Slimming World 'Butter' Chicken



I've started to blog about my meal planning and linking to At Home With Mrs M as part of my weight loss/healthy eating plan with Slimming World. Someone commented they would be interested in the recipe and I've had tweets on a similar vein from various people. So that's whats inspired this particular post!



Pic taken from the magazine



I found the recipe in The Slimming World magazine March/April 2011 edition, but am sure it can also be found on their website. It's Syn Free on Extra Easy or Original. But even for people not following the plan, it's a truly delicious curry and worth the effort it takes. Some preparation needs to happen the night before you want to cook it as the chicken needs marinated

The butter is replaced with yogurt to give it the creamy taste without the Syns or added fat.

Serves 4

Ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes plus 12 - 24 hours marinating



Ingredients

1 tbsp fennel seeds

4 tbsp  madras curry powder (I didn't have any, so just used mild curry powder)

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1in/2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated. (I used a tbsp of ginger from a jar)

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

4fl oz/113ml passata

5oz/142g fat-free natural yogurt

2lb/908 skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into large bite-sized pieces (I left it on the bone, I won't next time!)

Fry Light

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 cinnamon stick (Again, I didn't have any, so used half a tsp of ground cinnamon)

4 green cardamon pods

Salt and black pepper



400g can chopped tomatoes

1/4pt / 142ml chicken stock

Fat-free natural fromage frais, chili powder and handful of chopped coriander, to serve

Instructions

Dry-fry the fennel seeds and curry powder in a non-stick frying pan for 1-2 minutes or until the fennel seeds release a warm aroma. Transfer the seeds and powder onto a clean work surface and crush with rolling pin (or use a pestle and mortar set if you have one. Something for my Christmas list!) until ground into a powder.

Put the ground spices into a food processor along with the garlic, ginger, vinegar, passata and half the yogurt. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, blend in the rest of the yogurt and add the chicken. Mix well, cover and keep refrigerated  to marinate for 12 to 24 hours.



When ready to cook, spray a large non-stick wok or pan with Fry Light and place over a medium heat. Add the onion, cinnamon and cardamom pods. Stir fry for 6 to 8 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. (I had to add a little water as they were sticking to the pan at this point) Add the chicken mixture and cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Season well.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 40 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice topped with the fromage frais, sprinkling of chili  powder and garnished with the coriander.

I was so pleased with the result, it tasted so good and I hadn't used a packet or jar! I think the sauce can be cooked without the chicken and then used in other recipes so will be experimenting and let you know the results!