A tantalising Thai-up that brings saucy, far-flung flavours to your midweek supper menu.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the sauce
400ml tin coconut milk
2-3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
The juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
For the traybake
I large aubergine, sliced
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 chicken thighs (skin on, bone in)
3 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
150g spinach leaves
To serve: steamed Jasmine rice
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 5 and mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.
Tip the aubergine, peppers and onion into a large shallow roasting tin, drizzle with 2 tbsp of the oil, season well and toss together. Cover with half the sauce and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, loosen the skin on the chicken thighs with your fingertips and fill the ‘pockets’ with the Thai sweet chilli sauce. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a high heat then add the chicken (skin side down) and brown quickly until the skin is crisp and golden.
Remove the roasting tin from the oven, add the remaining sauce and stir to combine. Place the browned chicken on top of the vegetable/sauce mixture, submerging the flesh into the sauce but leaving the skin uncovered. Return the tray to the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken has thoroughly cooked through.
Use tongs to lift the chicken thighs out of the sauce and transfer to a plate. Add the spinach to the tray and stir well (the spinach will wilt in the residual heat.) Divide the sauce between four warm, shallow bowls, top each one with a chicken thigh and serve accompanied by steamed Jasmine rice.
