July Recipe a Week Challenge: Week 1

Indian Sticky Chicken

 

I kicked off my first week of the July Recipe a Week Challenge with Indian sticky Chicken. I am a big fan of Gordon's Ramsay's Sticky Lemon Chicken and I have secretly been dreaming of this Indian influenced dish. I flagged it to MrB when it was first published via Simply Delicious' Facebook feed.

Being the sweet wife I decided to ask MrB which of three menu choices for this week he wanted me to cook. I did a little happy dance when he said "the sticky Indian one".

I loved the spices!

The recipe calls for skinless, boneless chicken thighs but they only had the skinless ones at the shop. I think it would make a big difference but as it was just dinner for the two of use, we could survive.

The shop near my work didn't stock Garam Masala and nor did the one near MrB's work. Not to panic I googled how to make your own. Then I did panic as I didn't have the ingredients. MrB didn't panic. He just stopped at the Indian restaurant down the road and asked for some Garam Masala spice. They gave us 200g (more than enough) and we were set. So plan ahead and make sure you get the spice.

 

You can view the original recipe here

 

 

Sticky Indian Chicken

 

(The original recipe is for 4 people, we adapted it for 2 people)

4 skinless chicken thighs

1 1/2 tablespoon Garam Masala

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup runny honey

juice of 1 lemon

Fresh coriander



 

 

On a baking tray (or even a plate), sprinkle the Garam Masala, paprika and salt. Rub the chicken in the spices until well covered. Get in there, use your fingers and make sure the spices are everywhere. This is the flavour base for your chicken so don't be shy!

 

Heat some oil in a non-stick pan (I used our awesome heavy based Le Creuset pan - it's actually the base of our tagine but I use it for so much more. I will get my buffet casserole dish soon!).

I let the oil get to a medium heat to add some good colour to my chicken pieces. Let the chicken brown on both sides and then turn the heat down slightly and allow to cook through. Turn frequently to avoid the chicken pieces burning or sticking.

 

Add the honey and the lemon juice and allow to caramelise (this means to go sticky and brown) for a minute.

 

Serve hot and garnish with fresh coriander (this adds a lovely crisp lightness to the dish)

 

We served our chicken with wholewheat coucous (to soak up the juicy caramelised sauce) and steamed carrots. If this was summer I would have switched the carrots for a crunchy salad

 

It's not too late to join in on the challenge!