… now that all the brou-ha-ha from the Village Show has died down I thought I ought to get back to some proper cooking and with this mini heatwave upon us there really is nothing better than a little barbecue… which I managed to find at the back of the shed… finally…
… this is a very simple dish that my mum used to knock out at every barbecue back when I was a young man… it is impressive in both its simplicity and it’s flavour and works well with fish as well as chicken… in fact I was down in London visiting mum this week and she managed to find the original recipe she’d cut out from a magazine back in 1987 which was for curried yoghurt and salmon… how ’80’s is that…?
BBQ chicken thigh curry with yoghurt and Ainsley Harriott’s Cous Cous
… the yoghurt tenderises the chicken in ways that you will not imagine… and the Indian spices are quite mellow which I think works beautifully on the barbie… i’m using some individual spices and some garam masala to create my curry mix but I know that if mum makes this now she simply uses a pre-mixed curry powder and it really tastes just as good… and of course it really works perfectly with the Ainsley Harriott Cous Cous which, like the chicken, couldn’t be quicker to prepare…
… I have of course, done some veggie skewers for The Viking using mushrooms, red peppers and veggie sausages which i’ve cut into chunks and marinated for the same time as the chicken…
a selection of chicken portions
1 pot of greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon honey (i’m using some of that lovely thyme honey from the New Zealand Honey Co.)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds – crushed
1 teaspoon coriander seeds – crushed
2 teaspoon garam masala
4 spring onions – finely chopped
– dry fry the crushed cumin and coriander for about 4 minutes or so and then set aside to cool
– mix all the spices with the yogurt and honey and then add the chopped spring onions and the chicken (or veggies if using) and mix well
– cover and let it all marinade for at least an hour in the fridge, if not 4 hours)
– when ready to grill, remove the chicken from the bowl and let any excess yoghurt drip off
– grill on a hot barbecue or bake in a very hot oven and make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked through before eating… we had ours with the lemon, mint and parsley cous cous and the sundried tomato and garlic cous cous… heaven!
… whilst we’re talking about Ainsley Harriot, I have some very exciting news… I have been invited to take part in an exclusive competition… I get to spend the day, along with four other lucky bloggers, cooking with Ainsley in London… the day will be full of trials and no doubt tribulations and will be filmed… this film will then go onto the Ainsley Harriot facebook page where their followers will pick one very lucky person to win a culinary trip of a lifetime to a secret destination somewhere in the world to discover more about the special ingredients that will go into the next Ainsley Harriott Soup Cup… as you can imagine I am exceptionally excited and feel totally privileged to have been asked to be one of the five… I will of course be asking you for your votes in the weeks to come and will write a post on my day with Ainsley and update you on progress… how exciting!!
eat and of course, enjoy!
OOOH I am a big fan of marinading chicken in yoghrt (I also add a bit of cream) it really works well to tenderise and get the flavour of the spices into the chicken. This looks lovely
This is superb, and I'm going to be trying your curry recipe as soon as I get home to my spice cupboard!
Have a great day with Ainsley, it sounds like fun, and I look forward to hearing all about it.
Like the idea of veggie sausages – could have done with this on Sunday night – we lit the fire pit in the garden and had a winter BBQ. Although my daughter in law did make some great fish burgers for our veggie girls.
How very exciting for you Dom!! Have a great time cooking with Ainsley!!
The chicken looks and sounds perfect! You know me.. I love a good backyard barbecue! Nothing better in my book!
Oh gosh…you know how much I love chicken thighs…gotta try this…
Sounds very exciting. I do love a good veggie barbeque!!
Fish burgers for veggie girls Magnolia Verandah…… veggies don't eat fish!!
Sue xx
DOM! I DON'T believe it! I have also been asked to attend that very same cookery school on the 29th August! I am not sure if I can attend yet, but I am VERY tempted to splash the cash and attend!
Back to the THIGHS! LUSH as always! I LOVE recipes like this!
Karen
in competition again Karen!!
Wowzers! You lead such an exciting life, you lucky dog, you! As usual, the thighs are exceptional! So… when's that chicken thigh cookbook coming out? You certainly are racking up the chicken thigh recipes!
The chicken looks really yummy, I love anything cooked over the barbecue. Thanks for joining my blog, good luck with cooking with Ainsley Harriot x
You have mentioned before your fondness for chicken thighs. I echo that. Also, I've marinated chicken in yogurt and it is indeed a wonderful method. This has given me something to do to extend more variety into the meals I prepare for Peter every day. Thanks.
chicken looks absolutely mouth watering!
Yogurt marinade is so great on chicken! Or on fish…or probably on any number of other meats. 🙂 I'm going to have to breakout the grill for this one.
Give AInsley Harriott his couscous back…Sorry I couldn't resist. This looks amazing. The thighs really are the most tasty part of the chicken and marinade really does tenderise the meat…it's great for making jerk chicken too.
yummy…
What a delicious looking supper. Using the grill makes everything taste more summery. You can count on me to vote often if that kind of voting is allowed. You have been having a lot of good news lately. Good for you Dom!
lovely
I have just eaten a shit BR sandwich!
Delicious stuff – I'm glad you found that barbecue. I'm still looking for my favourite long-handled barbecue turning implement thingy, though. I've eaten curried yoghurt coated salmon and I'm pretty sure that the first time was back in the 80s (actually it can be pretty good). Good luck on your day with Mr Harriot.
Dude you are so lucky to be part of the competition!! I miss watching Ainsley back in the day when he'd be on Fern Brittons cooking show which I can't remember the name??
Good luck and let us know when to vote!!
We had our first bbq of the season last night. There is something about chicken on the 'barby' 🙂
Lucky you! 🙂 Good luck!
Oooh good luck with the competition!
The chicken looks gorgeous – am also quite fond of Ainsley's couscous mixes, make a speedy lunch!
Wouldn't it be exciting if the secret destination was somewhere like Sicily or Turkey to see them make couscous first hand, and a trip to London. Way to go Dom!!!!