Spiced chicken and chickpea curry

With some savvy shopping and simple planning, you can make one delicious, budget-friendly dinner – and then use the leftovers as the basis for a great lunch the following day. Reserve one piece of chicken and the remaining chickpea stew from the curry recipe, and pick one of the meal ideas below the recipe method for the following day’s lunch. Winner!

Ingredients

Serves: 4 with leftovers

Ready in: 1 hr 20 mins

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 750g pack Co-op chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
• 1 tbsp medium curry powder
• ½ lemon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 yellow, red or orange peppers, chopped
• 3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2-3cm piece root ginger, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
• 2 x 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drains
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• ½ tbsp honey
• 450ml chicken stock (made with 1 stock cube)
• Small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)
• Cooked rice, to serve

Method

1. Rub the chicken thighs with half the curry powder and squeeze over the lemon. Heat 1 tbsp oil over a low-medium heat in a large, deep frying pan with a lid.
2. Add the chicken thighs to the pan, skin-side down, and cook for 8-10 mins until golden. Turn and cook for 5 mins more. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. Discard all but 1 tbsp of the oil in the pan, then add the onion and peppers and cook for 5-6 mins until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for a further 1 min.
4. Stir in the remaining curry powder and turmeric (if using) and cook for 30 secs before adding the chickpeas, tomato purée and honey. Pour in the chicken stock and stir.
5. Place the chicken thighs on top of the chickpeas and cover with the lid. Simmer for 45 mins until the chicken is completely cooked through. If you need to thicken the sauce a little, remove the chicken and cover with foil while it rests, then bubble the chickpeas for 5-10 mins, uncovered, until thickened.
6. Stir through the chopped coriander (if using) and serve with cooked rice.

Leftover lunch ideas

Spiced chickpea and carrot soup
Put chopped carrots in a pan of boiling water and cook until just tender. Drain, reserving some of the water, then return to the pan with  the leftover chickpea stew and a little of the carrot water to loosen. Simmer for 5-10 mins until piping hot. Whizz with a stick blender to a chunky or smooth finish and serve in bowls.

Feta, chicken and chickpea rice
Put cooked brown rice in a pan with the leftover chickpea stew and a splash of water, and heat for a few mins until piping hot. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little, then stir in grated carrot, rocket leaves and crumbled feta. Serve with some shredded leftover chicken and a squeeze of fresh orange.

Sweet potato and spiced chickpeas
Roast some chunks of sweet potato in the oven until tender and golden. Stir through the leftover spiced chickpea mixture gently to combine. Make a yogurt and crushed garlic dressing, and finish with some finely chopped parsley (optional). Serve the sweet potato and chickpeas drizzled with the yogurt dressing.