With BBQ season upon us we face the oncoming disappointment of dry and burned chicken breast. I suggest this recipe as an alternative. Murgh Malai is more gentle than the orange chicken tikka we’re used to. The flavours are aromatic and fresh. By using onion and yogurt to both tenderise the thigh meat you are assured to have moist tender meat. Ideally make the marinade the night before so the onion and yogurt have time to do their magic.
Serve this with either rice or naan bread. Pickle some cucumber in white wine vinegar for 30 minutes with nigella seeds as a side with some extra fresh coriander. You can serve with yogurt or mango chutney, however the chicken should be so moist you don’t actually need this.
Time: 15 minutes the day before and 30 minutes on the day
Serves: 4
Difficulty: straight forward
8-10 Chicken Thighs (boneless)
25ml of Yogurt
30g/1oz of Fresh Coriander
4 cloves of Garlic
2 Kaffir lime leaves
30g/1oz fresh Ginger
1-2 Green Chillis
1 large white Onion
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 Lime
Day Before
1. Prepare the chicken by removing any remaining bone and skin (even if you have bought boneless it will surprise you).
2. Add the onion, yogurt and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Roughly chop the ginger, coriander, chillis, kaffir lime leaves and the garlic.
4. Add everything so far to a large container. Mix well to cover.
On the Day
1. Either cook the chicken on the BBQ by putting them on metal skewers and cooking over a high heat until they reach 75 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit).
Or
Place the chicken on a wire rack over oven large proof dish. Place the chicken on the rack and cook in the oven at 220 degrees Celsius (430 degrees Fahrenheit). It should take around 25 minutes to get to this temperature but use a probe thermometer that can be left in the oven for better control.
2. Cut the lime into wedges and serve with the chicken.
Recipes from my kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland 