Kerala-style air-fryer roast chicken

 

“Here you’ll find the marriage of two of the greatest loves in my life – a roast dinner and a chicken curry! Using an air fryer makes this an efficient recipe for cooking a whole bird in a small space and, rubbed with fragrant spices then served up with gnarly veg, fluffy rice and crispy poppadoms, this is a low-maintenance way to cook-up a fantastic meal for the whole family. ”

Ingredients

• 1 x 1.5 kg whole free-range chicken
• 1 small cauliflower
• 4 tablespoons Kerala-style curry paste
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• 1 x 700 g jar of chickpeas
• 1 mug of basmati rice (300g)
• ½ a lemon
• ½ a cucumber
• ½ a red chilli
• 150 g natural yoghurt
• 3 tablespoons mango chutney
• ½ a pomegranate
• poppadoms , to serve
• CURRY SAUCE
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 5 cm piece of ginger
• 1 fresh red chilli
• 1 bunch of coriander (30g)
• groundnut oil
• 1 heaped teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 handful of curry leaves
• 300 g ripe cherry tomatoes
• 1 x 400 g tin of light coconut milk
• ½ a lemon

Method

1. Press down firmly on the chicken breasts to break the back bone, squashing the bird slightly, then slash each thigh a few times to help the heat penetrate as it cooks. Quarter the cauliflower, discarding any tatty outer leaves.
2. Rub 2 tablespoons each of curry paste and olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, all over the chicken and cauliflower, getting into all the nooks and crannies.
3. Place the chicken breast-side down, in the larger drawer of the air fryer and press down. Cook for 50 minutes at 200ºC, or until cooked through, turning halfway.
4. Place the cauliflower in the smaller drawer and cook for 50 minutes at 200ºC, adding the chickpeas halfway.
5. Meanwhile, for the curry sauce, peel and finely slice the onion, garlic and ginger, then deseed and finely slice the chilli. Pick the coriander leaves, finely chopping the stalks.
6. Put a large non-stick pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of groundnut oil, the spices and curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, a pinch of black pepper, the coriander stalks and tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon as you go. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of curry paste and cook for 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
7. Pour 2 mugs of boiling kettle water into a pan, halve and add the lemon, along with a pinch of salt and place on a high heat. Tip in the rice, stir well, then cover and cook on a low heat for 12 minutes, or until tender. Leave to sit for 2 minutes, then fluff up with a fork. Remove the lemon and squeeze it over the rice.
8. Stir in the coconut milk, then simmer gently on a medium-low heat until reduced to a saucy consistency. Season to perfection with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
9. Coarsely grate the cucumber and place in a small bowl, squeezing out the excess moisture. Finely chop and add the chilli, then stir in the yoghurt. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
10. Put the mango chutney into a small serving bowl. Holding the pomegranate half cut-side down in the palm of your hand, bash the back with a spoon so all the seeds tumble out into the bowl. Mix together.
11. Spoon the rice onto a serving platter or board, place the cooked chicken on top, then arrange the cauliflower and chickpeas around the sides. Serve the curry sauce in a bowl, with the smaller bowls of cucumber yoghurt and mango chutney on the side, and a stack of poppadoms. Scatter over the coriander leaves, then tuck in.