- A thumb of ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp tikka masala spice blend
- 150g yogurt
- 4 chicken legs
- 2 red onions
- 1 cauliflower
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 300g white basmati rice
- 2 limes
- A handful of coriander
- 2 tbsp olive, sunflower or coconut oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 600ml hot water
- Large baking tray or roasting tin
- Large pan with lid
- Measuring jug
- 1.
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic into a large mixing bowl. Tip in 1 tbsp tikka masala spice blend and the yogurt. Add 1 tbsp oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Line a large baking tray or roasting tin with foil.
- 2.
Using a small, sharp knife, score small, shallow cuts into the chicken legs. Lay them on the foillined tray. Spoon over most of the tikka yogurt, leaving about 1 tbsp in the bowl for later. Rub the marinade all over chicken and into the cuts you made. Slide the chicken into the oven for 30 mins.
- 3.
Meanwhile, peel and thickly slice the red onions. Trim the base off the cauliflower and discard any ragged leaves. Pull off the rest of the leaves and set them to one side. Chop the cauliflower into bitesize florets, and chop the stalk to match. Set aside.
- 4.
Add 1 tsp turmeric and 1 tbsp oil to the reserved tikka yogurt. Add the cauliflower and onion and mix to coat them in the marinade. When the chicken has cooked for 30 mins, nestle the veg around the chicken, pouring over any remaining marinade from the bowl. Top with the cauliflower leaves. Slide into the oven and cook for 25 mins. The chicken should roast for 55 mins in total.
- 5.
When the chicken has 20 mins left to cook, fill and boil your kettle. Rinse the rice under cold water and tip it into a large pan. Add 600ml boiling water and a pinch of salt. Cover, bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down. Gently cook for 6-8 mins till all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Take the pan off the heat and let it sit, lid on, for 5 mins to steam and finish cooking the rice.
- 6.
Finely grate the zest from the limes, then chop them into wedges. Roughly chop the coriander, leaves and stalks.
- 7.
Remove the chicken from the oven. It should be lightly charred and cooked through. Check by piercing the thickest part of the chicken near the bone and the juices should run clear. If they don’t cook a little longer.
- 8.
Serve the tandoori chicken and cauliflower with a scoop of fluffy rice, garnished with the coriander, lime zest and wedges of lime for squeezing.
- Tip
Get Ahead
You can marinate the chicken in the tikka yogurt mix for up to 24 hrs before you want to roast it. Follow the instructions in step 1, but pop the chicken in a tub or bowl, spoon over the marinade and turn to coat. Seal and store in the fridge. Take out of the fridge around 1 hr before you want to cook it. Keep the extra 1 tbsp yogurt for the cauliflower marinade in a separate bowl. - Tip
Room For 2?
If your baking tray or roasting tin is a bit tight and looks a bit crowded, divide the chicken and veg between 2 trays. The tray on the lower oven shelf will take a little longer to cook, so swap them over halfway through cooking the chicken and cauliflower so both trays are ready at the same time. - Tip
Love Your Leftovers
The tandoori chicken and cauliflower are both delicious cold and will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container. We don't recommend you keep the rice, so serve leftover tandoori chicken with freshly cooked rice or a crunchy green salad.
