A flexible family curry built from freezer bits, pantry staples and whatever vegetables need using. Roasting the chicken and cauliflower first gives much better flavour, then everything comes together in a simple coconut curry sauce.
Bitsa Chicken, Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 6–8 chicken drumsticks
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 brown onion sliced
- 2–3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen spinach
- 1–2 cups snow beans roughly chopped
- 1 x 400ml tin coconut cream
- 1–1½ cups chicken stock or water
- 1 tbsp olive oil for roasting
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp turmeric
- 1–2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp chilli flakes or chilli powder optional
- Basmati rice
- Fresh herbs yoghurt or seeds if you have them
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C fan.
- Place the chicken drumsticks on a tray, season with salt and pepper and roast for around 35–40 minutes, until well coloured and almost cooked through.
- On a second tray, toss the cauliflower with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25–30 minutes until golden around the edges.
- Meanwhile, cook the onion in a large pan over medium heat until softened.
- Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the coconut cream and stock. Stir well, then add the chickpeas and frozen spinach.
- Add the roasted chicken and cauliflower to the sauce and simmer gently for around 10 minutes, allowing everything to come together.
- Stir the snow beans through for the final 2–3 minutes so they stay bright and retain a little crunch.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve with basmati rice.
What Could I Add?
This is a proper Bitsa recipe, so use what you have.
Try:
- peas
- green beans
- zucchini
- pumpkin
- broccoli
- capsicum
- lentils
- leftover roast vegetables
I like plenty of vegetables in a curry rather than feeling I need to cook another vegetable dish on the side.
Substitutions & Dietary Variations
Chicken: thighs or leftover cooked chicken work well.
Vegetarian: leave out the chicken and add extra chickpeas, lentils or tofu.
Dairy-free: naturally dairy-free if served without yoghurt.
Gluten-free: naturally gluten-free if your stock and spices are suitable.
Freezer & Leftovers
The curry freezes well without the rice.
Cool completely, portion and freeze for up to around 3 months.
Leftovers are excellent for lunch the next day, particularly with rice or spooned over a baked potato.
What It Becomes Next
Leftover curry can become:
- a curry rice bowl
- filling for a baked potato
- a quick soup loosened with extra stock
- a wrap or flatbread filling
- lunch with extra spinach or greens stirred through
Why I Make This
This is the sort of meal I make when the fridge looks fairly empty but there is still plenty of food in the freezer and pantry.
Tonight it was chicken drumsticks, chickpeas, cauliflower, frozen spinach, onion, garlic and snow beans.
Nothing complicated. Just a proper dinner made from what we had.
Make the next meal easier than the last one.