Nigella Lawson Chicken Apricot Masala Recipes

OVEN-COOKED CHICKEN SHAWARMA

Steps:

• Take a large resealable freezer bag and put the chicken thighs in it.
• Using a fine microplane grater (for choice), grate in the lemon zest, then squeeze the lemons and add the juice. Pour in the olive oil and add the garlic, then add all the remaining ingredients, except for those for the sauce.
• Squish everything about together, then seal the bag, place it on a plate or in a dish, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to 1 day.
• When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220 degrees C (350 degrees F)/gas mark 7, remove the chicken from the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature.
• Tip the contents of the freezer bag into a shallow roasting tin--mine measures 44-by-34-by-1.5 centimeters (17-by-13-by-1/2-inches)--and make sure all the chicken thighs are lying flat and not on top of one another (if possible) before roasting in the hot oven for 30 minutes, by which time they should be cooked through (though obviously you must check) and golden on top.
• When the chicken's more or less cooked, make the sauce simply by combining the yogurt with the tahini and garlic, stir and salt to taste, and sprinkle with a few pomegranate seeds.
• Line a platter or a couple of plates with crisp lettuce, shredded or torn into pieces, and then top with the piping hot chicken, pouring the oily juices over them, unless you are, for some inexplicable reason, anti-oily-juices. If you wanted to make the chicken go further, you could cut the thighs into chunky slices rather than leaving them whole. And please do add any of the suggested accompaniments, itemized in my introduction.

CHICKEN AND APRICOT MASALA

Steps:

• Soak apricots overnight in 2 cups cold water, or cover with 2 cups hot water and soak until swollen and softened, 2 to 3 hours.
• Prepare masala: In a small bowl, combine hot pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom, garlic and ginger. Add 1/4 cup water, and stir to make a paste. Set aside.
• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat oil and cinnamon stick. Add onions and salt, and sauté until onions begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add masala, and stir. Add chicken, and stir for about 5 minutes. Add apricots and their soaking liquid, diced tomatoes and diluted tomato paste.
• Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Check cooking liquid about halfway through; if chicken is covered with liquid, remove cover for remainder of cooking. Transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.

ONE-PAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Get 2 baking dishes and pour in some olive oil to coat. Arrange the pieces of chicken, the potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, and peppers on them. (If you want to use 3 dishes and have got the room, do; the less packed everything is, the crispier the potatoes will be.) Then drizzle some more oil over, making sure everything's glossy and well slicked (but not dripping), sprinkle with the salt, and bake for about 45 minutes.
• When done (and test all the component parts), strew over the parsley and - I always do this - serve straight from the baking dishes.

MUGHLAI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, and chili into a food processor, or into a mortar and pestle, and blend to a paste. Add the ground almonds and water and then blend again, set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the chicken pieces - in batches so they fry rather than stew - and cook them just long enough to seal on both sides, then remove to a dish.
• Add the spices and turn them in the oil. Add the onions and cook them until softened and lightly browned, but keep the heat gentle and stir frequently, to avoid sticking. Pour in the blended paste, and cook everything until it begins to colour. Add the yogurt, half a cup at a time stirring it in to make a sauce, then stir in the stock, cream, and sultanas.
• Put the browned chicken back into the pan, along with any juices that have collected under them, and sprinkle over the garam masala, sugar, and salt. Cover and cook on a gentle heat for 20 minutes, testing to make sure the meat is cooked through.
• It's at this stage, that I like to take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool before reheating the next day.
• So either now, or when you've reheated it, pour into a serving dish and scatter with the toasted flaked almonds.

NIGELLA LAWSON CHICKEN & APRICOT MASALA

Steps:

• Soak apricots overnight in 2 cups cold water, or cover with 2 cups hot water and soak until swollen and softened, 2 to 3 hours.
• Prepare masala: In a small bowl, combine hot pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom, garlic and ginger.
• Add 1/4 cup water, and stir to make a paste.
• Set aside.
• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat cinnamon stick.
• Add onions and salt, and sauté until onions begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add masala, and stir.
• Add chicken, and stir for about 5 minutes.
• Add apricots and their soaking liquid, diced tomatoes and diluted tomato paste.
• Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Check cooking liquid about halfway through; if chicken is covered with liquid, remove cover for remainder of cooking.
• Transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.