Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Purple Cabbage Slaw and Madras Curry Roasted Potatoes
A bright, colorful weeknight feast: juicy pasture-raised chicken thighs marinated in lime, cilantro, garlic, and cumin, a crunchy purple cabbage slaw with lime and coconut aminos, and golden Yukon Gold potatoes roasted with warming Madras curry spices. Three recipes, about an hour, all on the table at once.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 35 min · Total: About 1 hour, plus at least 30 minutes marinating · Year-round (especially lovely in summer, off the grill) · Best eaten: early evening
The Menu
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Thighs
Purple Cabbage Slaw with Lime and Coconut Aminos
Madras Curry Roasted Potatoes
Optional extras: sliced avocado, lime wedges, extra cilantro, and butter lettuce cups, for wraps.
Your Game Plan: Three Recipes, About an Hour
The three recipes come together in about an hour, by working in parallel:
1 hour before serving: Marinate the chicken (at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours). Make the Madras spice marinade, and toss the potatoes in it.
45 minutes before serving: Roast the potatoes at 425°F for 40–45 minutes.
30 minutes before serving: Shred the purple cabbage, make the slaw dressing, and toss them together. Let the slaw rest at room temperature, so the cabbage softens slightly and the flavors meld.
15 minutes before serving: Grill or pan-sear the chicken until it reaches 175°F, then rest it 5–7 minutes.
Plate: Everything comes together at once.
Recipe 1: Cilantro-Lime Chicken Thighs
2 lb pasture-raised boneless chicken thighs (or bone-in, skin-on)
Zest and juice of 2 limes
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt and ½ tsp black pepper
Optional: ½ jalapeño, minced, for a little heat
Marinate. Whisk everything except the chicken in a bowl, then add the chicken and turn it to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours (any longer, and the lime starts to toughen the meat).
Prep. Take the chicken out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking, and lift it out of the marinade, letting the excess drip off.
Cook.
On the grill: Grill over medium-high heat for 5–6 minutes per side, until nicely charred.
In a pan: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and sear the chicken 5–6 minutes per side, until deep golden.
Either way, cook boneless thighs until they reach 175°F. (Bone-in thighs take 10–15 minutes longer; finish them in a 400°F oven, if needed.)
Rest 5–7 minutes, then slice or serve whole.
Recipe 2: Purple Cabbage Slaw with Lime and Coconut Aminos
½ medium head purple cabbage, very thinly shredded (about 5 cups)
1 carrot, shredded or cut into thin matchsticks
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Optional: ½ jalapeño, thinly sliced
Dressing
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 2 limes (or 1 lime and ½ lemon)
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp raw honey (optional)
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Make the dressing. Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
Toss. Add the cabbage, carrot, green onions, cilantro, and jalapeño (if using), and toss well.
Rest 20–30 minutes at room temperature, tossing once or twice, so the cabbage softens slightly and soaks up the dressing. Taste, and add more salt or lime.
Recipe 3: Madras Curry Roasted Potatoes
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks (skins on)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or melted ghee
2 tsp Madras curry powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt and ½ tsp black pepper
To finish: a squeeze of lime and chopped fresh cilantro
Heat the oven to 425°F, and line a sheet pan with parchment.
Toss the potatoes with the oil, spices, garlic, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
Roast in a single layer, with space between the pieces, for 40–45 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden, crisp at the edges, and tender inside.
Finish with a squeeze of lime and a scatter of cilantro.
To Serve
Use warm, shallow bowls or plates. Pile the curry-roasted potatoes on one side and the purple cabbage slaw on the other, and set the cilantro-lime chicken in the center or alongside. Garnish everything with fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and sliced avocado, if you like. Serve butter lettuce cups on the side, for anyone who wants to wrap up the chicken and slaw by hand.
It’s a festive, colorful plate: golden-brown chicken, deep purple slaw, and golden potatoes flecked with cilantro. A weeknight celebration.
Storage
Cooked chicken: refrigerated up to 3 days. It’s wonderful cold, sliced into lettuce wraps with the slaw.
Slaw: refrigerated up to 3 days; it stays crunchy, though it softens a little.
Roasted potatoes: refrigerated up to 4 days. Reheat them at 425°F for 5–10 minutes, to recrisp.
Leftover idea: Toss the leftover chicken, potatoes, and slaw over greens with a spoonful of extra dressing, for a next-day lunch bowl.
A note on honey: The raw honey in the slaw dressing stays raw, since it’s never heated. Honey shouldn’t be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
Pasture-raised chicken thighs — complete protein, B12, B6, choline, zinc, and selenium. Dark meat brings more iron and zinc than breast meat.
Purple cabbage — anthocyanins (its deep purple pigments), vitamin C, vitamin K, and glucosinolates. Eaten raw in the slaw, the glucosinolates convert to sulforaphane as you chew, which supports estrogen metabolism.
Coconut aminos — a soy-free savory depth, made from coconut sap.
Yukon Gold potatoes — potassium (roughly 600–900 mg in a medium potato), which supports healthy fluid balance, plus vitamin C, B6, and steady carbohydrates.
Madras curry spices — turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, and mustard, warming spices traditionally used to support digestion and circulation. Roasting them in oil helps your body absorb turmeric’s curcumin, and the black pepper helps, too.
Cilantro — vitamin K and a fresh, bright flavor through all three dishes.
Lime — vitamin C, which helps your body absorb the chicken’s iron.
Carrots and green onions — beta-carotene and quercetin.
Extra virgin olive oil — oleic acid and polyphenols, plus it helps you absorb the vegetables’ fat-soluble nutrients.
For your cycle: This bright, colorful meal is lovely in every phase, especially the follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases. The cabbage supports estrogen metabolism, the potatoes bring potassium and steady energy, and the ginger and turmeric are well studied for easing menstrual cramps.
Sourcing
Chicken thighs — pasture-raised, from a local farm or White Oak Pastures
Purple cabbage, carrots, green onions, cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, and limes — organic, from a farmers’ market
Yukon Gold potatoes — organic (conventional potatoes are among the most heavily sprayed crops)
Madras curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, and smoked paprika — organic and non-irradiated
Coconut aminos — organic and soy-free, like Coconut Secret
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Raw honey (optional) — organic, local, and unfiltered
Ghee (optional) — grass-fed
Avocados and butter lettuce (optional) — organic
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt; Maldon for finishing
— Anna aka Food Marshall