Emergency dish for desperate times

Sudden onset of headaches can be a pain in the neck literally.  My headaches are usually brought on by tension arising from my neck (or cervical spine in technical jargon).  Being the weekend I could not go to see my Chiropractor for treatment, so will have to go tomorrow.  However the pain has lessened somewhat compared to this afternoon, after a nice relaxing massage from my B.

No matter how rundown I felt today I still needed to put food on the table to feed my family.  It was very tempting to just call the local take away, but considering we ate out yesterday I thought about rustling something easy yet still delicious and saving money on the way.

A simple Roasted Curry Chicken Thighs with Spiced Potato Wedges was called for.  It is always a big hit in the family.  Chicken thigh is definitely the choice cut in this family; as children we always fought over the chicken thighs and legs at the dinner table.  Being the older sibling, the thighs would always go to my younger brother and dinner guest.  Anyhow chicken wings was a tasty second choice.

I always have a jar of curry paste in the back of the kitchen cupboard for lazy days when a quick curry is called for.  Although today was not a day to be standing in front of the stove.  I needed a quick dish that still allowed me time to nurse my head whilst it was cooking.

The chicken thighs marinated in the curry paste gives it a great colouring and flavour that fills the whole house with a warming aroma when in the oven.  As a side dish I also cooked some potato wedges in the same roasting pan to save on washing up later.  All in all dinner took an hour to cook and less than 10-15 minutes preparation time.  The final result was sweet spicy succulent chicken thighs with a crispy skin that put a smile on everyone's faces.  Plus less stress for me meaning a fading headache.  So everybody's happy !

Roasted Curry Chicken Thighs with Spiced Potato Wedges (serves 3-4 people)

• Pack of chicken thighs (approx 8-12 pieces)

• 4 heaping tbsp of curry paste (we used tikka masala)

• 4 large potatoes (we used 2 maris piper potatoes and 2 sweet potatoes)

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cumin 

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 

• 1 tsp dried rosemary

• Oil spray

• Honey

• salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. 

Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl and marinate with the curry paste.  Massage the paste into the chicken pieces and set aside.  If possible leave to marinate for a couple of hours to let the meat absorb the flavours, but if in a rush can roast immediately.  

Cut the potatoes into wedges and place in another bowl.  Sprinkle the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, rosemary, salt and pepper over the wedges and toss to cover completely.  

Place the chicken skin side down in one half of a large roasting tray and the wedges in the other half.  Alternatively you can roast the chicken and the potatoes in separate trays.  

Spray the potatoes with the oil to let it crisp up.  Put the roasting tray into the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

After the half an hour turn the chicken thighs over so that the skin is facing up.  Baste with the marinade.  Turn the wedges over with a pair of tongs.  Spray with some more oil.  Squeeze some honey over the chicken and potatoes to glaze.  Return the roasting tray to the oven and roast for another 30 minutes.  

The chicken should be cooked through and the wedges should be ready.  Check for clear juices from the chicken and soft flesh from the wedges to ensure it is fully cooked.  

Serve with a mixed salad.  Enjoy and hope you are all headache free!