
A healthy version of chicken tikka masala with salad and saffron rice. You will be eating the rainbow for dinner with this one.
Wine Suggestion: A new find matched this well: Umani Ronchi’s Centovie, a rosé made from Montepulciano in Abruzzo. The cherry fruit flavours and savoury, dry finish were a good compliment to the food. If you can’t find a rosé made from this grape find a nice red and chill it a little instead.
Chicken tikka masala – serves 4
- 1 large skinless chicken crown (about 1kg), get your butcher to do this for you
FOR THE MARINADE:
- juice of half a lemon
- 5cm piece of ginger, finely grated
- 4 large cloves of garlic, grated
- 2 tbsp medium Madras curry powder
- 2 heaped tsp smoked paprika
- a large pinch of salt
- 100g Greek yoghurt (you can use 0% if you wish)
FOR THE CURRY SAUCE:
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, grated
- 2.5cm piece of ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300ml water
- 1 large red pepper, chopped
- 1 large green pepper, chopped
- 150g natural yoghurt
- 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
FOR THE SALAD:
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- half a cucumber, diced
- juice of half a lime
- 1 tsp chaat masala
TO SERVE:
- coriander leaves, roughly torn
- basmati rice, cooked with salt and a pinch of saffron strands (only if you have them)
Put the chicken into a large dish and slash the breasts with a sharp knife. Mix all of the ingredients together for the marinade, then spread over the chicken. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 120C fan.
Put the chicken into a roasting dish and spoon over any remaining marinade. Cook for 2 hours (this won’t cook it through).
Meanwhile, make the curry sauce. Heat the oil in a deep frying or sauté pan. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown, add a splash of water if they stick. Add the garlic and ginger with a splash of water, stir well and cook for 1 minute. Add the spices with some salt and pepper and cook for another minute.
Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute, then add the tinned tomatoes and the 300ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduced the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add the chopped peppers and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Remove the chicken from the oven and use a blowtorch over the surface to slightly blacken the marinade in places. If you don’t have a blowtorch just pop it under a hot grill. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
Mix the salad ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Remove the chicken breasts from the bone and cut into bite-size chunks. Reheat the curry sauce, then add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the yoghurt and chopped coriander, then season to taste.
Serve with some coriander leaves, saffron rice and the salad on the side.
(Original recipe from Lose Weight for Good by Tom Kerridge, ABSOLUTE PRESS, 2017.)