so I added a minced glove of garlic as I was tossing the vegetables.
    • Remove chicken from marinade and leave excess behind.
    • Nestle the chicken pieces among the vegetables throughout the pan.
    • Roast in oven for 20 minutes, then toss the potato and cauliflower to ensure they’re cooking evenly
    • Return the pan to the oven for 10 to 20 minutes more (i.e. 30 to 40 minutes total roasting time) until chicken and vegetables are cooked through.
    • If necessary remove chicken from pan and turn broiler on to crisp the potatoes and cauliflower
    • While it roasts, if you’d like to use the lightly pickled onion rings that we did on top, which added a nice tangy fresh zip to the dish, separate the rings and toss them in a small bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside until needed.
    • When chicken and vegetables are cooked, top with garnishes of your choice.
    • I used thinly sliced red onions, cilantro, mint and diced scallions to garnish.