Beautiful Butter Chicken Bunny Chow

Ingredients

Cooks in:1 hour        Serves:15 as a snack or 6 as a main meal

• 500 g chicken thighs, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
• 2 tsp each of turmeric, medium hot curry powder, ground coriander, cumin and dried chilli flakes (Don't throw all the spices together yet; just keep the boxes out and ready, as you need only half of each to start with.)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 x 410 g can chopped peeled tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 3 Tbsp ground almonds (the vital secret ingredient!)
• 12 ready made mini pita breads
• 100 ml low-fat coconut milk
• a handful of chopped fresh coriander
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

What to do

If possible, the morning before:

Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and coat with the yoghurt, and 1 tsp each of the turmeric, curry powder, coriander, cumin and chilli. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge to rest.
* I have made this without the resting time and it’s still delicious; so don’t panic if you don’t have time.

To cook:

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium-sized pot over a medium–high heat. Add the garlic, grated ginger, black pepper and remaining spices, and let them 'marry' with the oil until fragrant.

2. Add the chicken mix in a couple of batches so that the pot isn't overwhelmed. Stir and let it come to a simmer, 3–5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce and ground almonds.

3. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes. You will know you're close when the colour starts to change to a delicious rich burnt orange and the meat is really tender. Try not to stir too often, as this can break up the chicken too much.

4. Heat the oven to 200 °C. Lay out the mini pitas on a baking tray, sprinkle lightly with water and bake them for about 1 minute until golden.

5. About 5 minutes before serving, add the coconut milk to the butter chicken and stir gently and add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle over the fresh coriander.

6. To serve, arrange the pitas on a platter with the dish of butter chicken and a few teaspoons on the side for serving. Your friends can then spoon the chicken directly into the pitas, making their own ‘bunny chows’.

For a main meal option, serve with a side salad and readymade naan bread, cous cous or basmati rice.

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