Crispy curried chicken thighs! Serve with quick-sautéed onions and wilted greens. Easy 30 minute meal. Gluten-free and paleo.
Looking for something quick, healthy, and budget-friendly for dinner tonight? Try these curried chicken thighs!
They’re boldly spiced with an Indian curry mix and boast a delicious crispy skin. Serve it on a bed of wilted greens and thinly sliced onions for an easy meal.
Any good curry powder will work in here. Try a hot madras curry if you like it spicy, or go for a mild garam masala if you like Indian flavors without the heat. You could even use a vindaloo seasoning for a kick of both heat and acid.
This recipe is simple enough to make any night of the week, and once you’ve mastered the technique of searing-and-roasting, you may want to experiment with different spices!
I used a hearty beet greens mixed with baby arugula this time (I love the ruby hue that the beet greens lend to the broth). But kale, escarole, baby spinach, and even romaine work well.
If you’re working with two or more types of greens, add the heartier ones first and sautée until perfectly soft, then finish with any baby greens you might have.
Crispy Curried Chicken Thighs with Wilted Greens Recipe
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
If you like, cook the onions and greens in some of the rendered chicken fat instead of olive oil.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons curry powder (I used a Vindaloo Powder from Frontier Foods)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the onions:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion sliced thinly length-wise
- 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/3 cup chicken broth or water
- 6 to 8 cups of greens (like beet greens, kale, chard, baby spinach, arugula, or any combination)
- Lemon wedges, to serve (optional)
- Fresh chopped herbs, like cilantro or parsley, to garnish (optional)
- Sliced green onions, to garnish (optional)
To serve:
- Chopped fresh herbs
- Green onion
Method
1 Heat the oven to 400F. Make sure the oven is hot before you start the chicken since it’s important to put the chicken straight into the hot oven after searing.
2 Prepare the chicken: In a large bowl, toss chicken with curry powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil until well coated.
3 Sear the chicken: Warm a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken, skin-side down, in the hot skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the skin is crispy and some fat to renders out. Flip chicken over so it’s skin-side up in the skillet, and pour off excess fat (reserve for cooking the vegetables, if you like).
4 Roast the chicken: Transfer the chicken in the skillet to the oven. Roast for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165F.
Remove the skillet from the oven. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let it rest until the greens are ready (about 5 minutes).
5 Ten minutes before the chicken is ready, begin cooking the onions: Warm another large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and tilt pan to coat the bottom with oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking. Your onions should be a bit translucent just a little browning.
Stir in the ginger and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
6 Wilt the greens: Add 1/3 cup of chicken broth or water to the pan and stir to combine with the onions, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then add all the greens. Stir to coat.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted and tender, another 2 to 5 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
7 To serve: Transfer the greens to a serving platter and place the chicken to the top, spooning some of the liquid from the pan over top (or serve right from the skillet). Add lemon wedges around and garnish with fresh herbs and thinly sliced green onion.
