Spiced yoghurt chicken Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

The acidity of yoghurt, especially more mature yoghurt, makes it a terrific marinade for tenderising meat, helping to carry flavours deep into the flesh.

This dish is simple to make, but it has a pleasing complexity of flavour. I use skinless chicken thighs here, as they have such great texture and taste, but you can use any parts of a jointed bird.

Serves 4

• 8 chicken thighs, bone in, skin removed
• 1 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Flaked almonds, lightly toasted, to finish
• Coriander leaves, to finish (optional)
• Basmati rice, to serve

For the marinade

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 300g natural wholemilk yoghurt (less than fresh is fine)
• Juice of 1 lemon

First make the marinade. Either pound the shallot, ginger, garlic and spices together with a good pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar, or whiz them to a rough paste in a food processor. 

Scrape the paste into a bowl (big enough to hold the chicken) and whisk in the yoghurt, lemon juice and some black pepper. Add the chicken thighs and turn them over to coat with the marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight if you can.

Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you bake it. Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/gas 6.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat and saute the onion until soft and just starting to turn golden, for about 8 minutes. Arrange the chicken in an ovenproof dish in a one layer and spoon the yoghurt marinade over the top. Scatter over the onion.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear (not pink) when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a small, sharp knife. 

Scatter with toasted almonds, and coriander leaves if you have some to hand. Serve with basmati rice.

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Spiced yoghurt chicken

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