Overview:
By: Antonia
Meal Type: Dinner
Cook time: 1 Hour
Servings: To feed a family of 4!
This recipe takes a little forward-planning as the chicken needs to marinate for a few hours (or overnight) but it is well worth the effort! You don’t have to make the masala sauce – the ‘grilled’ chicken skewers are delicious as they are – but it is delicious! This is a great ‘make ahead’ recipe too – the sauce can be made earlier in the day and left in the simmering oven until you are ready to serve. Simply cook the chicken and add to the sauce when you are ready. Served with basmati rice and some simple flatbreads, this is sure to impress friends.
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
- 300ml Natural yoghurt
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 15g Fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp. garam masala
- 1 Tsp. paprika
- 1 Tsp. ground cumin
- ½ Tsp. turmeric
- Salt and pepper
- 4 Free range chicken breasts
For the masala:
- 15g butter
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20g fresh ginger
- 2 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. turmeric
- 2 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 green cardamom pod, lightly crushed
- 2 tbsp. tomato puree
- 350 ml. water
- 1 tsp. caster sugar
- 1 green chilli
- 2 tbsp. crème fraîche or double cream
- Large handful fresh coriander, plus extra to garnish
You may need...
Method:
-
Make the marinade: grate the garlic and ginger into a large bowl and mix with the yoghurt, spices and seasoning. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks, add to bowl and coat with the yoghurt mixture. Cover and leave in fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.
-
Prepare the masala. Heat the butter and oil in a casserole on the simmering plate or on the floor of the roasting oven. Chop the onions and fry until golden. I like to do this on the floor of the roasting oven but do check and stir regularly to be sure they don’t burn. Once the onions are nicely browned, move to the simmering plate and grate in the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute before adding the dry spices and cooking for further minute or so.
-
Add tomato purée and sugar and then pour on the water. Pierce the chilli in several places and add to the pot. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes before adding a lid and moving to the simmering oven for at least an hour, preferably longer.
When you are nearly ready to eat…
- Remove chicken from the fridge 15 minutes before you start cooking. Thread onto skewers and place onto a baking tray lined with a liner. Slide the tray onto the runners at the very top of the roasting oven. ‘Grill’ until the chicken is cooked through, turning half way – approximately 15-20 minutes. To get a nice ‘charred’ edge to the chicken, you may need to move the tray to the floor of the oven for a few minutes too (see tips).
- Whilst the chicken cooks, finish the sauce. Remove from simmering oven and check the seasoning. Remove the chilli, if you like (see tips), add a large handful of chopped coriander and then blend with a stick blender until smooth. Whilst off the heat, stir in the crème fraîche. Add the chicken and heat through, ensuring the chicken is piping hot. Serve with rice, naan or chapattis.
Antonia's Tips:
Aga range cooker temperatures vary! ‘Grilling’ time for the chicken will depend on your oven. We find that we need to give the chicken a brief time on the floor of the roasting oven to get a nicely charred appearance. If your cooker is hotter, you may find this unnecessary, in which case you could use the grill rackover the roasting tin instead of a baking tray.
It is important that the chicken is not fridge cold when you start to cook. If straight from the fridge, it will take much longer to cook through. Save energy by bringing it up to room temp.
This is a mild curry. If you like a little more heat, leave the chilli in when you blend the sauce or use one or two red chillis instead.
The masala really benefits from long, slow cooking in the simmering oven - you can make at lunchtime to serve in the evening, if wished. It will still be delicious if you haven’t time for this though. If the sauce looks very watery, you may need to reduce it a little by bubbling more fiercely with the lid off on the floor of the roasting oven.
Simple Garlic and Coriander Flatbreads
These simple flatbreads are messy but fun to make!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 25g butter
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1 cup full fat natural yoghurt
- Salt and pepper
Equipment:
Method:
- Place the butter in a heatproof ramekin with the crushed garlic and coriander. Set at the back of the Aga to melt.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, yoghurt and some salt until you have a sticky dough. Knead lightly with floured hands.
- Place a silicone sheet over the simmering plate. Spoon a ‘dollop’ of the dough onto the silicone sheet and spread out into desired shape, using a small palette knife. Lower the lid and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gently flip the flatbread over and repeat until the flatbread is slightly puffed up and speckled. Remove to a warm plate and brush with the flavoured butter.
Antonia's Tips:
Keep the flatbreads warm on a plate sitting on top of the Aga range cooker.
This tummy rumble inducing recipe has been scribed and tested by community member Antonia, who is a hard working mum with two boys. Her recipes are trialed in her much loved Aga range cooker and devoured by her family, allowing Antonia to provide accurate tips and advice on how to make the dishes a success! Go check her work out! She is a country girl, happily surrounded by an excitable Lab, her dear husband, two boys and the Cotswolds.
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