Chicken Curry and Naan Bread | The Mild Version for Kids

Here at WMBT HQ, we love a good curry, but the spiciness is what usually puts our Indian takeaway adventures to bed before they even start.

That’s until we came across this mild chicken curry for kids. It’s turned takeaway nights into an Indian fakeaway feast where we introduce our munchkins to the rich flavours of India―without the spicy aftermath.

This recipe takes some time to prepare but is undoubtedly worth it. The flavours are rich, the sauce is creamy and the chicken is super tender.

What takes this recipe up a notch?

Making fresh naan bread from scratch. We’ve always treated naan bread as a side, but since we’ve discovered freshly made naan bread, it’s been elevated to superhero status. We love it AND the kids love it!

Once you’ve got your curry and naan bread ready to plate, it’s time to do it justice with one of our We Might Be Tiny Stickie Plates. Each toxic-free Stickie Plate lets you neatly portion your Indian feast in three sections for a dinner experience better than at any Indian restaurant.

Makes 6 portions | Prep 45 minutes | Roast 60 minutes

Ingredients

CHICKEN CURRY

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp fenugreek
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 cm piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 6 chicken thighs, skin on and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 small potato, peeled and diced
• 3 handfuls spinach leaves
• 400 g (1 can) crushed tomatoes
• 400 ml (1 can) coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste

NAAN BREAD

• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 310 ml (1 ¼ cup) water
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 250 g (2 ½ cups) wholemeal bakers flour
• 250 g (2 ½ cups) light spelt flour
• handful spinach, roughly chopped

Method

CHICKEN CURRY

Preheat oven to 180 C.

In a dry frying pan, toast the seeds over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.

If you’re feeding little ones, we recommend then blitzing the seeds to a powder in a high-speed food processor to result in a smoother sauce at the end. If just catering for adults, a coarser paste may be preferred in which case, grind the whole spices to a rough powder with a pestle and mortar.

Either way, mix the finely/roughly ground seeds with the turmeric and fenugreek.

Add onion, garlic, and ginger to a high-speed food processor and blitz to a slightly coarse paste.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown them all over, allowing the skin to brown nicely. Transfer chicken to a large roasting dish, skin-side up.

Reduce the heat under the frying pan, add the spice mix and fry for 1-2 minutes before adding the onion paste. Fry for around 5 minutes until paste is soft and fragrant.

Add vegetables and sauté for around 5 minutes until starting to soften.

In the food processor, blitz the tomatoes and coconut milk together before pouring into the frying pan with the veggies. Bring to the boil then allow to simmer gently, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste then
pour the sauce over the chicken pieces, ensuring they are all coated, but exposing the skin if possible, to allow it to continue browning in oven.

Bake, uncovered, in the oven for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through and nicely browned on top.

NAAN BREAD

In a large bowl, combine yeast with water, olive oil and salt, and stir well to proof.

After 5 minutes, add garlic and half of the flour and mix well to combine. Add remaining flour and mix well with your hands.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary to form a smooth dough.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. For best results leave for at least 30 minutes.

On a floured surface, divide the dough into 8 balls. Set aside, covered with a tea towel. Take one ball and roll out to the size of your hand. Place a small amount of spinach in the centre before pinching up the sides to enclose the spinach inside the dough ball.

Turn the dough over, so the seam is on the bottom, and roll the dough until about 5 mm thick.

Dry fry the naan in a large frying pan over a medium heat then brush with butter once cooked. Repeat the process with remaining dough balls.

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