More turmeric. I am on an endless quest to ensure that our little family consumes turmeric regularly (regularly meaning at least twice a week).
This One Pot Turmeric Chicken with Vegetables is an easy way to accomplish that. Its a simple to prepare one pot meal that smells heavenly and tastes even better.
For me, when it comes to cooking with turmeric, my personal challenge is finding ways to use it creatively outside of just the typical East Asian and Indian dishes that I love.
I am proud to say that this recipe does exactly that. It has a unique flavor from the combination of spices that is smoothed out by the fennel, which pretty much melts into a creamy and wonderful sauce. The turmeric gently enhances the flavors and isn’t so bold that it is overpowering.
This has quickly become a family favorite. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
This One Pot Turmeric Chicken with Vegetables is an easy way to accomplish that. Its a simple to prepare one pot meal that smells heavenly and tastes even better.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 pound whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
- 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 20 to 25 turns freshly ground black pepper or more to taste
- 1 large or 2 medium shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 medium fennel bulbs trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds russet or yukon gold potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
- 4 roma tomatoes approx 3/4 lb, quartered, seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for serving
Peel and roughly chop the shallot.
Trim fennel bulbs of greens and end. Thinly slice.
Wash and cube potatoes into 1" pieces. I like to leave the skin on for a more rustic dish but feel free to peel them if you prefer.
Quarter the tomatoes and gently scoop or squeeze out seeds. Discard the seeds.%http://www.everydaymaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IMG_1582-533x400.jpg
- Measure oil, spices and grab fresh thyme.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a large dutch oven (I used an oval 9 1/2 Quart Le Creuset)
over medium high heat. Once hot, add oil and then chicken pieces (top side down). Sprinkle with some of the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Brown for 6 to 8 minutes or until skin releases and has some nice color. You are not fully cooking the chicken, just rendering the skin a bit and adding some color and flavor.
Remove the chicken pieces to another dish and set aside.
Lower heat to medium and add shallots, fennel and potatoes to dutch oven.
Toss to coat in remaining oil and sprinkle remaining salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika and cumin on. Toss again until well coated and continue cooking 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat, add tomatoes and fresh thyme. Place chicken pieces on top of vegetables.
Cover and roast for 90 minutes. Check at about 45 minutes and spoon sauce over chicken to keep moist.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle fresh parsley, serve and Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Wow, I’ve not thought of using turmeric in non-Indian recipes really until I saw this recipe. So easy to prepare and a very colourful plate of food.
Thanks Jane!! This is such a good and easy meal 🙂
Alyssa, I have made this recipe (to die for!) in the oven & also slow cooker. Have you tried making this dish in an Instant Pot? Got one for Christmas last year & eager to try new dishes, but not sure on timing.
Hey Katherine! I haven’t but it’s on my list so I need to get on it. One of my favorite cool-weather dinners for sure!
I agree, this sounds wonderful and I know would be a hit at home…except I am having
trouble with cumin. Any suggestions for other flavors to try? I may just leave it out and give it a try.
Thanks! Barbara
How about Garam Masala Barbara?
Has anyone tried put it in a crockpot for the final cooking stage rather than the oven?
I was wonder the same. I don’t have a Dutch oven .
I have not tried it but I think it wouldn’t be as good – the slow cooker creates a very moist cooking environment and none of the liquid will cook off! If you try it, let me know!
Doing this second time all ingredients in place was just. Wondering what do you have it with rice or just what is in the pot on the plate.
I Must say it’s test great smells great and I love it just trying to complete it lol my my partner was not helpful ?
Hi Dee!! Since it had potatoes, I usually just serve with some kind of vegetable or a salad and skip the rice. Hope you both LOVE it! 🙂
Not that I am much of a stickler for precise measurements in recipes, but I think that we need to get away from this concept of “20 to 25 turns freshly ground black pepper,” and things of this nature that seem to keep cropping up in recipes these days.
As anyone who is familiar with pepper mills will tell you, there can be a world of difference in output produced by a “turn” of pepper mills of different manufacture. In addition, some mills have multiple settings (“course”, “medium”, “fine”) which cause the unit to express different amounts of ground pepper per turn. Output can also be affected by the specific variety of peppercorn you are using in the unit (and there are a lot of different varieties, with different sized corns). Finally, in addition to my other mills, I happen to have a battery-powered pepper mill (that grinds with the push of a button) in which the notion of “turns” doesn’t even enter into it.
