If you joined us on our 50th anniversary golden bus tour last year, you’ll have seen our brilliant chef, Sal, keeping everyone entertained and well fed during the live cooking demonstrations.
Well, now Sal’s back – this time cooking from her sister’s home, where she’s been socially distancing since the start of lockdown – with a series of special ‘cook-in’ recipe videos, as filmed by her nieces on their mobile phones!
As we’re all trying to shop less and make money go further, in these videos Sal helps us to make the most of whatever Free Food we’ve already got in our cupboards, fridges and freezers. We’ve had a classic spag bol and a vegetarian chilli – and this week we’ve got a real fakeaway favourite!
On the menu this week is an easy chicken curry. Sal tells us more…
“This curry is adapted from Slimming World’s 50 Golden Greats, a cookbook released to celebrate Slimming World’s golden anniversary and showcase favourite recipes from the last 50 years. It’s a recipe that definitely deserves its spot on the ‘most popular’ list and one I think everyone should have in their ‘back pocket’ for when they fancy a tasty, healthy curry.
I love the simplicity of this recipe. You don’t need a cupboard full of different spices, just curry powder and fresh chilli (or chilli flakes) – and you can tweak the amount of both to suit your own taste. If you’ve got family members who like their curry hot, a good tip is to add extra sliced fresh chilli or chilli flakes to their portions after you’ve dished up. Some of my family prefer it fiery, while others like it mild, so this is a super suit-all recipe that I go back to again and again.
To make things even quicker and easier, I often batch cook the paste (following the recipe up to the point of adding the chicken) and freeze, so I have that simple spicy base ready and waiting to defrost and go!
Please join in and cook along with me from your kitchen. And remember to check back, as I’ll be doing a cook-in video every week throughout May.”
Sal’s easy chicken curry tips
- Use a teaspoon to peel the ginger rather than a peeler, as it’s easier (especially around the knobbly parts).
- If you can’t get hold of fresh spinach, frozen is fine – and kale will work well, too. Even a bag of rocket, watercress and spinach salad will do, if you’ve got some in the fridge that needs using up.
- Remember to let the curry cool down off the heat for 5 minutes before stirring in the yogurt. This will stop it from curdling.
- You’ll see I’ve cooked the onions in a little water, with the pan lid on so that they steam. Once the water has evaporated, the natural sugars make them go brown and sticky.
- A Free mango salsa is a great alternative to Synned bought mango chutney. Simply chop a ripe mango into small chunks, add some chopped red onion and red chilli, a good squeeze of lime and some chopped coriander.
- This recipe uses chicken breast chunks, but we often have it on a Monday to use up leftover roast chicken from Sunday lunch. Great if you’re finding chicken breasts hard to get hold of, or just want to make those meals stretch further (remove any skin or fat to keep this recipe Free).
Slimming World easy chicken curry
Serves 4
FREE
Ready in 45 minutes
What you need:
3 garlic cloves, crushed
5cm piece fresh root ginger, grated
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped (or ½ tsp chilli flakes)
2 onions, diced
1 chicken stock cube
2 tbsp curry powder (add more or less, depending on how hot you like it)
3 tbsp tomato purée
6 skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
200g spinach leaves
100g fat-free natural Greek yogurt
small handful of fresh coriander, chopped, to serve
What you do:
1. Put the garlic, ginger, chilli, onion and crumbled stock cube into a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add a splash of water and stir well. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Uncover, increase the heat to high and continue to cook, stirring now and then, until the excess liquid has gone and the onions are golden and syrupy. Add the curry powder to the pan, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add 150ml water, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Stir in the spinach and cook very gently for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted, stirring often.
6. Remove from the heat and leave for 5 minutes before stirring in the yogurt. Scatter the coriander over the curry and serve with rice.
This easy chicken curry is an absolute classic, but if it’s not your top curry choice, we’ve got a full menu of fakeaway favourites – from koftas and keemas to red curry pork skewers and Thai green curry soup!
When you join Slimming World, you get access to a vast recipe collection on the website and app, as well as a handy Food Search tool to help you plan your meals. You’ll have everything you need to Food Optimise at your fingertips! Combining this with support from an expert Consultant and the welcoming Slimming World community will pave the way for a successful weight loss journey.
Please join in with the cook along and let us know how you get on – we’d love to see what you’re creating, how you’ve made it work for you and the ingredients you’ve got. And you can share your pics on social media, too, using #EatWellAtHome