Creamy Chicken and Cauliflower
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This creamy chicken and cauliflower is made with tender, juicy chicken in a dreamy cream sauce with roasted cauliflower and leafy greens!
Featured Comment
Just plated this meal. Two bites in and I had to stop to leave a comment. It’s fantastic!!! The only thing I did differently was that I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because that’s what I had on hand. I just used the lowest numbers in the cooking time ranges. It’s perfect. And the baguette to sop up the sauce is a must!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Why you’ll love this Creamy Chicken and Cauliflower
- The chicken comes out so juicy. The chicken is unbelievably juicy and tender, served alongside a Parmesan-garlicky-cream-sauce that is simply pure gold.
- Great way to sneak in veggies. Yes, this chicken dinner really has it all, including sneaked-in roasted cauliflower florets and all the baby spinach (or leafy greens) for extra hearty goodness. Even the pickiest of eaters won’t know what hit them.
- Best served with all the crusty bread. You can serve with all the crusty bread or skillet dinner rolls for sopping and dunking – we can’t have the sauce go to waste!
How to make Creamy Chicken and Cauliflower
- Prep the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into similar-sized florets, then place in a single layer onto a lightly oiled baking sheet, avoiding any overcrowding or overlap. Stir in olive oil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Roast the cauliflower. Roast the cauliflower at 450°F until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels, then season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Sear the chicken, skin-side down, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, letting it cook undisturbed until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Flip and continue cooking the other side until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Work in batches if needed to avoid an overcrowded pan.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the shallot and cook until tender. Then stir in the garlic and thyme until fragrant.
- Whisk in the flour. Stir in the flour until lightly browned – this will allow the sauce to thicken while also removing the raw, starchy taste.
- Deglaze the pot. Stir in the chicken broth and wine, lifting up the caramelized browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pot. Then return the seared chicken thighs back to the Dutch oven.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat and bring the chicken to a gentle simmer, letting the chicken cook through (165°F), about 15-20 minutes. Set the chicken aside and keep warm.
- Make the cream sauce. Stir in the spinach, Parmesan, and half-and-half until the spinach has wilted, then stir in the roasted cauliflower until well combined and warmed through. Return the chicken back to the Dutch oven.
- Serve. Serve warm, spooning the sauce over on top of the chicken and cauliflower.
what to serve with chicken and cauliflower
Tools For This Recipe
Creamy Chicken and Cauliflower: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dried herbs instead?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. For example, the correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh thyme = 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
Do I have to use white wine?
Additional chicken broth can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
What can I substitute for the spinach?
Kale, cabbage, swiss chard, and collard greens are all great alternatives.
What is half and half?
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
How can I store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Creamy Chicken and Cauliflower
This creamy chicken and cauliflower is made with tender, juicy chicken in a dreamy cream sauce with roasted cauliflower and leafy greens!
Video
Ingredients
- 5 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium shallots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ½ cup half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- Place cauliflower in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.
- Place into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Using paper towels, pat both sides of the chicken dry; season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside. Drain excess fat, reserving 2 tablespoons in the Dutch oven.
- Add shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth and wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken has completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 15-20 minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm.
- Stir in spinach, Parmesan and half and half until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in cauliflower until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Cut cauliflower into similar-sized pieces. Dice the cauliflower florets into similar bite-sized pieces to ensure even cooking.
- Skip lining the baking sheet. Lining a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil makes for easier clean up, but this will also serve as a physical barrier. Skip lining the baking sheet for deeply browned, crispy, caramelized edges on the cauliflower florets.
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for even heat distribution.
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The skin crisps up perfectly in this recipe, and the bone-in allows for deeper, meatier flavors.
- Cook in batches. An overcrowded pan can lead to uneven cooking and poor browning. Work in batches to maintain high heat for a good sear and a golden brown crust on each chicken thigh, yielding juicier, tender meat.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Swap the wine for broth. Substitute chicken broth for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
- Deglaze the pan. Deglaze the Dutch oven with chicken broth and wine (if using), lifting up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan to capture maximum flavor and to build a rich pan sauce for the chicken and cauliflower.
- Choose your dairy. Heavy cream will yield a richer cream sauce whereas whole milk will yield a lighter, thinner sauce. Half-and-half is ideal for a mild, creamy consistency.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Did you make this recipe?
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It turned out great using the recipe just as it is. The only think I changed was using skinless thigh meat . Next time I would not salt the chicken before browning because the broth I used was salty and so was the Parmesan The cream cut it a little
I served it on fettuccine. Wonderful.
Why don’t you cook the cauliflower while the chicken is cooking?
Very tasty but my cauliflower got mushy.
I have never once in my life left a review on a recipe.
Until now.
Perfection.
That is my review.
Didn’t have thighs so made this with drumsticks and replaced spinach with frozen peas. It was delicious!
Winner winner – chicken dinner! Made this tonight and it was damn delicious! Was easy to adapt to make GF/DF for my dietary restrictions. Thank you for great recipe!
An absolute winner of a recipe! Thank you for this! Made it for the first time tonight and it was a hit with the hubby and I. I love many of your recipes. Keep up the great work!
Super tasty, i didn’t have spinach so used frozen peas and it still turned out great. Will definitely be making this again.
Having a really hard time with the website. On desktop it won’t scroll and on my phone the page keeps reloading. EXCELLENT recipe!
Oh dearie, dearie me was this GOOOOD! This one is a definite keeper! Served this with a baked potato and both hubbie and I ended up ladling the sauce onto our potatoes. Thinking that next time I will serve with rice instead to soak up all that goodness. Thanks so much!
This was outstanding! So much flavor. I did not have baby spinach, so I put in beet greens.
I will be making this again. I’ll try it the spinach next time.
This was fantastic! I made it with boneless, skinless thighs.
Deliscious!!! Made mine with boneless/skinless chicken thighs & it was wonderful. The family all had seconds.
Are there any recipe adjustments if I make it with boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Super delicious. I was making only 3 chicken thighs so I halved most of the ingredients. I added a little sprinkle of tarragon at the end. Really nice dish. It came together quickly too.
This recipe was so delicious! I was excited to try it when I saw the post on Facebook and I was not disappointed! I used chicken tenders instead of thighs because I just like cooking with them. I shredded them and put them in like that. The presentation isn’t quite as nice, but it’s so delicious!
finished with some tarragon from garden, and lifted the result out of the park, worth seeking out
I had to make several substitutions and chose to include a few extras, and this still came out heavenly!
– my thighs had no skin or bones
– mushroom broth instead of chicken broth
– vegan cream cheese instead of half and half
-mushrooms and green beans (about 1 cup each) instead of spinach
-a red bell pepper roasted with the cauliflower
So very yummy! I’m confident it would have been equally delicious had i followed the recipe exactly.
WOW this was so good. First thing I learned from this is that I absolutely LOVE roasted cauliflower. I had no idea it was so good on its own. Honestly it could be used as just a snack food, which I plan to do in the future.
The meal itself was wonderful and loved by the whole family. I did make a substitution based on the comments since I don’t like parmesan cheese. Someone mentioned they used sour cream, so I substituted that instead and the flavor was spectacular. Overall I bookmarked this recipe and will make it again. Thank you!!
Really delicious, I used Liebfraumilch which is a classic dry white wine. I think it really enhanced the flavour of the dish. I did not have any parmesan to add to the recipe but it was enjoyable never the less. Cauliflower is also really tasty done in the oven. Ive not cooked it that way before but shall certainly be doing it again.
This dish was absolutely delicious! I used finely chopped mangold instead of spinach, and used half cream, half water instead of half and half but otherwise did exactly the recipe. Outstanding and irresistible