This Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka is one of my favorite new recipes. We have trouble not stealing bites off the pan as it comes to the table!It gets rave reviews but is easy and fast to make. The flavors are fantastic and it is flexible so I can use whatever vegetables I have on hand! (It also might be one of my favorite ways to eat cauliflower!)
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Marinate 2-12 hours2 hourshrs
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: chicken tikka, chicken sheet pan dinner, sheet pan dinners
Servings: 4
Calories: 511kcal
Author: Mirlandra
Ingredients
To Marinate the Chicken:
1/2cupwhole-milk yogurt
1jalapenoseeded and minced (leave seeds in for extra spice): see note
2Tbsp.minced ginger
2Tbsp.minced or pressed garlic
1tsp.salt
1/2tsp.ground cayenne pepper
1/2tsp.ground turmeric
1/2tsp.ground cumin
1tsp.paprika
1tsp.garam masala
2 1/2poundschicken thighs or drumsticksbone in and skin on
Cilantro leaves to garnish if desired
For the vegetables: You can use any combination of veggies you like – use a max of 6 cups of veggies
3tablespoonsolive oil plus additional to drizzle
3-4Yukon Gold potatoespeeled if desired, cut into ½” chunks
1pound1 small or half a very large head cauliflowercut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
8ozdelicata squashrind on, ½” slices
½sweet onioncut into ½” dice
1/2tsp.kosher salt
½tsp.coarsely ground black pepper
Serve With This Simple Cucumber Salad If You Like
1/2English cucumbersliced thinly
4thin slices of sweet onion or purple onionseparated into rounds
1pinchsalt
5-6grinds fresh ground black peppercoarsely ground
2tsp.lemon juicefresh squeezed – from about ½ lemon
Instructions
Put the yogurt and all the spices in a gallon Ziploc bag. Mix and then add chicken. Toss to coat. Refrigerate 2-12 hours to marinate.
When chicken is ready preheat the oven to 425°F.
Line a half-sheet (13×18-incwith foil or use a sturdy sheet pan that can take scraping. Drizzle oil on to coat the pan.
In a large bowl combine 3 Tbsp. oil with the veggies, salt and pepper. Toss together with your hands until everything is evenly coated. Spread evenly on a sheet pan.
While dinner is in the oven combine the salad ingredients in a small bowl and toss to coat. Let the salad pickle at room temperature while dinner is cooking.
Roast the veggies for 20 minutes in pre-heated oven. Stir with a spatula.
Tuck the chicken legs into the veggies in different places. (You want to spread them out so as they cook they season the veggies too.) Squeeze any remaining marinade out over some of the veggies.
Roast veggies and chicken for 20 minutes.
Stir the veggies again and cook an additional 10-20 minutes until the chicken is at least 165 F with an instant read thermometer and the veggies are golden brown and tender. (If the chicken is done but the veggies are not crispy enough remove the chicken to a plate and return the pan to the oven to broil the veggies two minutes at a time until they are crispy enough.)
Serve dinner from the sheet pan with small spoons of the salad and a sprinkling of cilantro to garnish!
Notes
Adjusting the Spice Level: Jalapenos are tricky because they are all different levels of hotness. The yogurt does help to even things out but if you are cooking for kids you may want to try this recipe without the jalapeno or just use a few pieces the first time. For a "Taco Bell" level of mild I use the cayenne and one seeded jalapeno. If I leave the seeds in and slice the pepper before adding it I get a few levels hotter but I can still eat it and I don't go in for very spicy food. My husband loves spicy food so I usually roast the jalapenos in with the dinner and he picks them off and eats them. If you do this be aware that the food they are near will be more spicy.