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Spiced Coconut & Cardamom Chicken with Glazed Pumpkin

A spice paste is mixed from garlic, ground cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, cayenne, cardamom and ginger, loosened with a little tikka masala curry paste and salt. Each chicken piece is rubbed all over with it, then sealed in a bag and left to marinate so the flavour works right through. Butternut pumpkin, cut into generous chunks, cooks alongside with canned tomatoes, brown sugar and sun-dried tomato paste, glazing as it softens. Lemon lifts the whole dish at the end. It is warmly spiced rather than hot, and works well for a crowd.
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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large Garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 heaped tsp Cumin seeds ground
  • 2 heaped tsp Coriander seeds ground
  • 1 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds ground
  • 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • 3 -4 Cardamon pods - use only the seeds ground
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
  • 3 tsp Curry paste Pataks Tikka Masala
  • Sea salt flakes
  • 8 Small chicken chops partly boned leg and thigh portions or skin-on thighs
  • 1.2 kg Butternut pumplin peeled cut into 2.5 cm chunks
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 400g Can diced or crushed tomatoes
  • 2 1/2 tbsp Brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp Sun-dried tomato pesto
  • 140 ml Light coconut cream
  • 1 Cinnamon stick snapped in half
  • Lemon or line juice to taste, coriander sprigs to garnish

Method
 

  1. * In a large bowl stir together the garlic, cumin, coriander, fennel, cayenne, cardamom, ginger, curry paste and a little salt. You will need to squash the curry paste in a bit with the back of a spoon so it's thoroughly mixed with everything else. Add the chicken, one piece at a time, and rub all over with the spice mixture so it is well coated. * As they are done, put the chicken pieces into a large snap-lock bag. Once you have finished coating them all, seal the bag and squish it around in your hands a bit. Now pop the bag into a container, seal it tightly and put it in the fridge for at least a few hours but overnight is better. Every so often, when you remember, take the bag out and squish it again.* When you're ready to cook the chicken, preheat your oven to 180º c* Scatter the pumpkin pieces over the bottom of a large roasting tin (36 cm x 26 cm) in a single layer. Nestle the chicken in amongst the pumpkin chunks as best you can.* Peel the lemon, making sure you remove all the white pith. Cut the flesh into little chunks, removing any seeds as you go. Tip the chunks into a bowl and thoroughly mix in the tomatoes, sugar, pesto, coconut cream and cinnamon. Scrape this mix over the chicken and pumpkin . Now use your hands to thoroughly coat the chicken and pumpkin pieces in the coconut mixture. Make sure chicken is skin-side up. * Pop the tin in the oven and bake the chicken, uncovered for about 1-1 1/4 hours carefully turning everything around after 40 minutes. When the chicken is ready transfer it to a plat, then sit it in a warm spot and tent it loosely with foil to keep it warm, Increase the oven temp to 210ºc and return the pumpkin to the oven. Cook it for another 20 mins or so until the edges of the chunks are crisp and sauce around them is thick.* Take the pumpkin out of the oven. There may be a thin film of oil from the coconut cream on the sauce - if there is just blot it up with paper towels. Taste the sauce and add more salt or lemon/lime if needed.* To serve, put a little mound of pumpkin and sauce on each plate, then prop the chicken alongside it. Serve with lemon or lime wedges and garnish with coriander if you like

Notes

Source: A Country Cookbook by Belinda Jeffery – Page 176