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Chicken Kofta

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Packed with herbs and served with a delicious homemade tomato sauce and zesty lemon yoghurt, these super simple Chicken Kofta are the perfect easy summer supper.

Ingredients

Scale

For the chicken kofta:

12 basil leaves

2 spring onions, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 small handful of dill

1 small handful of parsley

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for cooking

500g chicken mince

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

15g Parmesan, grated

30g panko breadcrumbs

For the tomato and chilli sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped (deseeded, if wished)

1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp salt

For the garlic yoghurt:

100g full-fat Greek yoghurt

1 fat clove garlic, crushed

juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

Rice

Flaked almonds

Fresh dill and parsley

Instructions

  1. Pop the basil, spring onions, garlic, dill, parsley and olive oil in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. 
  2. Place the chicken mince into a large bowl and add the blitzed herb mixture. Season well with salt and pepper, then add the grated Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs. Stir well to combine.
  3. Wet your hands, then press the mixture together and roll into koftas - they can be round or oblong. Place on a plate, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes.
  4. For the tomato and chilli sauce: heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped shallot. Season and fry gently for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until starting to soften.
  5. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until garlic is fragrant - you don't want it to brown or it will burn and become bitter. 
  6. Add the chopped tomatoes, caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir together and half fill the empty tin of tomatoes with water, swirl it round to get all the remaining tomato in the tin, then add to the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, then continue to simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced, thickened and glossy. Season to taste with salt. Remove from the heat and set aside ready to reheat before serving. 
  7. For the garlic yoghurt: combine the yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice together in a bowl. Season well with salt, to taste. Set aside to serve (or cover and chill in the fridge if prepping ahead).
  8. To cook the chicken koftas: heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the koftas and cook for about 8-10 minutes, turning often, until golden on all sides and cooked through. 
  9. Serve the koftas with fluffy rice, topped with a drizzle of the garlic yoghurt, alongside the warm tomato sauce, sprinkle with flaked almonds and fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Notes

Wet hands: running your hands under a little water before shaping the koftas will make it so much easier (and much less messy!).

Serving suggestion: I have served this with rice but you could also opt for flatbread or couscous.

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/chicken-kofta/