Smoky Chicken with Pomegranate and Mango Chutney

 

I’m going to be honest here… this one didn’t really speak to my kids. I  mean, they ate it and seemed to enjoy the fruity chutney, but they weren’t super stoked about the chicken itself.

They’re insane. Or, they’re 10 and 7… same thing, really. I knew going in that the kids probably wouldn’t be raving about this one. But I was itching for something new and different.

This dish certainly ticked those boxes – it was complex and intriguing, and no two bites tasted exactly the same. The intense smokiness of the chicken was tempered by the sweet tang of the chutney, which also mellowed the gentle bitterness of the brussels sprouts.

It also was one of those recipes that taught me something about myself – that it takes a couple of F bombs, a youtube video and a huge mess for me to extract the seeds from a pomegranate. This was not a family-friendly procedure. But now I know how to do it effectively, so I guess it’s one less thing to fear in the kitchen. Pomegranate seeds and naughty words for everybody!

This recipe was (barely) adapted from my new favourite recipe site, Clean Eating Magazine. I changed a few things around to have it fit into my particular preferences, but the essence of the recipe remains virtually untouched. All together, what you see in the photo was 357 calories, which is pretty low cal for a full meal.

Serves: 4 (smallish meals)

Ingredients

1 tsp cocoa powder

3tbs paprika

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

A couple of cracks of rock salt

Spray olive oil

1 red onion

1tbs minced ginger

1/2tsp chilli flakes

250g frozen (or fresh) mango

1/2tsp cinnamon

1 pomegranate, seeded in whatever inelegant fashion that gets the job done

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1.3 tbs honey

steamed baby potatoes, beans and carrots, to serve

sauteed brussels sprouts (because boiling or steaming them should be illegal), to serve

 

Method

  1. Preheat oven 180°F, and line a shallow baking dish with foil. Lightly spray with oil.
  2. Combine paprika, cocoa, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Add chicken and coat.
  3. Transfer chicken to prepared dish and cover with foil. Bake until cooked through. This should take about 30 minutes, but your oven may vary.
  4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, ginger and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring often, until onion softens but does not colour.

    This chutney is purposely saucier than the original recipe. The mango should hold some structural integrity, though!
  5. Stir in garlic and sauté until fragrant, for roughly 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
  1. To serve, top chicken with chutney, and add vegetables. This chutney also does amazing things to the humble steamed potatoes.
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