With all of these variables in play, it seems to me that an ingredient which has such a significant capacity to affect the final outcome of the dish, as pepper does, should be expressed with the same precision that the other ingredients are afforded in this recipe. Teaspoons and tablespoons are a time-honored way of expressing quantities in recipes, and when we veer off the path with things like “20 to 25 turns”, we risk sending the whole dish off into the weeds.
One final note: Please don’t rush to attack me for being hostile; nothing could be further from my intent. It’s just that it’s been my experience that the clear, rational expression of an opinion using simple, declarative English sentences on the Internet is often interpreted as hostility. If you re-read the above and find hostility within it, then I would suggest that the problem is with the reader, not the writer.
I am cooking this for the first time in my Romertopf. I did not use potatoes so was looking for a substitute – we’re not big on the carbs. I was going to use gluten free brown rice spaghetti but see a suggestion to use garbonza bean – that is what I will put in when I turn it in about an hour. Rather than go thru all of the browning processes, I placed all of the ingredients in the Romertopf then blended all the chicken, fennel, tomatoes and onion and spices while in the pot. My hubby has caught a cold so a tumeric based meal was my preference – glad I found your site! Lots of things look delish!
Glad you liked it and it worked out with the changes! I am with you on the turmeric. Now that back to school is here, I am adding turmeric to EVERYTHING 🙂
Made this for dinner for my husband and I last night and we both really enjoyed it! I don’t cook with fennel very often but after cooking this dish, I think I may start using it more!
I am using boneless chicken breast so I’m guessing it will not take 1.5 hours to cook – do you have a recommendation for cooking time? It smells divine! Thank you!
Hey! Boneless chicken breast takes about 20 to 25 minutes but the potatoes and fennel take longer so I would recommend cooking the vegetables first for about 15 to 20 minutes, then tossing in the chicken, making sure to coat with the seasonings and then continue cooking. Hope it works!
Hi, this looks great! Do you know how many Points Plus this would be? Thanks!
Making this now and the house is already smelling heavenly. It is so dang hot here in Mississippi (was 88F inside our older home last afternoon/ evening with A/C running nonstop all day!) that I couldn’t bear to use the oven which would heat it up in here earlier & faster. So, did the prep on the stove & am cooking it in my crockpot on high for 4-5 hours instead. May have to take out any liquid near the end to reduce the sauce, but I bet it turns out great. Thank you for sharing this recipe, my first time cooking with fresh fennel!
I used 3 breasts as that’s what I had and it only took 2 hours on high in my large oval crockpot, plus another 20 minutes to remove the liquid and gently simmer it on the stove to reduce it. I have to say this is the most flavorful yet easy dish I’ve had in years! Can’t wait to make it again.
Hi Katherine! So glad it worked with the changes. Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know 🙂
I was so happy with the incredible flavor and ease of making this dish that I shared the link all over Facebook and encouraged my friends to try it!
Wow! Thank you so much Katherine!! 🙂
Part two of my long-ago comments about making this dish in a crockpot
For all the questions lately about using a crockpot for this recipe (please see next part of review, too!)
Looks delicious! Planning on making this tonight! Under the ingredients, for the chicken, it says “See notes”. Where are the notes?
Great question Ruby! That is a typo which I am removing right now. Hope you enjoyed it!!
This looks delicious! And simple! My two favorite things 🙂 and thankyou for the bright easy to read allergy alerts at the top of the recipe. As a mother of a child with multiple allergies (egg, fish, sesame, hazelnut and pecan) finding suitable recipes for our family (hubby is allergic to mushrooms and can only eat small amounts of cheese) can be really challenging/frustrating.
Hi Ruth! Thanks so much – I am in the process of linking those green allergy icons to their respective category so you will (soon!) be able to search by them. Right now, they aren’t 100% linked but it’s almost done!
Oh that’s a great idea 🙂 hurray!
I am a massive fan of tumeric and it’s health properties.. it’s especially perfect for this time of year and cool weather here in Australia. I definitely need to make this dish!
Thanks Thalia! It is perfect for a cool day!
