Ingredients

• For the marinade

• 800g chicken thighs
• 1 inch - 2cm piece of peeled ginger
• 4 Garlic cloves
• Salt
• 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp hot chili powder

• For the sauce

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large brown onion (peeled roughly chopped)
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 6 cardamom pod
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• ½ cup cashew nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 4 cloves
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ cup cream
• ½ cup fresh Coriander leaves (chopped)

Roti Bread, Click for Recipe

Steps

• Step 1

  For the marinade, peel the ginger and roughly chop into small pieces. Add to a mortar and pestle and pound into a fine paste. Or use a small food processor along with salt and four peeled cloves of garlic.

• Step 2

  In a mixing bowl, add the paste, Greek yogurt, turmeric, hot chili powder and mix well.

• Step 3

  Slice the chicken thighs into strips and add to marinade a few at a time. Mix well so they are all nicely coated. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, overnight is best.

• Step 4

  Remove the chicken from fridge. Using skewers or soaked bamboo sticks, thread the chicken pieces quite loosely. Place them over a baking pan, resting the skewers on the sides of the pan. so they are lifted off the bottom like a rotisserie. Bake in oven for 25 min at 430°F – 220°C. Turn them and baste every 10 minutes.

• Step 5

  In a frying pan over medium heat, add some vegetable oil with the chopped onion. Add the garam masala, cardamom pods, hot chili powder, cumin powder, cinnamon piece, cashews, two minced garlic cloves . Deglaze pan with the chicken stock, add the tomato puree and cloves. Cook for 30 minutes. Add water if it becomes too dry, you can also cover with a lid.

• Step 6

  Once the sauce is cooked, place in a blender and blitz until smooth. Depending on the effectiveness of your blender, you may need to strain through a sieve for an extra silky sauce. There should be no lumps, it needs to be velvet smooth.

• Step 7

  Return the sauce back to the same pan, add salt and taste for seasoning. Remove the chicken from oven once cooked, and slide the pieces from the skewers directly into the sauce. Add the butter and cream and mix well. Simmer very gently for another 10 minutes. If two thick, add a little water. If too thin, cook longer until reduced.

• Step 8

  Add chopped coriander and serve with a swirl of cream.

Little Tips

Serve with basmati rice and naan or roti bread. See my roti bread recipe (chapati) Depending on the sweetness of your tomato puree, you may need to add some sugar or honey (1 tbsp)