Grilled Mango Chutney Chicken with Lentil Curry

Light but filling, simple but delicious, flavourful but low cost... this recipe is just a must! Most of us have a tin of tomatoes and a jar of mango chutney in the house and they form the basis of this recipe. An onion, a few garlic cloves, fresh ginger and two of my favourite spices (Nigella seeds and cumin) bring the whole thing together.

I used split red lentils as that's what I had in but you can use mung daal or yellow lentils instead. To serve, this is great as it is but you can jazz it up with an extra dollop of yoghurt, some lime wedges for squeezing over and a naan bread on the side. 

Grilled Mango Chutney Chicken with Lentil Curry
Serves 4

oil

1 large onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1 tbsp nigella seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

30g fresh ginger, grated

400g tin chopped tomatoes

250g split red lentils

4 tbsp mango chutney

4 free-range chicken breasts

3 tbsp natural yoghurt

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a good drizzle of oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion and a good pinch of salt then cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes then stir in both the seeds and the ginger. Cook for another 2 minutes then add the tin of tomatoes, lentils and 600ml cold water.

Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until the lentils are soft. Meanwhile, mix the yoghurt with 3 tbsp of the mango chutney and a good pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts and coat in the yoghurt mixture. Preheat the grill to high.

Once the grill is up to temperature, place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with foil and cook under the grill for 15 minutes. Turn then cook for 5 minutes more until just cooked through. Set aside to rest.

When the lentils are cooked, stir through the remaining 1 tbsp mango chutney and season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice the chicken breasts then serve alongside the lentil curry.