Chicken Tikka Skewers with Wholemeal Chapattis
Inspired by the popular flavours of chicken tikka, this healthy recipe for chicken skewers from the BBC's Eat Well For Less show is easy, fast and perfect for feeding a crowd on a budget.
From the book
Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals
Budget-friendly midweek meals
All the recipes from the TV series
Simple sweet treats
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Introduction
As chicken tikka is the nation’s favourite, it’s worth giving these home-made skewers a go. The tikka paste is very versatile and makes enough to serve 12, so you’ll have handy leftovers, too. You can add more chilli to the paste if you like it spicy, and more onion and tomato puree if you like it less so, plus you can freeze it, so what’s not to like? Check out the tip at the end to see how to use the extra paste. Remember to soak your wooden skewers before use, to prevent them burning or catching during cooking.
Ingredients
| For the tikka paste: | |
| 2 | onions, roughly chopped |
| 6 | garlic cloves, roughly chopped |
| 10cm piece | of fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped |
| 2 | long red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped |
| 2 tsp | ground coriander |
| 2 tsp | ground cumin |
| 2 tsp | paprika |
| 2 tsp | garam masala |
| 1 tsp | sea salt |
| 4 tbsp | tomato purée |
| small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped | |
| For the skewers: | |
| 12 | boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into quarters |
| 2 | limes, each cut into 3–4 wedges |
| For the salad: | |
| ½ | cucumber, roughly chopped |
| 4 | tomatoes, roughly chopped |
| 4 | spring onions, roughly chopped |
| 1 | iceberg lettuce, shredded |
| 1 tsp | red wine vinegar |
| 1 tbsp | rapeseed oil |
| For the chapattis: | |
| 400g | plain wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting |
| ½ tsp | sea salt |
| 1 ½ tsp | vegetable oil |
Method
Put all the ingredients for the tikka paste into a blender or small food processor with 2 tablespoons of water and blitz to a paste.
For the skewers, divide the tikka paste in half and place half into a large bowl, add the chicken pieces and stir well until coated. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Spoon the remaining paste into a small, airtight container and freeze to use another time (see Tip).
As the chicken marinates, soak 12 wooden skewers in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain. Place all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and toss together, then cover and put into the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200ÆC/180ÆC fan/Gas 6. 6 Thread four pieces of marinated chicken onto each skewer, then lay the skewers on a large baking tray. Roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the chapattis. Tip the flour into a large bowl, then add the salt and 250ml of water and stir to make a soft dough – it will be a bit sticky, but that’s better than too dry!
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Divide the dough into six equal portions. Roll each piece into a ball, then roll out into a flat disc, as thin as possible. The thinner the dough, the better the chapatti.
Heat a large frying pan until really hot. Spray or brush each round of dough (on both sides) with a little of the vegetable oil, then cook, one at a time, in the frying pan over a high heat until browned and just bubbled on the underside, about 45–60 seconds. Flip over and cook briefly on the other side until just browned and cooked. Transfer the cooked chapatti to a plate, cover with foil and keep warm at the bottom of the oven, while you cook the remaining chapattis in the same way.
Serve the hot chicken tikka skewers on the warm chapattis, with the salad alongside, then finish each with a squeeze of lime. Alternatively, for each serving, you can put some of the salad onto a chapatti, slide the chicken off two skewers and add on top, then fold the chapatti around to enclose and serve.
Tip: The frozen paste will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. When you want to use the frozen paste, simply place it in a small saut. pan and cook over a low heat for 3–5 minutes until defrosted, stirring occasionally to break it up. Once defrosted, increase the heat and fry the paste for a couple of minutes until hot through.
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