Name: Air Fryer Chicken Chasni
Ingredients: 300g (10.5oz) chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite sized pieces or tandoori chicken tikka; 1 to 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee (optional) or oil spray; FOR THE CHASNI SAUCE; 2 medium onions (approx. 250g/9oz), thinly sliced ½ red onion, finely chopped; ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced; ½ tsp salt; 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste; 125ml (1/2 cup) unseasoned passata or tinned (canned) chopped tomatoes; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp sweet papika; 1 ½ tbsp mango chuntey; 1 tbsp mint sauce, I use Coleman’s; 1 ½ tbsp ketchup; 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock, stock cube stock is fine; TO FINISH; 80ml (1/3 cup) single cream; Juice of one lemon or lime; ¼ tsp garam masala; ½ tsp red food colour powder, optional but needed for a traditional chasni; Salt to taste; 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped, plus more to garnish

Ingredients

300g (10.5oz) chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite sized pieces or tandoori chicken tikka
1 to 3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee (optional) or oil spray
FOR THE CHASNI SAUCE
2 medium onions (approx. 250g/9oz), thinly sliced ½ red onion, finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
125ml (1/2 cup) unseasoned passata or tinned (canned) chopped tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet papika
1 ½ tbsp mango chuntey
1 tbsp mint sauce, I use Coleman’s
1 ½ tbsp ketchup
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock, stock cube stock is fine
TO FINISH
80ml (1/3 cup) single cream
Juice of one lemon or lime
¼ tsp garam masala
½ tsp red food colour powder, optional but needed for a traditional chasni
Salt to taste
2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped, plus more to garnish

Steps

If you have already cooked tandoori chicken tikka, you can skip this step and keep it aside for later. If cooking either raw plain chicken or raw tandoori marinated chicken, preheat your air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Lightly spray your cooking basket with oil spray and place the chicken in one layer in the cooking basket and air fry for 10 minutes turning halfway through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Now place the sliced onions, bell pepper, oil and salt into a mixing bowl. If you are on a reduced calorie diet, spray with cooking oil to coat and mix it all up well.
Pour it all into the cooking basket to fry for 10 minutes, stirring half-way through. Carefully spread the garlic and ginger paste over the veggies for the last two minutes of the cook and then pour it all back into your mixing bowl.
Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl and then blend with a stick blender or countertop blender until smooth.
Place a metal cake tin pan or another metal pan that fits into your air fryer in the basket. For a faster cook and more authentic Indian restaurant curry appearance, heat two tbsp oil in the pan for two minutes. This is optional though. Pour the blended sauce into the pan and air fryer and air fry for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the sauce will be quite hot if you used oil and warm if not. The top of the sauce will have darkened some. That is flavour so stir it in. Stir in the precooked chicken and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, by which time the sauce should be hot enough of almost hot enough to serve.
Once the sauce is good and hot, stir in the cream, lemon juice, garam masala and food colouring, if using and cook for an additional two minutes or until hot enough to serve. Season with salt to taste and garnish with the chopped coriander (cilantro).