Fancy a nifty twist on an Indian classic? Then you are going to love my oh-so-easy Chicken Tikka Masala Traybake! This delicious recipe features all the flavours of a Chicken Tikka Masala in sheetpan form… big on flavour, low on effort and only one pan to wash – what’s not to like?
As you have probably gathered by now, I am a HUGE fan of traybakes – I absolutely love them – I love the concept of just being able to throw together a few delicious ingredients, pop them in the oven and in less than an hour you have a delicious meal and a well-rested chef 😉
Better still, roasting things in the oven often gives them a better flavour, and sometimes even a better texture, than cooking them on the hob. That is most certainly true in this dish. The slightly charred, roasted cauliflower is infinitely better than its boiled cousin and the crispiness of the chicken skin just wouldn’t be possible by any other method – and I really don’t need to tell you how wonderful potatoes are when roasted, now do I?
Not only am I a huge fan of traybakes, but I am also a big fan of curry – I’ve made a fair few recently – as I am sure my regular readers will attest to! I’ve talked before about how curries, for me, are the perfect mix of easy, healthy and delicious – but usually I make curry in fairly conventional ways, either on the stove top or slow cooked in the oven – I’ve never tried a curry traybake before…until now!
It’s been an idea I’ve had niggling away at the back of my mind for some time, though, so I thought I’d better get on with it – especially given that this week is National Curry Week! I decided to go with a simple tikka masala type marinade for the chicken and use one of my favourite cuts of meat – chicken thighs, as they work so well in a traybake – I also threw in some chicken legs too. I just knew the marinade on that lovely crispy skin would work so well, but then the question was – what else should I put in the tray?
One of my other favourite curry dishes is Aloo Gobi – that delicious combination of cauliflower and potatoes with Indian spices – and given the fact that both cauliflower and potatoes are amazing when roasted, throwing these two ingredients into the tray, along with some cumin seeds, seemed like a no-brainer. Now all that was left was to test the theory – and I’m pleased to say – it worked! (Well I wouldn’t be sharing it here if I didn’t, would I?)
This simple traybake is a meal in itself and really needs no extra accompaniment, however if you want to, you could serve it with some naans or rice and all your favourite pickles, chutneys and raitas… and turn this dish into a feast!
In an ideal world you would marinade the chicken for an hour or two, or even overnight. However, I don’t know about you, but I don’t live in an ideal world! This recipe will still taste fab even if the chicken only gets 10 minutes in the marinade 🙂
Wine wise, I think this would be brilliant with a vibrant Sauvignon Blanc from Chile or NZ. My husband would always have a beer with curry! He suggests a crisp, refreshing lager such as Goodwood Sussex or Anchor Steam Beer.
If you like this recipe……you might also like:
Chicken Tikka Masala Traybake
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 3 cm ginger grated or crushed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
Traybake
- 8 chicken thighs, or legs, or a combination (skin on and bone in, ideally)
- 500 g potatoes peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
- 500 g cauliflower cut into small florets
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 limes quartered (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F. (Do this AFTER step 2 if planning to marinate for more than 10 minutes!)
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Add the chicken and coat thoroughly with the marinade. Ideally marinate the chicken for an hour or two but if you haven’t got time continue to the next step.
- Prepare your cauliflower and potatoes and place in a large roasting tin. Sprinkle over the cumin, salt and olive oil and mix together thoroughly so the veg is evenly coated.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off any excess – the chicken should only have a thin coating of marinade. Place the chicken pieces skin side up on top of the veg.
- Place the tray in your preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes remove the tray from the oven. Remove the chicken to a plate and stir the veg so it gets evenly roasted. Replace the chicken back on the veg and put the tray back in the oven. Roast for a further 20 minutes. (So that's 40 minutes in the oven in total.)
- After the final 20 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and scatter with the lime quarters and fresh coriander.
- Serve at the table, either on its own, or with rice/naans and all your favourite chutneys, pickles and raitas.
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Linkies
I am linking this up to Cook Blog Share.
Mandy says
What a fab idea for a traybake! I often roast the veggies to add to a curry too – love the flavour and texture that you get doing it that way.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Mandy 🙂 Roast veggies taste so good, don’t they? I especially love roast cauliflower with cumin seeds – just can’t get enough of it!! Eb x
Intolerant Gourmand says
Oh my goodness, this looks and sounds delicious!! I could easily adapt this by using dairyfree yoghurt to make it safe for the little dude too! I am going to have to try this! x #cookblogshare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Nathalie 🙂 It really is! Hope it works out well with the dairy free yogurt – do let me know how it goes 🙂 Eb x
Midgie says
I reckon coconut milk yoghurt will be amazing in this!!
Eb Gargano says
It sounds awesome…a theory that needs testing methinks 🙂 Eb x
Corina says
Traybakes make such easy work of dinner time, don’t they? I really love how you’ve got all the flavours of a curry in here and cauliflower is most definitely better roasted than cooked any other way!
Eb Gargano says
Oh they certainly do! I just love them 🙂 Totally agree – roast cauliflower is the best!! Eb x
Midgie says
Oooh Eb this looks AMAZING! Really wish I had read this about an hour ago as we are having chicken tray bake tonight!! I also love that it is not only easy to make but easy to adapt it for me & the Peachicks!! #cookblogshare xxx
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Midge 🙂 Glad you like it! Hope your chicken traybake was nice too 🙂 Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Oooh delicious! We love curries so I know that this would be a success in our house! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure, Kirsty 🙂 Thanks for your kind comments. Xx
Charlotte Oates says
I love the idea of a curry traybake (although I’m surprised that you made one because traybakes aren’t really your sort of thing 🙂 ). I’ve got my thinking cap on now for my own version, in the meantime I’ll have to give this a go.
Eb Gargano says
No, not at all my thing 😉 I had so much making this one, actually. I love a bit of a challenge and converting what is essentially a stew into a traybake was certainly a bit of a challenge, especially trying to work out how to weave in the vegetable element, but once I had hit upon the aloo gobi idea, it all came together. I would love to see what you come up with! And do let me know how you get on if you try mine 🙂 Eb x
Louise Fairweather says
Sounds fantastic. I really need to do some more traybakes. Seem to be constantly washing up at the moment! #cookblogshare
Eb Gargano says
Noooo! Washing up is overrated!=. Lots of one pots and traybakes on Easy Peasy Foodie if you need some low-washing up inspo! 😀 Eb x
Michelle Rolfe says
The queen of traybakes! Love the Indian spices and the addition of cauliflower. I can be so boring with cauli sometimes and forget that it roasts beautifully with a dish like this. Looks delicious and perfect for the family. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle
Eb Gargano says
Hehe – thanks Michelle! And yes – cauliflower can be a little dull when boiled… but roasted with cumin and salt it is AMAZING! (Or chucked into a curry is also good 😀 ) Eb x