MOST of us love the delicious herbs and spices that make Indian food so tasty. But if you eat dishes which are rich in sweetened sauces you’re going to make it much harder to lose weight. So this week our hospital super chef Simon Smith has produced a recipe for chicken tandoori which is nutritious, light and filling – but definitely the healthier option. When Simon cooked this dish at Tameside hospital as the special of the day, he sold out – 100 portions gone in just 30 minutes!

Chicken Tandoori with Baby Spinach, Rocket Citrus Salad

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15mins
Cooking time 20 mins

Ingredients:
4 x 110g (approx.) Chicken breast Fillets (skin off)
600g Natural Yoghurt
3tbsp Tandoori Masala Powder
1tsp Fresh Garlic (pureed)
1tsp Fresh Ginger (pureed)
½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1 small bunch Fresh Coriander
1 fresh lemon
1 head Spring Onion
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
Seasoning

Salad:
250g Baby Spinach (pre washed)
250g Rocket Leaf (pre washed)
½ Red Peppers
½ Green Peppers
½ Yellow Peppers
¼ Cucumbers
½ Red Onions
2 Fresh Tomatoes
2tsp fresh Chives
1 Orange
1 Lemon
½ tsp. fresh Chive
½ tsp. Fresh Garlic (pureed)
20ml Wine Vinegar
80ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1tsp Dijon Mustard
Seasoning

Equipment needed:
Medium roasting tray
2 Medium Mixing bowl
2 Small Mixing bowl
Chopping board
Small Vegetable Knife

Method
Pre heat the oven to 190oc / Gas Mk 5

Into a mixing bowl place the yoghurt, tandoori powder, nutmeg, garlic, ginger, spring onions, sesame oil and half the lemon squeezed. Mix all the ingredients together in the bowl until they are all thoroughly combined.

On the chopping board double score the chicken fillets and place in the yoghurt mix.

Coat the chicken completely in the marinade. Cover with cling wrap and place on the lowest shelf in the fridge for 10 mins.

While we wait for the chicken, let’s prepare the salad. Small dice the peppers, onion, tomatoes and cucumber and place into a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl mix the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, chive and garlic. Whisk until combined then add the grated zest of the lemon and orange, then squeeze the juice from both fruit. Mix thoroughly and season.

Pour enough of the dressing into the chopped pepper mixture to give it a light coating. Pour any extra dressing into a jug to serve with the dish.

Take the chicken from the fridge and place the fillets into a roasting tray. Spread a little of the marinade on to the fillets then cover with foil and place into the oven and allow to cook for approx. 10mins.

Pre heat your grill on high.

Remove the chicken from the oven and remove the foil place back in the oven for an additional 10mins to take on a little roasting colour.

Once again remove the chicken from the oven. The chicken should be cooked, but to check cut a small incision into the thickest part of the supreme. If the juices from the meat are clear of blood then it’s cooked.

Place the roasting tray under the hot grill for approx. 60 seconds, to give the supreme a grilled appearance.

Toss the baby spinach and rocket in a bowl and portion onto 4 plates. Spoon the chopped pepper and citrus dressing mixture over the leaf.

Add the tandoori chicken supreme and the dish is complete.