Chicken Tikka Jambalaya – 6sp

My chicken and chorizo jambalaya is one of my most popular recipes and I’m also a big fan so last week, when I was thinking of ways to jazz up my jambalaya, this idea hit me and I knew I had to give it a go. The result was delicious, filling and yet packed with flavour, you would never believe that the bowl food of food that I ate at the end was only 6sp. Even better, it now means I have two delicious recipes for jambalaya…winner!

The recipe I created involves marinading the chicken a little and then grilling it separately to give the dish that true chicken tikka flavour. If you don’t have time for this however, simply pan fry the chicken with 1kal in the garlic, ginger, lemon and spices, remove from the pan and then add back when the recipe dictates.

Chicken Tikka Jambalaya – 8sp

Serves 4 = 6sp per serving (Flex)

Ingredients

For the chicken

125g fat free Greek yoghurt

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tbsp tikka masala powder

1 tsp each chilli powder and cumin

½ tsp turmeric, cinnamon and salt

400g chicken breast, cubed

For the jambalaya

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 peppers, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tsp each cumin, chilli powder, garam masala, paprika and ground coriander

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x chicken stock cube made with ½ litre boiling water

Juice of ½ lemon

200g basmati rice

50g fat free Greek yoghurt

To serve

1 fresh chilli, finely chopped

Large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Final dollop of fat free Greek yoghurt (1 tbsp per person)

Method

Take a large bowl and add all the ingredients for the chicken marinade, stir and then add the cubed chicken. Coat the chicken, cover with cling film and then pop in the fridge for half an hour (or up to 8 hours if you have the time).

Whilst the chicken is marinading you can start with the jambalaya.

Spray a large saucepan with 1kal, add the onions and fry for 5-7 minutes until they start to soften (add a little water if the pan gets too dry). Next add the garlic, peppers and rice and fry for another few minutes. Next add all the dry spices with a little splash of water and stir to combine. Fry for a minute and then add the chopped tomatoes with 250ml of chicken stock.

Stir and then cover with tin foil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is cooked through. Keep stirring the pan throughout so the rice doesn’t stick and add more stock as you go along so it continues to cook. You want the finished dish to be nice and moist but not ‘saucy’, almost like a risotto. You might not use all the stock, it will depend on how hot your hob gets but you want to make sure that when the rice is cooked, that the jambalaya isn’t too wet.

Whilst the rice is cooking, thread the chicken pieces on to skewers (I used wooden skewers and soaked them in cold water for a few minutes first to prevent them burning in the grill) and then pop under a hot grill for 15-18 minutes (until cooked through). Keep turning the chicken so that it browns nicely on all sides. Reserve the remaining marinade from the chicken bowl and add to the rice mixture whilst it bubbles away.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove the skewers. Keeping a few chunks aside to dress, toss the rest of the chicken through to jambalaya, add another 2 tbsp of yoghurt and the juice of half a lemon to the pan and stir. Season to taste and then pop into bowls. Top with the reserved chicken, a small dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of fresh chillies and coriander.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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16 thoughts on “Chicken Tikka Jambalaya – 6sp

  1. Fiona Chaffers says:

    Looks stunning have added this to my recipe folder for a chilly weekend meal. Thank you so much for your lovely recipes.
    Fi.

  2. Frankie says:

    loved the chicken and chorizo jambalaya. cannot wait to make this for the family tonight.
    I have just marinated the chicken and the marinade looks and smells delicious!

  3. Janey G says:

    OMG!!! Just cooked this tonight and it was amazing!! Cut down on the rice amount to 70g for 2 and used birdseye chilli for extra whoof!
    Will be cooking this again
    Loved it!!

  4. JaneyG says:

    OMG!! Just cooked this tonight, it was amazing!! I did cut down on the rice to 70g for 2 people and used 2 birdseye chillies for extra woof!!
    Will be cooking this again.
    Loved it!!

    • lakettle says:

      Hey Cerys, hope you enjoy it! Yes you can do just make sure it’s properly defrosted and heated until piping hot before you eat again x

  5. Melanie E. says:

    I’m eating my own version of Chicken Tikka Jambalaya right now! I made Chicken Tikka Masala last night, and decided to make some extra basmati rice to go with the leftovers today. I had much more rice than I needed, but I used it all anyway.
    I added some extra yogurt to make the sauce go further, and I realized it looked exactly like jambalaya. It turned out wonderfully! I’m from Louisiana, (moved up to Wisconsin), and I miss jambalaya so much, along with gumbo, crawfish etoufee, shrimp creole, boudin, etc… But I especially miss rice-based dishes; up North rice is used rather sparingly, as a side dish only.
    I searched the internet to see if anyone besides me had invented a Chicken Tikka Jambalaya, and yours was the only one I could find. I can’t wait to make it, it looks delicious! Thanks!

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