Healthy chicken curry

Britain’s collective love for a curry is a longstanding love story. The cherished chicken tikka masala has even overtaken some classic dishes including Sunday roasts and fish and chips to become Britain's favourite dish!

However delicious a chicken tikka masala may be, the dish is often packed with cream and is high in saturated fat and calories, making it less favourable if you're trying to kick-start healthy living this new year.

Gurpreet, Head Chef at Audley St George’s Place, has a healthy home-made chicken curry recipe that is as healthy as it is delicious.

Ingredients

For the chicken marinade

• 200g chicken breast
• 10g garam masala
• 5g turmeric
• A good pinch of salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the curry sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 20g cumin seeds
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves
• 30g garam masala
• 10g red chili powder
• 15g paprika
• 10g brown sugar
• 15g turmeric
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 30g ginger, finely chopped
• 3 medium red onions
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 100g low fat yogurt
• Half a bunch of chopped coriander
• Salt (to taste)

Method

Combine all of the chicken marinade ingredients together (apart from the chicken breast) into a medium-sized bowl.

Dice the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Then add the chicken pieces to the marinade and fully coat the chicken. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 200*C (180*C for fan-assisted ovens). Remove the chicken from the fridge and place the pieces onto an ovenproof dish. Cook the chicken for around 15 minutes, until the edges are starting to slightly brown.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium size pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Let them cook for 30 seconds.

Then add the garlic, ginger and onions and cook until brown.

Add the gram masala, turmeric, paprika, brown sugar, salt and chilli. Cook for 30 seconds, until the spices are fragrant.

Stir in the tomato and yogurt, then cook for another 10 minutes. Add a little water if the mixture is looking too dry.

Transfer the chicken from the oven to the sauce and let it simmer in the pan for another 12 minutes.

Finally, add the chopped coriander to the sauce and serve with brown rice or wholemeal paratha and some steamed vegetables. Enjoy!