Hairy Bikers Chicken Madras Recipe

This quick Hairy Bikers chicken madras recipe simmers chicken breast in a fiery tomato sauce with cumin, Kashmiri chilli and garam masala. So dinner for 4 takes about 30 minutes, and the Great Curries version comes to roughly 345 calories a portion.

“There are times when only a chicken madras will do,” say the bikers, and this is the version for those nights. And as a stalwart of their curry repertoire it has to be fast, so the chicken gets just 8 to 10 minutes in the pan.

Everything hinges on the first 5 minutes, when the onion, tomatoes and spices stir-fry on high until the oil splits from the sauce. That split oil is the cue for the chicken, but they warn that burnt garlic or spices will turn the sauce bitter.

Hairy Bikers Chicken Madras Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British Indian Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 20 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:345 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Onion, garlic, two chopped chillies and a small can of tomatoes fry hard with four ground spices, sugar and salt. Then bite-sized chicken and two split chillies go in, loosened with water and an optional spoon of cream for a thick, hot sauce.

Ingredients

For the curry

• 4 long red chillies
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 227g can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (or ½ tsp hot chilli powder and 2 tsp paprika)
• 1 tbsp garam masala, home-made or ready-made
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp flaked sea salt
• 200ml cold water
• 2 tbsp double cream (optional)

To serve

• freshly cooked rice

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Instructions

1. Prepare the chillies: Finely chop 2 of the chillies, deseeding them first if you don’t like very spicy food. Then split the other 2 from stalk to tip on one side, without opening them or removing the seeds.
2. Cut the chicken: Cut each chicken breast into 7 or 8 bite-sized chunks.
3. Start the sauce: Heat the oil in a large, fairly deep non-stick frying pan or wok over a high heat. Then add the onion, garlic, chopped chillies, tomatoes, cumin, chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric, sugar and salt.
4. Fry it down: Stir-fry for 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the oil begins to split from the sauce. But don’t let the garlic or spices burn, because they would make the sauce bitter.
5. Add the chicken: Add the chicken pieces and the whole split chillies, then cook for 2 minutes, turning the chicken regularly.
6. Simmer: Pour in the water, stir in the cream if using and reduce the heat slightly. Then cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
7. Serve: Don’t let the chicken overcook or it will toughen, so serve it straight away with freshly cooked rice.

FAQs

How do you make it milder?

They say to use just 2 chillies and take out all the seeds, and you should still get the flavour but less of the heat. And if you can’t find Kashmiri chilli powder, their swap is ½ teaspoon of hot chilli powder plus 2 teaspoons of paprika.

So for a really gentle version, I’d use that swap with fewer chillies, since sweet paprika keeps the colour with little heat.

Can you cut down the oil?

You can, but they defend the 4 tablespoons in the headnote, saying the oil helps make the sauce taste great. By my count it’s about 120 calories a portion, a third of the 345 before any cream.

Cut it too far and the spices can catch before the 5 minutes are up, so my own limit is 3 tablespoons.

How is it different from their beef madras?

Their Eat for Life beef madras is a diet fakeaway, braised in the oven for 1½ to 1¾ hours at a stated 346 calories. But this one is the fast weeknight curry, and they write that boneless, skinless thighs can replace the breasts if you like.

I’d expect thighs to be more forgiving, since breast toughens if overcooked, though no separate timing for thighs is printed.

Should you make your own garam masala?

They think so, since ready-made blends are often bulked out with cheaper spices. So the recipe in Great Curries toasts 12 cardamom pods’ seeds with whole spices, then grinds them and adds nutmeg, turmeric and ginger.

And while many cooks add garam masala last, they add it early so the flavours mellow, which is why it goes in first here.

What should you serve with it?

Only rice is listed, but in Ultimate Comfort Food Dave remembers getting back to his London flat for a chicken madras and pilau rice. So their whole-spice pilau rice is the obvious partner, and it’s from Great Curries too.

For a takeaway-style spread, their gram flour onion bhajis make a good starter, while the book’s lemon rice is another side they rate with madras.