Cheat's Chicken Tikka

This is a cheat's chicken tikka because you only need three ingredients - chicken, yogurt and paprika. So while it's not particularly authentic, it's tasty and simple, plus you don't need to spend money buying expensive curry pastes that end up languishing in your fridge. It's a really quick after work dinner and the leftovers are great cold for lunches. I usually have it with a green salad and couscous, but if you wanted to make it more winter-friendly some potatoes sauteed with spices might be nice.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts or thigh fillets, cut in to strips

250g plain yogurt (half a big pot)

1 tbsp paprika

Pinch of dried chilli (optional)

Mix the yogurt, spices and chicken. If you have time, leave to marinade for 30 mins. If not, pop under the grill on a medium-high temperature for about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it and turn the chicken over when it is browning around the edges. Cook for another few minutes on the other side. Once it looks cooked, test with a knife - the juices should run clear.

Serve with some shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes and cucumber raita (dice some cucumber and mix with the other half of your yogurt). I also like some cous cous on the side - use stock instead of water to make it extra tasty.