Chicken with a Curried Yogurt Crust

Let’s Cook Low Fat, p. 24

1 garlic clove, crushed (minced)

2.5cm/1 inch piece root (fresh) ginger, finely chopped

1 fresh green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

6 tbsp low-fat natural (unsweetened) yogurt

1 tbsp tomato puree (paste)

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp lime juice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each 125g/4 ½ oz

Salt and pepper

Wedges of lime or lemon, to serve

RELISH:

4 medium tomatoes

¼ cucumber

1 small red onion

2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

You have just chopped chilies. As per our usual agreement, you will now proceed to the nearest sink and wash your hands with soap. Seriously. I'm waiting. 

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. In a small bowl mix together the garlic, ginger, chilli, yogurt, tomato puree (paste), turmeric, garam masala, lime juice and seasoning.

I used ground ginger. 

BUT NOBODY KNOWS.

Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts and place them on a baking sheet. 

There's nothing like a nice, clean chicken breast. 

Brush or spread the spicy yogurt mix over the chicken and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the meat is tender and cooked through.

You could probably get it more evenly distributed than I did if you try a little harder than I did. 

Into the blaze!

Meanwhile, make the relish. Finely chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onion and mix together with the coriander (cilantro). Season, cover and chill until required.

It'll look all pretty and whatnot, like this.

Drain the cooked chicken on absorbent kitchen paper and serve hot with the relish. 

Don't worry about the juices that seeped out. There's still enough in those breasts to make them delightful. 

Or, allow to cool, chill for at least 1 hour and serve sliced as part of a salad. 

Aromatic and enticing - dig in!

My Rating: 3/5 "If I were just reviewing the chicken, which was really really good, it would be a 5/5. If I were just reviewing the relish, which was really REALLY bad, it would be a 2/5. I've tried to average the scores together, I guess. But for the record, the chicken is amazing: moist, flavorful, and the yogurt mixture complements the natural flavor of the meat wonderfully. Delicious stuff. The relish, on the other hand, is mostly red onion, and taking big bites of red onion is one of the least fun things I can think of doing. If you do attempt to make it, I'd halve the amount of onion and double or quadruple the amount of cucumber. Overall, I'd happily recommend making the chicken by itself and having a nice side salad."