Indian style spicy chicken with rice noodles

Indian style spicy chicken with rice noodles

• 4 chicken breasts

For the marinade

• 1 tsp hot chilli powder (or 2 of mild)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 tbsp vinegar

For the sauce

• 2cm stick of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 4 cloves
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 3 tbsp water

For the noodles

• 100g dried rice noodles
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• 2 green chillies, cut lengthways 
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

Mix together the marinade ingredients and rub over the chicken breasts then set aside for 30 minutes.

For the sauce, mix together the spices and roast them in a dry frying pan until they begin to colour.  Using a pestle and mortar, grind the spices to a fine powder.  Heat the oil in the pan and fry the garlic until it starts to turn golden.  Add the onion and cook until softened, then add the spices, make sure you stir briskly to stop them from burning.  Add the tomato purée and cook for a further 2 minutes, stir in the water and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, place the chicken onto a baking try and cover each breast with the sauce, cook in the oven for around 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions.  In a large pan heat the oil then add the curry leaves and mustard seeds.  Once they start to crackle add the chillies and turmeric, stir and cook for a couple of minutes.  Drain the rice noodles, add to the pan along with the sliced pepper, stir through for a couple of minutes and then serve with the chicken.

On the face of it you may think there are a lot of ingredients but most of these will probably be in your store cupboard, the fresh curry leaves are widely available in a number of leading supermarkets.
This is a spicy dish but you can always use a milder chilli powder if you prefer.  There should be plenty of sauce on the chicken to incorporate into the noodles so it isn't a dry dish.  Who needs to go out for an Indian or even get a takeaway when you can make this quick and easy dish in the comfort of your own home?  I hope you enjoy as much as we did.