Despite the roasting time for the chicken, this dish is so quick and easy to assemble - about 20 mins in total. The tikka paste over the chicken is such a simple way to inject lots of flavour with limited hassle. Just don’t forget to baste the chicken with those lovely juices while cooking to keep the skin crisp and stop the chicken from drying out.
The Spiced vegetable Lentils are a delicious dish on their own but could also be served with cooked salmon or even some spiced king prawns if you want something even quicker! I think canned lentils are one of the best Speedy kitchen hacks - they are also cheap to buy and rich in magensium, iron and folate. They are also packed with protein with 200g giving you a whopping 18g protein. Happy days!
This also freezes well so it’s a great way to meal prep ahead or avoid any waste (if like us you’re only cooking for 2). I‘ve got 2 portions in the freezer ready for some speedy, nutritious meals next week! You’ll never be so excited for leftovers!
Tikka Roasted Chicken with Spiced Vegetable Lentils
Serves 4
20 mins prep time, 1 hr 40 mins cooking time
Ingredients
1 large roasting chicken
2 tbsp shop bought curry paste (I use tikka)
2 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 onion, chopped into 1cm chunks
2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 tsp ginger purée
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 chilled red chilli (add more if you like it hot!)
1 courgette, chopped into 1cm chunks
1 aubergine, chopped into 1cm chunks
2 cans cooked lentils, drained
100ml boiling water
100ml double cream
Handful of kale
2 handfuls of spinach
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180° (fan assist).
2. Mix the tikka paste and yoghurt together. Take your whole chicken and cover the whole surface with the yoghurt/tikka paste
3. Roast in the oven (preferably on a roasting rack in a tray) for 1hr 30 minutes, basting is the chicken with the juices in the pan every 20 minutes. After 1hr 30 mins, check the chicken is cooked through fully by checking the juices in the chicken are running clear. If in doubt, cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
4. Once cooked, cover in tin foil and leave to rest while you cook the lentils.
5. Add the onion to a large frying pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes in a splash of oil. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika and chilli and fry for a further minute. Add the chopped courgette and aubergine and fry for a further 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
6. Drain the 2 cans of lentils and add to the spiced vegetables. Mix through and then add the water, cream, spinach and kale. Season with salt and pepper and cover with a lid and leave to warm through and wilt the greens for a few minutes.
7. Slice up your chicken- removing the legs, wings and breast meat.
8. Give the lentils a final stir and divide between 4 bowls, topped with the spiced roasted chicken.