These Baked Curried Chicken Breasts with Spaghetti Squash are a splendid mix of savory and sweet. Made on a sheet pan for convenience and easy clean up, this meal is fuss free, but jam packed with flavor!
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1 ½ - 2 pounds)
- ¼ Cup + 2 TBS Unsalted Butter - DIVIDED
- ¼ Cup + 2 ½ TBS Honey - DIVIDED
- 2 TBS Dijon Mustard
- 3 tsp Curry Powder - DIVIDED
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 3 tsp Ground Ginger - DIVIDED
- Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper
- 1 large Spaghetti Squash (you can substitute 2 small squash; about 4 pounds total) – halved lengthwise and seeded
- 2 TBS Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon – juiced(about 2 TBS)
- 3 TBS Cilantro – chopped, plus more for garnish
- Optional Garnishes: Pumpkin Seeds, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Lemon Wedges
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Marinate the chicken: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. In a Ziploc bag, or shallow bowl, combine the melted butter with 2 ½ tablespoons of honey, dijon, 1 teaspoon each - curry powder, cumin and ground ginger. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Seal, or cover, and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Adjust oven racks to top and bottom third position. Line 2 baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
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Start to bake squash: Drizzle the insides of each half of spaghetti squash with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the squash, cut-side down, onto the prepared baking sheet. Transfer into the oven (on bottom rack) and roast for 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and transfer to second baking sheet. Brush with any remaining marinade in bag. When 15 minutes of squash cooking is up, rotate squash pan to the top rack and add chicken to the oven (on the bottom rack). Bake for 30 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom halfway through, or until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
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While the chicken and squash are cooking, make the sauce: Heat the remaining ¼ cup of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of curry powder and ginger, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup of honey and lemon juice. Season generously with salt and a pinch of pepper. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to use.
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To serve: Use a fork to scrape the squash into strands and transfer to a serving bowl and toss with cilantro and half of the sauce. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and crushed red pepper flakes. Top with chicken and serve with lemon wedges and remaining sauce on the side. Enjoy!
1. The chicken breasts do require time to marinate. While I recommend letting them sit in the marinade overnight for the most flavor, you can get away with letting them marinate for as little as 2 hours.
2. Make sure you adjust your oven racks to the top and bottom third positions because you will be placing the chicken breasts on one sheet pan and the halved spaghetti squash on another. To ensure even cooking, you will need to rotate the pans from top to bottom during roasting.
3. Cook your spaghetti squash CUT SIDE DOWN. I have tried cooking spaghetti squash both ways, cut side up and cut side down. I have found cooking it cut side DOWN allows the squash to get a little caramelization and prevents the squash from becoming too dry.
4. I am a big fan of sauce, so the recipe as written below reflects that. If you aren’t a sauce fanatic, feel free to cut the measurements in half!