Friday 28 December 2012

My chicken Tikka


Christmas was blissfully lazy and not much was achieved, but with all our favourite classic foods cooked and eaten we needed a change.  This is by no means authentic but it is just how I do my chicken tikka. I might also add that this has been made to be chilled and eaten in home-made naan bread tomorrow.  You, of course, can have this dish hot with the usual rice and pickles/chutneys, but make extra for an amazing treat in a sandwich.

I like to marinate the meat over night in yoghurt with the spice blend below; however, a pre bought paste or powder is fine.

For 6 skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 4 portions, mix in two pots of plain yoghurt (250 ml/ 1 cup) and 2 to 3 tablespoons of spice. Cover and put into the fridge over night. It can be grilled on the barbecue (but I wimped out as it is raining!!).  Take out and place onto a non-stick baking tray (with a lip as there is liquid that will be released while cooking) and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes at a low oven of 140°c / 285°f .  I don't oil the tray as I cook it slowly so it doesn't dry out.  Remove the chicken and you can serve with some yoghurt mixed with a tablespoon or two of the spice and a good trick is to add a little bit of fresh mint finely chopped and stirred in.


THE SPICE BIT...

2 tablespoons of coriander seeds
1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
1 teaspoon of chilli seeds

Put the whole seeds in a non-stick pan and you want to heat them through so they start to toast; you will start smelling them toast (not burn!) - keep them moving and add in the rest ground spice for the last minute of cooking :
3 tablespoons of paprika (the sweet mild one, smoked if you like)
2 tablespoons of  turmeric - ground
1 tablespoon of  ginger - ground
1/4 nutmeg grated in
1 tablespoon of onion powder or garlic powder (or bit of each)

Once cooled, grind in an electric coffee grinder (used only for spice - or your coffee with taste spicy) or in a pestle and mortar (if you have neither then you could buy all the spice already ground). You can add or remove what spices you want, that is the point of going to all the bother of doing it at home. I still think it is worth it as you end up with a fresher blend and something more delicately perfumed. Keep this in a jar for freshness - it was the same mixture that I used on the spatchcock chicken.




28 comments:

  1. Sounds good, we went over to our Indian friends and had so much good food.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello,
      Thank you, I miss my Indian friends in London, lots of wonderful food/feast memories! There are not many Indian restaurants in France sadly.
      Ivan

      Delete
  2. I always get really hungry when I read your blog. I would love to make this for supper tonight, however my car is stuck in the snow a half mile away and I am too far to walk to the grocery store. I think I might try this on Sunday for family dinner though. If I am not making it from scratch, what is the spice mix called, assuming I can buy it ready mixed. I hope you had a happy Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Chania,
      Sorry about your car! We heard how bad it is in Ontario, my partners family all have their snow ploughs out today! The spice mix nearest is a Korma mix (UK does a Tikka mix but not sure in Canada)- which like above, is mild. Any good curry paste or powder you can add more from your cupboard like coriander seeds and cumin are good. Thanks, I had a wonderful catch up on sleep Christmas!!
      Ivan :)

      Delete
  3. This looks so delicious, Ivan! So that is how to make your own spice! Thanks so much for sharing this! I will have to start experimenting in the New Year to 'find' what I/we like!! Happy New Year Ivan and all the best to you and your family!
    Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Jim,
      Thanks, I hope it is clear, just ask if you have any questions. It is quite mild, you might want add more chilli. Happy New Year to You all also - Happy cooking!
      Ivan

      Delete
  4. I can almost smell the spices!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Terry,
      I know we can... the house smells wonderful!!
      Ivan

      Delete
  5. This looks great. We're always looking for something as an change from all the traditional holiday foods this time of year, so I'm inspired to give this a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Walt,
      Thank you, I hope you like it! We had a classic UK Christmas and a French feast lined up for New years, so I like to change it up in between.
      Ivan

      Delete
  6. Making your own spices, that is great. You should make them and sell them on your blog, just a thought. SPICES FROM NORMANDY KITCHEN. I have such great ideas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Kay,
      Thanks and thanks for the idea! I always liked the idea of a shop here for our honey, (eventually) Calvados, vegetables and jam - I could maybe add spices also!!
      Ivan

      Delete
    2. Yes! Honey,veggies, jam, spices and Calvados from your Normandy Kitchen, sounds wonderful.
      Now, I must tell you, I had to look up "Calvados" but I see that it is an apple brandy, and now, my husband wants to go to Normandy! HA HA
      Seriously, I really didn't know what it was, and Richard just knew it was alcoholic.
      (I might have read this already on your blog, but since my brain is a sieve, I didn't remember it.)

