Recipe of the Week: Persian Chicken and Vegetable Stew

Combining chicken, aubergine and courgettes with the subtle flavours of the middle east for a delicious alternative to a traditional stew. It’s so flavoursome, it may even win over the more cautious palate! It’s best made ahead and reheated in the same dish; perfect for a family midweek supper or entertaining guests.

To make this Chicken and Vegetable Bake, you’ll need:

• 2 medium Onions, finely chopped
• 2 large Aubergines, cut into thick wedges (cut the aubergine in half first so the wedges are not too long)
• 2 Courgettes, cut into thick wedges (as above)
• 4 Chicken breasts, scored with a sharp knife
• 2 tsp Turmeric
• 2 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 250ml tomato passata
• Salt to taste
• 1 200g jar sun dried tomatoes or handful of fresh cherry tomatoes
• Rapeseed oil

Here’s how:

In a large bowl, toss the aubergines in a little rapeseed oil, salt and pepper and arrange on a large baking tray.

Repeat for courgettes and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 35 mins until golden, but not overcooked.

Meanwhile, arrange the chicken breasts, onions and tomatoes in a large baking dish and sprinkle all the spices over. With your hands, gently “massage” the spices into the mixture so it is evenly distributed.

When the vegetables are cooked, add them to the chicken. Season well and pour over the passata and finish off with a drizzle of oil.

Cover with foil or lid and bake at 170 degrees for 45-60mins. Ensure the the chicken pieces are covered in sauce from time to time during cooking and add a little water if it looks dry

When the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thick, adjust the seasoning. Ideally allow it to “rest” so that the flavours can settle and serve hot with basmati rice or on it’s own.  I always like to serve a green salad with a lemon vinaigrette on the side!

May Simpkin is a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist with a Masters Science degree in Personalised Nutrition. She is an experienced clinician and Head of Wellbeing at Grace Belgravia, London., as well as Chair of the Continual Professional Committee at BANT, the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy . She is also registered with IFM, The Institute for Functional Medicine and a member of the RSM, The Royal Society of Medicine.

For more recipes visit: www.maysimpkin.com

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