Clodagh McKenna's spiced chicken and chickpea curry

I love one-pot suppers. The ease of bringing lots of delicious flavours together into one pot that simmers away while I soak in the bath is my kind of heaven.

There are so many Indian restaurants that inspire me. First on the list is Hoppers in Soho (Sri Lankan) — its Egg Hopper is worth travelling for. Then it’s Kricket, also in Soho, where you must try the Keralan fried chicken —it is so good it gives me goosebumps. And, for a special evening, Gymkhana in Mayfair is where I always have the most magical Indian food experience — everything is delicious. But book in advance as it’s well known for being the best.

But tonight it’s a curry at home, so get your one pot on the go and run the bath.

It may seem as though there are lots of ingredients in this curry but most are spices. The spices need to be toasted, which brings out their natural oils and flavour. It’s important to seal and brown the chicken first, which locks in the juices. I use chickpeas but I sometimes use cannellini beans, or a tin of mixed beans. You could substitute the spinach with kale or add sweet potato. — I would do this at the same time as putting the chickpeas in.

The curry is delicious on its own or you could serve it with brown rice, boiled baby potatoes, or naan bread.

Spiced chicken and chickpea curry

Serves: six

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter

• 6 bone-in chicken legs

• (thigh and drumstick)

• 2 large onions, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1½ tbsp ginger, peeled and grated

• 2 tsp ground coriander

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp ground turmeric

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• 400g cooked chickpeas, rinsed & drained

• 470ml chicken broth

• 150g baby spinach

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• 60g Greek yoghurt

• 60g flat leaf parsley, chopped

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3.

2. Melt the butter in a casserole dish or a large saucepan over a medium heat. Season the chicken pieces with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces until they are golden brown on all sides. Then transfer to a plate.

3. Add the onions to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until they are soft and golden brown.

4. Stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant. Then stir in the chickpeas and the chicken broth. Return the chicken pieces and their juices to the pot.

Bring to a simmer, cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook for 45-55 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

5. Remove the pot from the oven and place over a low heat, then stir in the spinach, which should take only a minute to wilt.

6. Transfer the curry to a large deep platter and serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and flat-leaf parsley.

Follow Clodagh on Instagram @clodagh_mckenna