Oh, geez, as a vegetarian / almost vegan, this recipe may be my downfall. Seriously, looks and sounds amazing!
Thanks Yael! I didn’t know you were a vegetarian – I have a ton of Veg and Vegan recipes and you could probably make this with all different root vegetables and some meaty mushrooms like portobello and it would be wonderful.
I love turmeric! But I’m guilty of not using it enough — I definitely need to focus on it more. Starting with this dish! This is wonderful — exceptionally good stuff. thanks.
It adds so much flavor John! You are so creative – I would love to see a turmeric infused cocktail from your kitchen!!
I’m making this with baby bok choy and fennel seed since my market was out of fennel bulb :-/
I’m also using fresh turmeric since it is in season and I don’t get to cook with it for very long.
I’ll let you know how it turns out. This looks like a good recipe for a tagine, too.
I changed it for you Cindy! This would be great in a tagine. I would suggest adding the baby bok choy leaves near the end so they don’t get overcooked. Enjoy!
Wow! Was this ever a hit! I made it in an old electric skillet and i had to add liquid and shorten the cooking time but we were blown away. I also only had smokey paprika but the flavor combinations really worked.
Love the idea of smokey paprika Cindy! So glad you all enjoyed it!! 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration, I am going to include turmeric on a regular basis in my dishes.
Yes Norma! It’s really got a wonderfully complex flavor and the health benefits are incredible!
Looks amazing and my parsley is just coming up in the garden. I didn’t know turmeric was something I should be looking to consume regularly. Thanks for the tip!
You just reminded me to pick up my herb starts to plant this weekend! I am going to put in parsley, basil, dill and cilantro.
What a fabulous looking recipe. My Mum is amazed at the difference taking turmeric has had to her arthritis. It really seems like a miracle spice and something I am keen to eat more of.
That is so great to hear Caroline! I have been encouraging my parents to eat more turmeric as well. Have a great day 🙂
I would suggest substituting garbanzo beans aka chick peas instead of potatoes in this dish. Garbanzo beans absorb liquid and flavor just like the yukon potatoes. I would use a 15 oz can of garbanzo beans and rinse off the juices from the can.
Thank you for the fantastic recipes and the helpful pictures of preparation. Love your website!
Thanks Diane! Great idea for those who eat beans 🙂
A lovely recipe. Thank you and have a great day!
Same to you Liz!
Thank you, I am definitely saving this to try! I am just starting menopause and have learned what “fog brain” means and lack of memory (all new to me as I am normally on my A-game, to the point that I could be OCD). =) To any event, my dietitian/nutritionist who I am seeing to lose the weight; the same weight that I have put on since this hell has started mentioned tumeric to assist with memory (apparently something they give to Alzheimer patience’s). I….being an avid cook – had never used it (I am of latin decent) and didn’t know what to do with it. This looks delicious and something I have done in w/different seasonings and will definitely try with Tumeric. Thank you – looks delish!!! Not to mention looks pretty healthy and great for left overs – I am sure.
What would be the take on using sweet potato instead of white potatoes? Would the sweetness be awful tasting/just thinking to make it a little healthier? Not sure…I will try this exactly how you made it…thank you for your post and recipes…I am a fan!! (Trying everything to lose weight) =(
Hi Mariposa!
Turmeric is awesome for so many things. I recently read an article that suggested that it may very well be one of, if not the most, healthy spice in the world.
If you want to use sweet potatoes, I would suggest the “Hana Japanese Sweet Potato” which is white fleshed and a bit milder in taste. I do think the Yams would offer too much sweetness for this dish. Another possible substitution could be peeled and cubed Parsnips or even cubed Cauliflower. Let me know which you try and good luck with your weight loss!
I like your suggestions for substitutions given to Mariposa. Along with potatoes I have an intolerance for tomatoes so will have to leave those out. I don’t have a large Creuset pot but I do have a Visions Corning glass Dutch Oven. Do you think I should modify times or temperatures at all? An alternative for me would be to use one pot for the preparation and do the roasting stage in a Romertopf Clay cooker but of course with those you have to soak the clay pot, start with a cold oven and then turn on the heat. I suppose I might have to increase the time in the oven in that case. Ideas or suggestions, please. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jann – any dutch oven will do as long as its large enough to accommodate. You could also use a roasting pan and cover it with tin foil.