Medium balti chicken is a flavorful and aromatic dish that combines tender chicken with a rich and spiced tomato-based sauce. This recipe serves six and offers a delightful balance of flavors and textures. The sauce is made by frying onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies, then adding a blend of spices like cloves, cardamom, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and mustard powder. Tomatoes, vegetable stock, lemon juice, and lemon zest are added to create a simmering sauce that infuses the chicken with bold flavors. Green beans, tomatoes, and fresh basil are added to the chicken and simmered until the chicken is tender. Serve this medium balti chicken hot with rice or naan bread for a satisfying and flavorful meal that will delight your taste buds.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 900g/2lb skinless chicken breast fillets, cubed
- 1 onion, sliced
- 225g/8oz green beans, cut into 5cm/2in lengths
- 350g/12oz tomatoes, chopped
- 15g/1/2oz fresh basil, roughly torn
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATIONS:
- To make the sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pan. Fry the onions, garlic, and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the chopped green chilies and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the cloves, cardamom seeds, ground coriander, paprika, ground cinnamon, ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground fenugreek, and mustard powder. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, lemon juice, and pared lemon zest. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Discard the lemon zest.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large balti pan or wok. Stir-fry the cubed chicken for 5 minutes until golden. Add the sliced onion and cut green beans, and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Pour in the sauce and simmer gently for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and roughly torn basil, and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot.
YIELD:
- This recipe serves 6.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust the amount of green chilies according to your preferred level of spiciness.
- You can customize the vegetables by adding other options like bell peppers or carrots.
TIPS:
- Serve the medium balti chicken with steamed basmati rice or naan bread for a complete and satisfying meal.
- Garnish with additional fresh basil leaves for added freshness and aroma.
In conclusion, medium balti chicken is a flavorful and aromatic dish that combines tender chicken with a rich and spiced tomato-based sauce. This recipe serves six and offers a delightful balance of flavors and textures. The sauce is made by frying onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies, then adding a blend of aromatic spices. Tomatoes, vegetable stock, lemon juice, and lemon zest are simmered together to create a flavorful sauce that infuses the chicken with bold flavors.
The chicken is stir-fried until golden and then combined with sliced onions and green beans. The sauce is poured over the chicken and simmered until the chicken is tender. Chopped tomatoes and torn basil are added to enhance the flavor and freshness of the dish.
Serve this medium balti chicken hot with steamed basmati rice or naan bread for a satisfying and flavorful meal. Garnish with fresh basil leaves for added freshness and aroma.
Indulge in the aromatic spices and tender chicken of this medium balti chicken recipe. It’s a delightful dish that will transport your taste buds to a world of flavors.




