Easy chicken with charred cauliflower and bell peppers

I adore one-dish meals!

An extra week at home courtesy of Southwest Flight 812 meant a little more time to cook for myself and Mr. T. And for once, I offer you a healthy and utterly delicious recipe! Oh and did I mention it’s easy and there aren’t 7,000 ingredients? If you need a go-to weeknight chicken recipe, this one’s for you. I adapted it from “Chicken and Egg” by Janice Cole, found here.

NSFD Ranking: *

Chicken with Charred Cauliflower and Peppers
1 head cauliflower, cut into (large) florets
2 large bell peppers, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4-12 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1-2 teaspoons Essence (creole seasoning)
2 pounds chicken breasts cut into quarters or large chunks
1 teaspoons ground cumin
Paprika

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Line a large baking sheet with foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. 
3. Toss cauliflower, bell peppers and chicken with oil and lemon juice. Add spices and garlic, toss to coat.

You could easily make this a vegetarian side dish by omitting chicken and reducing the bake time by 12-ish minutes.

4. Arrange on baking sheet and cook for 30-40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and the veggies are tender. 
5. Serve with crusty French bread to starving people and watch them smile.

Pretty fantastic leftovers if I do say so myself.

Notes: 

• The original recipe calls for separate oiling/seasoning of the veggies and chicken, reserving cumin for the chicken only. After trying both, I like to evenly season the entire dish which also saves a few steps.

 

• The second time I tried this, I added mushrooms to the mix but neglected to remember they give off a lot of liquid during the cooking process. Consequently, I had less “char” on my veggies and lots of liquid run-off. Next time, I’ll toss the mushrooms to coat with seasoning and grill them separately.
• Although I minced 10 garlic cloves, Mr. T requested whole cloves to be added to the mix next time. He is NOT a vampire in case you were wondering.