Hariyali chicken biryani traybake
SERVES 4 | PREP 25 MINS PLUS MARINATING | COOK 1 HR 15 MINS EASY | GF
1 large chicken or 8 bone-in thighs
MARINADE
50g coriander
50g mint leaves
30g tarragon leaves (optional)
30g basil leaves
8 garlic cloves, peeled thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 green finger chillies
75g greek yogurt
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 lemon, juiced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
RICE
300g basmati rice 7 green cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick few strands of saffron
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
coriander, chopped, to garnish
pomegranate seeds, to garnish
poppadoms
greek yogurt swirled with lime
pickle, to serve
A whole roast chicken always indicates celebration: it’s a bold statement and everyone thinks you’ve gone to so much effort. This is a brilliant prep-ahead dish, with luxurious flavours and minimal washing-up. Most are familiar with the bright-red tandoori or orange-tinged tikka marinades. Here I give the fiery hues a tranquil green makeover. This has all the Indian flavours of your familiar favourite, with herby harmonies that are so delicious you might never go back to sunset tikka again.
1 Spatchcock the chicken by removing the backbone using kitchen scissors and flattening the bird – or ask your butcher to do it.
In a food processor, blitz all the marinade ingredients except the onions, with a good pinch of salt, until smooth. In a baking tray, pour the marinade over the chicken and rub all over. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hr, or overnight in the fridge, covered with foil.
