Tandoori Chicken with Cucumber Mint Rice

I'm all for cheats and tricks to make things delicious with little effort and I have to say a good quality curry paste gives you exactly that. This dish uses madras curry paste (although you could use any you like) with yogurt and garlic to tenderise and flavour chicken breasts so that they're totally melt in the mouth and full of flavour.

To go alongside, I'm serving easy-peasy microwave rice bolstered with fresh mint, the crunch of cucumber and the subtlest hint of rice vinegar, olive oil and sugar so that every mouthful is perfectly balanced. The final touch is a good dollop of mango chutney for sweetness and tang.

Tandoori Chicken with Cucumber Mint Rice
Serves 4

100g Greek yogurt 

50g madras curry paste 

1 garlic clove, crushed 

4 free-range chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 x 250g pouches ready-to-heat rice 

1 cucumber, sliced into thin half-moons (or 4 baby cucumbers, cut into thin rounds)

1 small pack fresh mint, leaves picked and finely chopped 

1 tbsp rice vinegar 

1 tsp olive oil 

¼ tsp caster sugar 

Mango chutney, to serve

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the yogurt, curry paste and crushed garlic in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and coat. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 

Heat the grill to high. Line a baking sheet with foil and lay the chicken fillets on the foil. Grill for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through and golden with a nice bit of charring. 

Meanwhile, heat the rice according to the pack instructions, then put in a mixing bowl with the cucumber and mint. Whisk the rice vinegar, oil, sugar and plenty of salt and pepper in a bowl, then toss through the rice salad. Serve the chicken with the rice, any juices and mango chutney.