Oven Baked Chicken Thighs Marinated in Yoghurt

I honestly don't have a name for this recipe; I can only credit this amazing dish to my long-standing friend and fellow 'mum of three' club member, who made this for me when I was pregnant with my first daughter, Eden. That was seven years ago! I loved this lightly spiced chicken so much that it was practically all I ate during my first pregnancy. Thank you, Farida!

Obviously, for best results, I'd recommend marinating the chicken in the yoghurt and spices overnight in the fridge. But it is not a necessity, in fact, I haven't done it this time and it turned out just fine. This was our dinner last Friday night.

This is a great recipe for the whole family, which is why it is lightly spiced. I am known to be a little heavy handed with the chilli but I've only used a single fresh one here (with a pinch of black pepper) and my three year old son eats it with no hassle. So, if you are heat sensitive, you can easily forgo the red chilli.

For 6-7 servings, you will need:

• 7 good quality, fresh chicken thighs, skins and bones removed
• 250g of plain/natural yoghurt (I've used low fat)
• 1 chicken stock cube by Knorr, chopped small enough to crumble
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed to a mince in a garlic press
• 1 red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala* mix
• A handful of freshly chopped coriander, stalks included

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Celsius.

2. Once you have trimmed any excess fat, place your chicken aside.

Look for good quality chicken. Most butchers will happily de-bone and skin your meat for you on site.

3. Prepare your marinade by mixing all of the ingredients (except for the fresh coriander) together in a bowl. Next, thoroughly coat each chicken thigh in the mixture.

4. Place your chicken in a flat, single layer into an oven proof dish. If you have any of the yoghurt mixture left over, you can simply spoon it evenly on top of the thigh pieces. Gently sprinkle the freshly chopped coriander on top and place it in the middle of the oven. Adjust the oven's temperature to 220 degrees Celsius. 

5. Depending on how brown you would like the end result, I'd recommend 35-45 minutes in the oven. Remember to turn at least twice to avoid actual burning. The liquids will likely cook away, so if you want a little more sauce, cook for less time, I'd say around 30 minutes should do the trick.

Serve with boiled baby potatoes and some gently steamed broccoli florets for a wholesome and healthy family dinner.

*I use a locally bought store brand of Garam Masala (92g mixture), which is simply a blend of the following: Coriander Seeds 69% | Cumin Seeds 9.9% | Ginger 5.9% | Fennel Seeds, Black Peppercorns, Caraway Seeds, Cinnamon 1.5% | Cloves 1.5% | Cardamom, Celery Seeds and Nutmeg