chicken and spinach tikka masala
We all love a curry in our house and Saturday nights have become a curry night ritual. Pleasing different palates is not always easy - some like a hot curry and others not so much. However this tikka masala seems to please everyone! I know it’s not traditional to add spinach to a tikka masala, but I like to add another vegetable whenever I can! I use 6 chicken breasts to feed my brood of 5 as my two teenagers are permanently hungry. However, unless you too have growing teenagers then adjust portions by using 1 chicken breast per person.
ingredients
serves 5
For the curry paste
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
1 red chilli, seeds removed
a stalks of a bunch of fresh coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon tomato puree
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
For the curry
1 tablespoon ghee
1 onion, chopped
5 chicken breasts
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 bag of baby spinach
2 heaped tablespoons Greek yoghurt
juice of 1/2 lime
the leaves of the fresh coriander (see above)
method
prep time: 15 mins
cook time: approx 40 mins
In a dry frying pan, fry the cumin and coriander seeds for about 5 minutes. Shake the pan regularly to stop them burning.
Add all the curry paste ingredients to a food processor along with the cumin and coriander seeds and blitz until smooth.
Chop the chicken breasts and add to a bowl along with the curry paste ingredients. Leave to marinade for about four hours. You can skip the marinade if you don’t have the time and just carry on with the next step.
When you are ready to cook, heat the ghee in a large pan or casserole dish and add the onion.
Fry the onion for about 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
Add the chicken and all the marinade ingredients.
Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and stir.
Place a lid on the dish and leave to simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
Stir in the baby spinach until wilted.
Take off the heat and stir in the Greek yoghurt and lime juice.
Season with the coriander leaves and serve with brown rice.
the health boost tip
We always choose organic or free range chicken. Not only do the chicken have a better quality of life, but the meat has a better health profile. Chicken as well as being an excellent source of protein is also a great source of B vitamins and minerals such as selenium, phosphorus, zinc and copper.
