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Chicken and cauliflower traybake with roasted garlic–yogurt sauce

This relatively simple sheet pan supper can be on the table in less than an hour.
The roasted garlic and a few of the cauliflower florets are used to make a garlic yogurt sauce to finish the dish.
Don’t use a large head of cauliflower because there won’t be enough space on the baking sheet for both the chicken and cauliflower. Connie Miller / CB Creatives
By Christopher Kimball

The cauliflower in this simple Indian-inspired traybake serves two purposes: it’s a delicious side to the roasted chicken and it’s the base for the creamy sauce that accompanies the dish. We use sweet paprika in the spice mixture, but if you like you could use smoked paprika for an earthy, woodsy flavor or hot paprika to add heat.

Start to finish: 50 minutes

Servings: 4

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 small head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), leaves trimmed, cored and cut into 3-inch florets

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, trimmed and patted dry

10 medium garlic cloves, peeled

⅓ cup whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup lightly packed fresh mint, chopped

Directions

  • Don’t use a large head of cauliflower because there won’t be enough space on the baking sheet for both the chicken and cauliflower. Don’t cut the cauliflower into small florets, which will overcook in the time it takes the chicken to roast.
  • Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, stir together the turmeric, paprika and 2 teaspoons salt. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture and the oil. Into the remaining spice mixture, stir the brown sugar, oregano, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
  • On a rimmed baking sheet, evenly season both sides of the chicken parts with the spice mixture. Place the garlic cloves in the center of the baking sheet, then arrange the chicken parts, skin up, around the garlic; this prevents the garlic from scorching during roasting. Arrange the cauliflower evenly around the chicken.
  • Roast until the thickest part of the breast (if using) reaches about 160°F and the thickest part of the largest thigh/leg (if using) reaches about 175°F, 30 to 40 minutes.
  • Using tongs, transfer the chicken and cauliflower to a platter, then transfer the garlic along with 2 cauliflower florets to a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash the garlic and cauliflower mixture to a coarse paste. Carefully pour ¼ cup water onto the baking sheet, then use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. Pour the water into the garlic-cauliflower mixture, then whisk in the yogurt, lemon juice and half the mint. The mixture should have the consistency of thin yogurt; if it is too thick, whisk in additional water 1 tablespoon at a time. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and cauliflower and sprinkle with remaining mint.

>> Get Christopher Kimball's tips on how to roast and blanch vegetables

Excerpted from MILK STREET: The New Rules Copyright © 2019 by Christopher Kimball, photographs by Connie Miller of CB Creatives.Used with permission of Little, Brown and Company, New York. All rights reserved.

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Christopher Kimball

Christopher Kimball is the founder of Milk Street and America's Test Kitchen, and the author of "Milk Street: The New Rules."