JO's 20 Minute Meals-Chicken Tikka Marsala

Chicken tikka masala

Ingredients
2 medium chicken breasts
1 oz silvered almonds
1 1/2 inches fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves
2 small red onions
1 medium fresh red chile (I use jalepano or green chile if can't find)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
5 oz basmati rice
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
4 tbsp natural yoghurt (I use greek)
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp tikka maasala curry paste
1/2 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 14 oz can coconut milk
2 oz butter
seasalt, black pepper

Put your frying pan on a high heat. Fill your kettle an put it on to boil. Preheat your oven to lowest setting and place your plates in the oven to warm.

Add the almonds to the hot frying pan and toast until golden, tossing occasionally, then turn off the heat and tip onto a plate. Meanwhile...

Peel the ginger, garlic, and onions. Halve and deseed the chile. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves, reserve the stalks. Finely slice 1 of the onions and half of the chile and put to one side.

Once the water is boiling add your rice and cook according to packet instructions. Meanwhile...

Whiz the ginger, garlic, cilantro stalks and remaining chile to a puree in a food processor.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the puree into a mixing bowl. Add your remaning onion to the food processor and whiz again unto a puree.

Slice the chicken breasts into long finger sized strips and add to the bowl with the spoonful of puree.

Add the tumeric, garam masala, 2 tablespoons of yoghurt, half the curry paste and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Finely grate the zest of the lemon into the bowl. Cut the lemon in half then squeeze in the juice from one of the halves and stir everything together.

When the rice is done, drain it in a strainer, then place the strainer back over the warm saucepan add 1oz of the butter and cover with a lid.

Wipe out the frying pan with a kitchen paper then place on a medium heat and the grill pan on a high heat.

When the frying pan is hot, add the rest of the butter. Once melted, add the puree from the food processor, then sliced onion and the rest of the curry paste.

Turn the heat up then stir and fry until the onions have softend. Meanwhile...

Place the marinated chicken on the grill pan, and grill for a few mins on each side until cooked through. Use tongs to turn it. Keep an eye on both pans.

When the veg mixture is starting to darken, add the canned tomatoes and coconut milk to the pan.

Simmer gently over a medium heat until the mixture has thickend and reduced slightly then turn the heat off. Meanwhile...

Once the chicken is cooked, take the grill pan off the heat. When your sauce is ready, stir the chicken through it.

Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil.

Make your table look respectable - get the cutlery, salt and pepper and drinks laid out nicely - and lay out pickles, poppadoms, and naan breads if you have them.

Add a good pinch of salt and squeeze lemon juice to the rice. Stir through half of the cilantro leaves. Get your warmed plates out of the oven and divide the rice between them.

Spoon the curry of the rice, add a dollop of the remaining yoghurt, then scatter each portion with a little sliced chile, a few slivered almonds and the reserved cilantro leaves. Gorgeous!


Let me know what you think and/or if you've found tips for this recipe...