Curried Chicken Thighs and Cauliflower with Celery Salad

Apr 25, 2023 · 5,772 Comments

This pan of curried chicken thighs and roasted cauliflower sings when served with creamy curry yogurt sauce and crisp celery and grape salad.

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing recipe I’ve ever shared. I tried my best to plate it nicely for you, but you’ll have to overlook the fact that it’s just… very orange. Still, isn’t it common knowledge that all the most delicious foods are varying shades of brown? Such is the case with these curried chicken thighs.

The celery and grape salad, though, is honestly the star of this dish in my eyes. I would eat it all on its own because it’s just that good. And while it might seem like a bit of a curveball (curry and grapes? Cauliflower and celery?) believe me when I say it’s the perfect little bow that ties this plate together.

In fact, let’s just treat this whole recipe like a trust exercise. You and me. I’m not gonna let you down, okay? Deliciousness awaits just beyond this trust fall.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Instructions
Expert Tips
Equipment Needed
A Note on Spices
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
Curried Chicken Thighs and Cauliflower with Celery Salad

A close-up of celery and grape salad dotted with chopped parsley, cashews, celery seeds and cumin seeds.

Ingredients

If you feel intimidated by this list of ingredients, have no fear. While the list looks a little long, most of those items are spices — and you definitely don’t need to have every spice listed in order to make this recipe! Check the “A Note on Spices” section of this post if you need suggestions. And be sure to scroll all the way down for the full list of ingredients with measurements.

To make these curried chicken thighs, you’ll need…

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. I’m a firm believer that a well-cooked bone-in chicken thigh is one of the most delicious pieces of meat you can make. It’s simple and very humble (and super affordable!) but a bone-in thigh is so forgiving, you can forget about it in the oven for several minutes longer than you meant to, and it will still come out perfectly juicy and tender.
Cauliflower. I love roasting cauliflower underneath the chicken so all those delicious juices drip down into the florets. If you’re not a fan of cauliflower, you can just leave it out!
Celery. Ah, celery. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Frankly, I’m tired of celery being relegated to the sidelines — she deserves her own time to shine! In this recipe, it lends a much-needed crisp freshness to an otherwise rich and fatty plate.
Red grapes. Yes, just the regular ol’ table grapes you keep around in your fridge. This might seem like an oddball ingredient, but those little pops of sweetness actually pair perfectly with curry powder. Just trust me on this one.
Cashews. I like to add these to the salad just to add another dimension of crunch.
Parsley (or another herb). A small amount of fresh parsley goes a long way. Its fresh, herbaceous flavor brightens up this dish.
Greek yogurt. Please don’t get annoyed with me, but I really, really recommend seeking out full-fat (or at least 2%) Greek yogurt to make this yogurt sauce. The nonfat stuff just isn’t the same — it’s more acidic than creamy, when we want it the other way around. Full-fat yogurt is, in my opinion, the only way. Taste it once and you’ll be a convert too.
Honey. We’ll add small drizzles of honey throughout this recipe just to balance out the tangy and savory flavors.
Lemon. Squeezes of fresh lemon punctuate the celery salad and yogurt sauce. As always, fresh is best!
Olive oil. Whatever you have on hand will work just fine.
Lots of spices: curry powder, coriander, kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, and optional cumin and celery seeds. If you don’t have all of these, don’t worry! The “A Note on Spices” section will be able to guide you to victory if you only have some on hand.

A bowl of raw bone-in chicken thighs coated with olive oil and curry spices.

Instructions

Be sure to scroll all the way down for the full written recipe with temperatures and cooking times.

Here’s how to make these curried chicken thighs:

Preheat the oven while you prep your chicken and cauliflower.
Toss together the chicken, olive oil and spices in a big bowl or resealable bag until it’s well-coated. Sear the chicken thighs skin side down in an oven-safe skillet until the skin is golden-brown and crispy, then flip them and cook for another couple minutes.
Take the chicken out of the pan and add the cauliflower. There should be a good amount of curry-spiced chicken fat that’s collected in the bottom of the pan, so toss the cauliflower to coat it in all that golden goodness. Place the chicken on top of the cauliflower and stick the whole thing in the oven to bake while you make the rest.
Combine all the celery salad ingredients in a medium bowl.
Stir together all the curry yogurt ingredients in a small bowl.
Once the chicken is cooked through, serve it on top of the yogurt sauce and cauliflower, with the celery salad on top or alongside.

Expert Tips

Make sure to get the pan nice and hot before you add the chicken skin side down. And don’t be tempted to flip it too early or else it’ll stick — leave it to brown for a few minutes without disturbing it. If it releases easily from the pan, it’s ready to flip.

Golden-brown, crispy curried chicken thighs in a pan atop roasted cauliflower.

Equipment Needed

A Note on Spices

Unless you’re super into cooking, you probably don’t have all of these spices on hand. If you want to go out and buy them, please be my guest! I love all these spices and use them regularly, so you won’t regret adding them to your collection. But if you’re looking to make this recipe a bit more minimally, you can get away with just using curry powder in place of the full list. It will still be very good.

Kashmiri chili powder is very different than the chili powder you might think of if you live in the United States. Commonly used in Indian cooking, it’s made of ground Kashmiri red chilies, which add a stunning red color and warm spice without making a dish too hot. There’s really nothing like it, but some sources on the internet say you can create a reasonably similar effect with a combination of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. You can find it online or at Indian supermarkets.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

You can marinate the chicken in the spice mixture up to a day ahead. Just toss the chicken together with the oil and spices, then store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.

The celery and grape salad keeps incredibly well in the fridge, and I’ve been known to make extra just so I can eat it for lunch the next day. Refrigerate the salad and chicken separately in airtight containers for 2 or 3 days.

A crispy curried chicken thigh on a small plate with curry yogurt sauce, roasted cauliflower and celery salad.

More curry-spiced recipes:
Coconut Curry Lentils
Curried Chicken Salad
Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Did you make this recipe? If you loved it, please leave a ⭐5-star rating⭐ and/or leave a comment below the recipe card! And don’t forget to share a photo and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok — I love seeing you recreate my recipes.