Spicy Chicken and Cauliflower

Happy Sunday everybody! I spent my day catching up on things around the apartment, laundry, and a nice long run.  I then spent some time experimenting in the kitchen with some roasted cauliflower and spicy chicken.

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower head
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Separate the florets from the cauliflower
3. In a medium bowl, gently mix together the cauliflower, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil
4. Spread the seasoned cauliflower in a shallow roasting dish
5. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the cauliflower becomes tender, stir occasionally

Variation: broccoli

I definitely enjoyed the cauliflower, but I'm already brainstorming different spices to blend together to pair with different dishes.  This spicy chili powder and cumin was great, but I'm also thinking of creating an Italian version with Parmesan cheese.  For tonight, this spicy version was paired perfectly with the baked chicken that I made.

Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, cleaned and skinned
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line a shallow baking dish with foil and spray foil with cooking spray
3. In a large bowl, mix together bread crumbs, salt, cayenne pepper, and paprika
4. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl
5. Dip each chicken breast in the egg then roll in the bread crumbs and transfer to the baking dish
6. Bake, without turning, for about 35 to 40 minutes or until tender 

I normally use Italian bread crumbs, but it was nice for a change to use Panko because it gave the chicken a nice crunchy texture.  The Panko is also nice because it allows you to add your own spices for flavoring.

Both were the chicken and cauliflower spicy side, so it was a good thing that I paired these two dishes with a blend of rice and quinoa.  I did get good reviews on everything from Michael so it was a nice Sunday dinner to end the weekend.