This recipe takes inspiration from Chettinad cooking styles, a region in southern India that has many crossovers with Sri Lankan cuisine. The toasted coconut that we've tossed through the salad and coated the chicken with is a common technique used in Sri Lankan cooking, with layers of Sri Lankan style spices and ingredients like lemongrass and ginger building even more fragrant flavour.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1 unit(s)
Sweet Potato
2 unit(s)
British Chicken Breasts
1 sachet(s)
Sri Lankan Style Curry Powder
30 grams
Ginger, Garlic & Lemongrass Puree
15 grams
Desiccated Coconut
30 grams
Cornflour
1 unit(s)
Lime
1 unit(s)
Carrot
160 grams
Sweetcorn
20 grams
Wild Rocket
½ tsp
Sugar for the Dressing
1 tbsp
Olive Oil for the Dressing
3 tbsp
Mayonnaise
1 tbsp
Honey
Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7.
Chop the sweet potatoes into 1cm chunks (no need to peel).
Pop the sweet potato onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer. TIP: Use two baking trays if necessary.
When the oven is hot, roast on the top shelf until golden and tender, 18-20 mins. Turn halfway through.
Meanwhile, add the chicken to a medium bowl. Add in the Sri Lankan style curry powder and lemongrass, ginger and garlic paste and rub to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw chicken and its packaging.
Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat (no oil).
Once hot, add the desiccated coconut and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly toasted, 1-2 mins. TIP: Watch it like a hawk as it can burn easily.
Once the coconut is toasted, transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Give the large frying pan a quick wipe and return to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil.
Add the cornflour to the chicken and toss to coat.
Once hot, lay the chicken flat in the pan. Fry until browned all over, 5 mins each side. Once the chicken is browned, pop it onto a baking tray lined with foil.
Bake on the middle shelf of your oven until cooked through, 15-20 mins. IMPORTANT: The chicken is cooked when no longer pink in the middle.
While the chicken cooks, zest and cut the lime into wedges. Trim the carrot, then coarsely grate (no need to peel). Drain the sweetcorn in a sieve.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and olive oil for the dressing (see pantry for both amounts) with a good squeeze of lime juice from a lime wedge. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, mix together the lime zest and mayo (see pantry for amount).
When everything's ready, stir the roasted sweet potato, grated carrot and corn into the lime dressing. Add a spoonful of the toasted coconut and toss through the salad.
Cut the cooked chicken widthways into 2cm slices.
Share the sliced chicken between your serving plates. Squeeze over some lime juice from a lime wedge and drizzle over the honey (see pantry for amount). Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
Serve with a handful of the rocket and the carrot, corn and coconut salad alongside.
Drizzle the rocket with oil and add a dollop of the zesty mayo for dipping alongside to finish.
Enjoy!