Curried Chicken & Coconut Rice Traybake
For this traybake dinner, we're cooking curried chicken thighs on top of coconut curried baked rice then serving it with mango chutney, yogurt & herbs.
Servings: 4 People
Equipment
- 9" x 13" Baking Tin
- Pestle & Mortar
- Microplane/Grater
- Digital Food Probe
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Thighs (Skinless - See Notes)
Curry Marinade
- 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Coriander Seeds
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 3 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- A 1" Piece Of Fresh Ginger (Peeled & Grated)
- 2 tsp Tomato Paste
- 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Mango Yogurt
- 150 g Greek Yogurt
- 100 g Mango Chutney
- 1 Lime (Juiced)
Baked Rice
- 400 g Basmati Rice
- 400 ml Coconut Milk (1 Tin)
- 300 ml Water
- 1 Chicken Stock Pot
- 2 tsp Mild Curry Powder
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 Lime
To Serve
- Mango Chutney
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander
- Poppadoms
Instructions
Chicken Curry Marinade
- Add the coriander & cumin seeds into a frying pan then set over a medium-low heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until toasted & fragrant then transfer to a bowl & leave to cool slightly.
- Add the toasted seeds to a pestle & mortar, grind into a coarse powder then stir in the rest of the marinade ingredients, plus a few cracks of freshly cracked black pepper.
- Next, place the chicken thighs into a container, pour over the marinade then massage it into the meat with your hands. Cover & leave to marinade in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Mango Yogurt
- Add the yogurt, mango chutney & lime juice into a small bowl, stir to combine then chill in the fridge until needed.
Baked Rice
- Before you cook your rice, add it into a mixing bowl then rinse under cold water, agitating it with your fingers. Once the water turns cloudy, drain off the water then rinse again. Keep repeating this process until the water is clear.You'll need to drain the water off at least 5 times!
- Cover the rice with cold water then leave to soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat an oven to 220°c/200°c fan (428°f/392°f).
- Add the marinated chicken into a baking tin (I used a 9" x 13" one), making sure they're spaced apart & aren't overlapping each other. Place into the preheated oven then cook for 10 minutes or so, until well seared. Turn the oven down to 190°c/374°f as soon as the chicken comes out.
- In the meantime, place the coconut milk for the rice into a large saucepan, along with the water, stock pot, curry powder, salt, paprika & turmeric. Set this over a medium-high heat. Warm the milk, stirring to dissolve the stock pot & spices then bring it up to the boil. Drain the soaked rice now as well, through a sieve.Time this step so the coconut milk is boiling once the chicken comes out of the oven.
- Once the chicken is golden brown, use a pair of tongs to transfer it to a plate.
- Next, add the rice into the baking tray, pour the hot coconut milk all over, stirring to distribute evenly then place the seared chicken on top. Cover the tin with foil then place into the oven & bake for 30-35 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid & the chicken is cooked through.Chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of at least 75°c/167°f to be fully cooked.
To Serve
- Let the chicken & rice rest for 5 minutes under the foil then transfer the chicken to a plate. Squeeze the juice of a lime over the rice then fluff up with a fork and place the chicken back on top.
- Drizzle the mango yogurt all over the chicken then top the rice with spoonfuls of mango chutney & the chopped coriander.
- Spoon chicken & rice into bowls & serve with poppadoms.
Notes
1. To Cook In An Aga - Sear the chicken in the roasting oven, on the second from top set of runners. Heat up the coconut milk on the simmering plate then bake the rice in the roasting oven, on a grid shelf placed on the floor.
2. Chicken - Chicken thighs work best for this recipe, as they're less likely to over cook/dry out and take the same amount of time to cook as the rice. I used bone in chicken thighs but feel free to use boneless if you'd prefer. The reason that we use skinless chicken thighs, is that the skin won't crisp up properly & will make the rice greasy.
3. Rice - Make sure to wash & soak your rice well! This is key to making the fluffiest baked rice.
4. Marinade - It's best to marinate the chicken for at least a couple of hours or for up to a day. This is a tikka masala style chicken marinade but feel free to use a different style curry marinade instead if you'd prefer.
5. Portions - This chicken & rice traybake will serve between 4-6 people. I served mine with poppadoms but it would be good with a simple salad as well.
6. Leftovers - This dish is best served fresh & wouldn't really recommend reheating it! However, if you do reheat the rice & chicken, it's important that they're both cooked until they're piping hot!