CHICKEN TIKKA ON THE BONE RECIPES

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a large bowl or other non-reactive dish and slash the chicken breasts.
• For the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Spread the marinade all over the crown. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to marinate overnight, or at least 4 hours.
• When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1. Place the marinated chicken in a roasting dish and spoon over any remaining marinade. Bake for 2 hours. (It won’t be cooked right through at this stage.)
• Meanwhile, make the curry sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Toss in the onions and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are golden-brown, adding a splash of water to the pan if they begin to 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 further minute, then tip in the tinned tomatoes and pour in 300ml/10fl oz of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–10 minutes. Add the chopped peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
• Take the chicken out of the oven. Carefully wave a cook’s blowtorch over the surface until the marinade has slightly blackened in places. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• For the katchumber salad, mix everything together in a bowl and set aside.
• Take the chicken breasts off the bone and cut the meat into chunks, about 2.5cm/1in. Reheat the curry sauce, then add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the pieces are cooked through.
• Stir through the yoghurt and chopped coriander. Taste to check the seasoning.
• Serve scattered with coriander, with saffron rice, if using, and the katchumber salad alongside.

Steps:

• Remove the skin from the chicken and slash each thigh two or three times. Put into a bowl or plastic container and toss with the lime juice and ½ tsp salt. Set aside while you make the marinade.
• In a small food processor, blitz the ginger and garlic to make a paste, adding a splash of water if needed. Set aside half of the paste for the sauce. Tip the remaining marinade ingredients into the food processor, then blitz to a smooth paste. Pour the paste over the chicken and marinate for at least 4 hrs (overnight or 24 hrs is even better).
• To make the sauce, heat 2 tbsp of the ghee or butter in a large shallow pan with a lid. Cook the onions for 15 mins over a medium heat until starting to brown. Add the spices and remaining garlic and ginger paste, and cook for 2 mins. Stir in the tomato purée, ground almonds, a pinch of sugar and vinegar. Cook for about 1 min. Pour in the passata, then fill the jar or carton halfway up with water and add this too. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 2-3 hrs until you have a thick, red sauce. Can be kept chilled in the fridge for up to 48 hrs while you marinate the chicken.
• Set the grill to its highest setting. Lift the chicken from the marinade, wiping off any excess back into the dish and reserve for the sauce. Arrange the chicken on a large baking tray cut-side up. Put under the grill for 10-15 mins until charred and starting to blacken. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside with the cooking juices. Reheat the sauce, adding the reserved marinade, then tip the chicken and any pan juices with the crème fraîche or cream into the curry sauce. Cook for 40 mins until the chicken is completely tender. Stir the remaining butter or ghee in at the end.
• Leave the curry to sit for a few mins, then season with the garam masala and smoked salt, if using. Sprinkle with coriander and flaked almonds, then serve with naan bread and rice, if you like.