      Delete
    3. Hello Kay,
      Sorry this is late (ill in bed!! - fine now) we crush the apples to make the apple juice that gets made into cider. The cider gets distilled into Calvados (and we pay lots of tax!!). I was so wanting to do a post but for the first time we didn't have enough to do a pressing (bumper crop due this year!!) You'd love Normandy lots of things to visit, eat and photograph!! There is bit on the blog but not a post - this year for sure!!
      Happy New Year!
      Ivan

      Delete
  7. I'm not familiar with fengreek Ivan. I will look for it. This chicken looks amazing. Glad to hear you had some lazy time around the holidays!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello,
      Thank you, yes I (and Aston) has lots of lazy time and caught up on sleep! Hope you find the fenugreek (sorry missed out the U before) they add a slight bitterness and are often added to curries but you can still make the curry powder without them if hard to find.
      Ivan

      Delete
  8. Oh, yum yum....this was just what I needed to see after all the Christmas food!! I am ready for a curry. We love curry in this house, and living near Bradford we are spoilt for choice with the many excellent curry houses there are nearby.

    I'm glad you had a nice, restful Christmas, Ivan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Gillian,
      Thank you, happy you also had a wonderful Christmas. You are in a great place to get amazing curries (it is one thing I miss, not so many curry houses in France).
      Ivan

      Delete
  9. What a great idea and a change from the usual Holiday fare. Looks like it would make a good Hors d'oeuvre or party food for my New Year's Eve Party. I will cut the chicken into small bit size pieces and make more Yogart sauce for dipping.

    Glad your Christmas was relaxing. My trip to Illions was wonderful and Santa brought me a white Christmas--8 inches of snow, glad to be back down South. May the New Year bring you Health, Happiness and Love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Harriet,
      Thank you, happy to see you had a lovely Christmas and you are back safe. Yes, cut into smaller pieces it would be a perfect Hors d'oeuvre to serve - you could add some mayonnaise to the yoghurt if you wanted a richer sauce. Wishing you a Happy New Year, may all your wishes become reality...
      Ivan

      Delete
  10. Oh, very difficult for me, but it looks delicious! Greetings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello,
      I hope you liked the pictures at least! Happy New Year.
      Ivan

      Delete
  11. Another post that makes my mouth water! I will try this! And thanks for the sandwich tip. I make Terry lunch for work every day, and I'm always on the hunt for something surprising or different to put in his lunch bag. I loved your happy face in the pan of spices. I think you must have a very good sense of humor. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello,
      Thank you, happy you liked it - it went in record time and the sandwiches are some of my favourites (there is a long list being English!!). I smile when I can and the humour is very quick! Thanks for stopping by.
      Happy New Year!
      Ivan ;-)

      Delete
  12. What a lovely blog. I stumbled over here I believe from Vignette Design. Adventurous cooking but it all looks delicious. Love the first photo of the beautifully set table. And the white Christmas cake is sweet. Nice photos throughout. Happy New Year from Knoxville, Tennessee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Carol,
      Thank you (sorry this reply is so late - today's post will explain) very kind of you and Happy New year to you also! Hopefully there maybe some cooking that appeal, I try to do a bit of everything!
      Ivan

      Delete
  13. I just found your blog through coco's link, and it makes my mouth water! I'm going to try several of your recipes, though I'll probably have to modify them a bit as we've got people with celiac disease as well as lactose intolerant ones (me included) in our family. Let's see if I can cook your homemade pasta (it sounded pretty easy and looked delicious) with buckwheat or similar gluten-free flour...

    I was wondering about this particular spice-mix here, though. You say one could just make it all out of ground spices (I happen to have all of them in my cupboard, though only coriander as seeds). Should I heat the ground spices too, or will it be enough just to mix them together? (In other words, does heating somehow make the mixture better?)

    Thank you for a wonderful blog full of fantastic recipes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mirva,
      Thank you for joining, don't you just love Coco blog! Happy you like mine also, I have a few celiac sufferers that follow me and I shall be doing more recipes very soon. I haven't made buckwheat pasta but will try it out and let you know if I can make the recipe better (I love buckwheat). The coriander seed are good - just crush them and yes reheating any spice brings out the oils and makes it taste much better. if you have any questions... just ask happy to help.
      Best wishes,
      Ivan :)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...