Nadiya Hussain’s Tandoori Chicken Naan Sandwich

Start with the slaw because it will need the most time to macerate and soften. Put the shredded red cabbage in a bowl along with the spring onion, grated apple, lemon zest, juice and salt. Get your hands in and really squeeze the mixture together. Set aside and leave it to soften in the juices.

Now, on to the chicken. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ fan 200°C/gas mark 7. Have a greased roasting dish ready.

Next, you need to butterfly the chicken breasts. You do this by laying a breast piece vertically with the tapered end closest to you. Place a hand of the top of the chicken and, using a sharp knife and starting at the top, thicker end, start cutting into the breast along the side and down to the tapered end. Be sure not to cut all the way through. Now, open it like a book and you should have a kind of heart shape. Flatten using your hand. Repeat with the other breast.

In a small bowl, mix the tandoori paste, chickpea flour, cayenne and salt. I like to get in there with my hands. Spread a thin layer over one side of each butterflied chicken breast. Lay the chicken paste-side down in the dish and smother the rest of the paste generously over the top of the chicken breasts. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by adding the mayo, garlic, mint and coriander to a bowl and mixing really well.

Once the chicken is cooked, take it out and remove it from any cooking juices. While the oven is hot, put the naans into the oven to warm through slightly. Take out after 3 minutes and turn the oven off.

Now, continue with the slaw. You will see that it is sitting in a lot of juices that we don’t want in our sandwich. Put the cabbage mix in the centre of a clean tea towel, bring the edge to the centre and squeeze any juices right out.

Time to start building the layers of our gorgeous sarnie. Start with a sheet of baking paper large enough to wrap this thing. Place a warm naan in the centre and smother on some of that minted mayo. Now, take slabs of your chicken and pile it on, making sure the chicken stays within the parameters of your naan. Where it doesn’t, cut it off and place the offcut somewhere else in the sandwich. Do this till you’ve used up all your chicken. This is going to be monumental, as all good sandwiches should be!

Add another piece of naan right on top. Smother with the mayo and pile on the cabbage slaw. Take the poppadoms and add straight on top again, breaking where you need to, to fit it all in. Add the last naan on top.

This is the best bit – press down firmly to get all those layers really stuck together. Use the paper the naan is sat on to wrap the whole sandwich nice and tight, like a big sweetie. Cut down the middle, through the paper and you will have two epic, gargantuan tandoori sandwiches!