Cilantro chicken gets the sheet-pan treatment
It’s fun to play with using the same ingredient or flavor in multiple ways in one dish. This easy, one-pan dinner uses the seeds (coriander) and leaves (cilantro) from the same plant, infusing the dish with layers of flavor.
We love an all-in-one sheet tray dinner like this for ease of prep and cleanup, as long as everything is perfectly cooked and done at the same time. It’s tempting to toss everything together and throw it on the sheet tray, but that approach can leave some things over- or undercooked. Instead we recommend adding each item progressively during the bake, from longest to shortest cooking time, and keeping each item separate on the tray to give you the most control. If the potatoes happen to be cooking more quickly than expected, it’s easy to remove them and let the chicken and kale continue along.
Using boneless chicken and thinly sliced potatoes (as opposed to wedges) helps keep the coking time relatively short, and the kale needs just 5 to 10 minutes to become pleasingly light and crisp. You could substitute or add other quicker-cooking vegetables (zucchini, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, asparagus). Just give them the amount of roasting time that they would need if cooked on their own, and make sure to give them
their own spot on the tray.
Marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator, if you have time, but 2 hours will do in a pinch. Yogurt is wonderful for gently tenderizing meat. And it goes without saying that freshly ground spices (pepper, coriander) will pack more punch than pre-ground spices from the supermarket.
If you like a bit of sauce on the side for dipping, stir together a dollop of Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt, a little chopped cilantro, a pinch of ground coriander and a squeeze of lime juice to taste.
Cilantro Chicken, Potatoes and Kale Sheet Pan Dinner
Serves 4 INGREDIENTS 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs Garnish: lime wedges, chopped cilantro For the marinade:
½ cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed (about half a big bunch)
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon finely minced serrano chile (about ½ small chile), optional
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons lime zest (about ½ lime) 2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons) 1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of half a lime (reserve other half for seasoning the potatoes) For the potatoes:
1 pound unpeeled Yukon gold potatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Juice of half a lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to lightly drizzle For the kale:
1 bunch kale (6 to 8 cups chopped kale), washed and very dry
Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the kale Salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS
Combine marinade ingredients and marinate chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours or
up to overnight.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and drizzle very lightly with oil. Place chicken on one side of the pan, leaving the other side open for the potatoes and kale. Bake for 5 minutes while you slice and season the potatoes.
Toss the sliced potatoes with the ground coriander, lime juice, salt and pepper, and olive oil. When the timer goes off, add the potatoes to the other half of the sheet tray. Continue baking for 25 minutes. Lightly dress the kale, drizzling with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Push the potatoes and chicken to one side to make room for the dressed kale and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the kale is wilted, potatoes are tender and starting to brown, and the chicken is cooked through .( if you desire more color on the chicken and potatoes, you can remove the kale and broil for 3-4 minutes.)
Garnish with fresh lime wedges and more chopped cilantro and serve.