I love a traditional smoked fish kedgeree so, when I had leftover roast chicken, this recipe was inspired by that. It’s a great family sharing dish for a brunch or supper and very easy to make. The basmati rice base is cooked with fragrant chicken broth made with the leftover carcass, infused with ginger and curry leaves and then it’s topped with shredded chicken, coriander, boiled eggs and tomatoes. Make it as mild or spicy as you like!
- Serves 4
- 4 medium eggs, boiled
- 200g basmati rice
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 tbsps rapeseed oil
- 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- Leftover shredded roast chicken
- 2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp cumin seeds and fennel seeds
- Half a cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp of your favourite curry powder – I used my Sri Lankan roast spice mix, you could use a Madras or other favourite mix depending on how spicy you’d like the rice to be.
- Chicken stock – about 500ml
- Leftover roast chicken, chopped
- Stock: 1 whole fresh red or green chilli, 1 x 2cm piece of fresh ginger, a handful of curry leaves or a couple of fresh bay leaves, a handful of coriander stalks, water, small cinnamon stick, any leftover chicken gravy or cooking juices, white pepper and salt.
To make…
- Cover the rice with cold water in a small basin to pre-soak for an hour, drain thoroughly before using.
- Strip all the chicken meat from the leftover roast carcass, shred it and set aside.
- Place the chicken carcass, skin, any leftover chicken gravy or cooking juices into a large saucepan and cover with water so it barely covers it. Add a whole chilli, a 2cm piece of fresh ginger, a handful of curry leaves, a handful of coriander stalks, a small cinnamon stick, a dash of white pepper and salt. Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat down. Cover and cook for at least an hour. If you don’t have any chicken gravy or juices leftover, add a chicken gel stock cube. It will smell fragrant and delicious. After an hour, taste it and adjust the seasoning if it needs it. Strain it into a bowl and leave to cool. Skim off the fat layer before using. You can make this ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a day until you want to use it.
- Put the eggs on to boil for 7 minutes for a jammy-set yolk. Allow to cool before removing the shell. Cut into quarters just before serving.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan, add the fennel and cumin seeds, the cinnamon stick and allow to sizzle for a couple of minutes. Add the onion and fry gently until soft and slightly caramelised. Add the ginger, garlic, curry powder and cook out for a few minutes. Add the drained rice and stir until the grains are coated thoroughly. Add enough stock so that it covers the rice and add about half a centimetre more. Freeze any leftover stock to use for soup etc. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, turn off the heat and set aside. The rice should absorb all the stock after about 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and stir gently to fluff up the rice. I have a wooden fork for this as it gives the dish volume without breaking the grains.
- To serve, scatter with shredded chicken and fresh coriander and then dot with the quartered boiled eggs and tomatoes. Take it to the table and let everyone serve themselves. I like a little ‘Foraging Fox’ spiced turmeric mayo on the side (Waitrose).
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