Ah, the classic chicken curry – the godfather of all curries, really. In our fruity twist on the original, chicken breasts are marinated in traditional spices and cooked in a tomato and vegetable sauce with fruit bursts from diced apple, raisins and sliced banana. Trust us, it’s absolute perfection.
Typical nutritional content (per portion)
4 x 150g (5oz) free-range chicken breasts on the bone, skinned
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
For the curry sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-4 teaspoons mild curry powder
25g (1oz) plain flour
2 teaspoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon fresh root ginger, grated
2 teaspoons mango chutney
½ cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 banana, peeled and sliced (optional)
50g (2oz) raisins
Fresh coriander sprigs to garnish
Steamed brown rice, to serve
Place the chicken breasts in a deep-sided pan with 600ml (1 pint) of water, the garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until just cooked through and tender. The amount of time will depend on the type of chicken you use, remove the chicken to a plate and then skim off any excess fat from the cooking liquid (stock) before putting it to one side – you’ll need 450ml (3/4 pint) in total.
To make the curry sauce, wipe out the pan and use to heat the oil. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened but not browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 20 seconds, then stir in the curry powder (the amount you use depends on how spicy you want your curry) and cook for a minute or two. Next add in the flour and stir over the heat for another minute or so. Remove from the heat and gradually add in the stock. Using a whisk, stir briskly until you have achieved a slightly chunky sauce.
Whisk the tomato puree into the curry sauce with ginger and mango chutney and then add the apple and bring to the boil, stirring, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook gentle for about 5 minutes until slightly reduced in volume and thickened. Return the chicken to the ban with the banana and raisins, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is piping hot and all the flavours have nicely blended together.
Arrange on warmed plates with the brown rice and then garnish with the coriander sprigs to serve.
