Tandoori chicken thighs with cauliflower pilaf

SERVES 4

With a crisp, charred, spicy crust, these oven-baked tandoori chicken thighs make a deliciously simple, budget-friendly family meal. Easy to prepare, this Indian-inspired chicken recipe is served with fluffy cauliflower rice, although you can use basmati rice if you prefer. It takes 15 minutes to prepare and 1 hour to cook.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

1kg pack chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

2 tbsp Madras curry paste, plus 1 tsp for the pilaf

300g Greek-style yogurt

1 lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cauliflower, leaves removed, cut into florets

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, grated Handful coriander leaves

20g flaked almonds

½ red chilli, finely sliced

METHOD

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Put the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl, add the 2 tbsp Madras curry paste, 165g of the yogurt, the juice of ½ the lemon and a pinch of salt.

Mix well until all the chicken is fully coated.

Transfer the thighs to a roasting tin and drizzle over 1 tbsp of the oil. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes to one hour, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is slightly charred.

Check the chicken is cooked by piercing the thickest part with a knife — the juices should run clear with no pink remaining.

Meanwhile, put the cauliflower in a food processor and blitz until it forms small grains similar to couscous. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches.

Mix the 1 tsp Madras curry paste with 2 tbsp water. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 3-4 mins until golden.

Stir in the garlic and ginger, followed by the cauliflower. Add the Madras paste and stir-fry for another 3-4 mins until heated through.

Cut the remaining half of the lemon into quarters.

Transfer the cauliflower pilaf to a serving dish and top with the chicken, spooning over the cooking juices from the tin.

Garnish with the coriander, almonds, chilli and lemon.

Serve with the remaining yogurt alongside to dollop over.