This is a fantastic budget meal that can last for days! I normally make this and have it as a meal with rice or couscous on the night and then eat the rest as soup for lunches for the next couple of days – pretty good for one chicken I think and it’s low in fat and high in taste – what more could you ask for?
1 whole chicken – you choose how big
1 tin chickpeas
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 green pepper diced
1 or 2 fresh or dried chilli sliced – to taste
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 bottle of passata (700g bottle)
1.5 litres veg stock
1 heaped tablespoon curry paste – I use Patak’s lemon and coriander masala paste
1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with a little water
You will need a large stock pot for this. Spray a little oil on in the pot and turn on the heat. Add the onion, garlic peppers and sweet potato, put the lid on and let them sweat for 5 mins or so.
In the meantime, get your chicken and peel off all the skin – the only bits that will be tricky is the wings – I normally just leave the skin on those.
When the onion, garlic, sweet potato and peppers has softened a little, add the tomatoes, passata, curry paste, chilli, tomato puree and stock and give it a good stir. Then add the whole chicken to the pan, turn up the heat and let it come to the boil and then simmer for 1 hour.
After 1 hour have a taste and then add salt and pepper. It may need a little more curry paste or chilli – depending on your taste.
Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate. Take all the meat off the bones and cut up into bite-size pieces. Put all meat back into the pot and stir.
Add the cornflour mix into the pot and stir until it thickens.
Serve in deep bowls with rice or couscous as a warming winter meal or serve as a soup with crusty bread. This dish will serve many people or if there’s only two of you will last a few days if stored in the fridge and will also freeze well.
Variation:
Lentils work well instead of chickpeas – just add 6oz red lentils to the stock.