Cozy up with this sweet and spicy baked curry chicken with butternut squash and cauliflower! This simple, fall-inspired sheet pan dinner recipe will be your new favorite weeknight meal. Just 10 minutes of prep time, then let the oven do the work!
The combination of sweet maple and spicy curry here is totally drool-worthy – it makes the perfect sauce for roasted chicken thighs and vegetables.
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Thank you to Coombs Family Farms organic maple syrup for sponsoring this post, originally published in 2018.
Maple Curry Baked Chicken Thighs
Raise your hand if you’re obsessed with sheet pan recipes. Yep, me too! They’re just so easy and versatile – and I love that there is only one pan to wash when dinner is ready. (Pssst: if you missed it, be sure to check out my simple mix and match sheet pan dinner recipe formula post!)
I figured now that it’s September, a cozy and easy one-pan meal like this would be a welcome addition to the hectic weeknight routine. You can chop the veggies in advance to make this meal even faster to throw together when it’s go-time, too!
The big highlight of this dinner is the sauce – it’s a really flavorful sweet and spicy combination thanks to organic maple syrup, olive oil, ginger, and curry powder.
I love using maple syrup in sheet pan sauces (see also our old fave Sheet Pan Asian Salmon with Veggies). It adds a lovely depth of flavor and touch of sweetness to the mix without being overpowering.
This recipe features Coombs Family Farms organic maple syrup; they source their maple from over 3,000 small family farms across the Northeast. In addition to advocating for and supporting the little guys by helping bring their maple to market, they also provide competitive pay up front and offer resources like equipment exchanges, conferences, and sugarmaking education. By purchasing their syrup, you can help these independent farmers and rural farming communities continue to thrive for generations. Here’s a link to find their products near you!
A Note About Organic Maple Syrup
Did you guys know that organic maple syrup is a thing? I actually didn’t until starting to work with Coombs Family Farms! And apparently I’m not the only one – many consumers believe that since maple syrup is a natural product, labeling it as organic is redundant, but it’s not!
The difference actually boils down (pun intended) not to the syrup itself, but rather to the sustainable forestry that is required to label your maple syrup as organic. In order for maple syrup to be labeled as organic, producers are required to harvest sustainably from trees that are nurtured without the use of pesticides, or close to property or farmland that uses pesticides or chemicals (to prevent airborne or ground water contamination). There’s also a large focus not over-tapping trees, and everything down to the cleaner used on equipment for the sap evaporation/boiling process must also be organic. Fascinating stuff!
One other maple side note – did you guys know that the grades/semantics of maple syrup differentiation have recently changed? Pure maple syrup is all Grade A, and there are now four classifications:
- Golden color and delicate taste (best for pancakes, waffles, etc.)
- Amber color and rich taste (great in coffee and tea – p.s. if you haven’t tried maple in lattes yet, do it – it’s so good!)
- Dark color and robust taste (stronger, so best for grilled or baked dishes like this one, or as a glaze. This was formerly called “Grade B”, and I like this new classification form better because Grade B made it sound like lower quality… not the case!)
- Very dark color and strong taste (used for flavor/sweetening)
And now you know why this baked recipe uses dark color, robust taste Grade A organic maple syrup!
Recipe Ingredients
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- chicken thighs
- butternut squash
- cauliflower
- maple syrup (Highly recommend Coombs Family Farms Organic Dark Color! So flavorful.)
- fresh ginger
- curry powder
- olive oil
Like many of my recipes, this one is flexible – if you want to mix up the veggies, go for it! Chicken breasts would also work here rather than chicken thighs, although I highly recommend going with the thighs – they are so flavorful and juicy!
For another tasty chicken recipe, try this baked pesto chicken!
How to Make Baked Maple Curry Chicken
To make this dish, toss the chicken and veggies in the combination of olive oil, maple syrup, curry powder, ginger, and salt, then arrange on a sheet pan. Make sure to use a large enough sheet pan, that way you can arrange everything in a single layer for even roasting.
Bake for 25 minutes et voila! Dinner is served.
Enjoy as is, or serve with some brown rice, lime, and cilantro as a garnish. Just look at that gorgeous golden color!
You’ll find the full baked curry chicken recipe at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
Looking for more tasty recipes featuring maple syrup? Check these out:
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Maple Mustard Sauce
- Maple Glazed Salmon with Veggies (Sheet Pan)
- Healthy Maple Latte with Cinnamon
- Gingerbread Maple Pots de Creme
- Oven Roasted Vegetables with Maple & Cinnamon
Sheet Pan Maple Curry Chicken Thighs & Squash (10-Min Prep)
Cozy up with this healthy, sweet and spicy one-pan dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- about 3 cups cauliflower florets
- about 3 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp Coombs Family Farms Organic Grade A Dark Maple Syrup
- 1.5 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- for serving: cilantro & brown rice
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a sheet pan, or with parchment paper.
- Place the chicken thighs, cauliflower, and butternut squash in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, maple syrup, curry powder, ginger, and salt, and toss to coat.
- Spread the chicken and vegetables into a single layer on the sheet pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
- Sprinkle chicken and veggies with chopped cilantro and serve as is or over brown rice. Enjoy!
Notes:
For more sheet pan recipe ideas, check out this post: mix and match sheet pan dinners.
