Chicken tikka sticks and fennel raita

How to make Chicken tikka sticks and fennel raita recipe

Serves 6

Preparation time 20 minutes, plus marinating and chilling, Cooking time 8–10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
½ –1 large red or green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (to taste)
1. 5 cm (¾ inch) piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150 g (5 oz) fat-free natural yogurt
3 teaspoons mild curry paste
4 tablespoons chopped coriander
4 chicken breasts, about
150 g (5 oz) each, cubed
Fennel raita
1 small fennel bulb, about 200 g (7 oz)
200 g (7 oz) fat-free natural yogurt
3 tablespoons chopped coriander
salt and pepper

Method:
Mix the onion, chilli, ginger and garlic together in a shallow china or glass dish. Add the yogurt, curry paste and coriander and mix together.

Add the cubed chicken to the yogurt mixture, mix to coat, cover with clingfilm and chill for at least 2 hours.

Make the raita. Cut the core away from the fennel and finely chop the remainder, including any green tops. Mix the fennel with the yogurt and coriander and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the raita into a serving dish, cover with clingfilm and chill until needed.

Thread the chicken on to 12 skewers and place them on a foil-lined grill rack. Cook under a preheated grill for 8–10 minutes, turning once, or until browned and the chicken is cooked through. Transfer to serving plates and serve with the raita on the side.

For a red pepper & almond chutney, to serve with the skewers instead of the raita, blend 75 g (3 oz) shop-bought roasted peppers in a blender or food processor, with a handful of mint leaves, 1 chopped garlic clove and ½ teaspoon chilli powder.

Blend until smooth, then add salt to taste and 1½ tablespoons toasted flaked almonds. Pulse a couple of times to roughly crush the almonds and stir in 1 tablespoon chopped coriander.

Chicken tikka sticks and fennel raita