Nothing beats marinating meats and leaving them for 24 hrs or 48, as in the recipe below. Its the perfect way of preparing some of the best starter dishes and nothing is more popular than the Chicken Tikka. Succulent morsels of chicken, marinated in yogurt, herbs & spices and cooked through until slightly charred. The recipe below is as easy as it's going to get, you won't find this in any top restaurant, trust me!
1kg Large cubed chicken
300gms natural plain yogurt
1tbsp garlic crushed
1tbsp ginger crushed
1tbsp red chilli finely chopped
3tbsp kashmiri chilli powder
1tsp garam masala
2tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp mango powder
1/2tsp ground white pepper
2tsp salt
3tbsp sunflower oil
2tbsp fresh lemon juice
Preparation
First of all choose the meat, breast or thigh! No I'm not being rude, though I do like a good thigh. Even though i have used chicken breast in this recipe, thigh meat is much more tastier and succulent, so why not ask your butcher next time to prepare some boneless thigh and taste the difference, I feel like I'm promoting sainsbury's now, you won't find it in there.
Second, choose a less sour natural plain yogurt, you don't want something which is too sour, something like Bio Plain Yogurt will do, give a good whisk before using.
Third and most importantly, try and got hold of Fudco Kashmiri Chilli Powder, as seen in the picture above. A mild form of chilli which gives of a wonderful natural reddish colour. Great for adding colour to dishes, marinating meats, as well as used in other various dishes instead of paprika.
In a large bowl, sprinkle in the garam masala, chilli powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, mango powder, salt, pepper, garlic, ginger and fresh red chillies if using.
Pour in the sunflower oil and lemon juice, mix to form a paste. Then the whipped yogurt and whisk again.
Add chicken, mix well, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24hrs or 48hrs.
Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C degrees for 45 minutes, remove and cover with foil for 5 minutes to keep moist, serve hot.
Tip: Baste with butter before cooking, Gorgeous!
