Tandoori chicken sandwich

epic sando has fragrant tandoori chicken sandwiched between layers of soft naan, with minty mayo, crisp red cabbage and – the best bit – crunchy poppadums!

Ingredients

For the red cabbage slaw

• 100g/3½oz red cabbage (about ⅛ of a cabbage), finely shredded
• 100g/3½oz spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 green apple, grated
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• pinch salt

For the minty mayo

• 4 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• small handful fresh mint leaves
• small handful fresh coriander

For the chicken

• vegetable oil, for greasing
• 2 chicken breasts, approx. 500g/1lb 2oz
• 3 tbsp tandoori paste
• 1 tbsp gram flour
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch salt

To serve

• 3 plain naans (medium size)
• 3 large ready-to-eat poppadums or a small bag of mini poppadums

Method

1. First, make the slaw. Put the shredded cabbage in a bowl with the spring onions, apple, lemon zest and juice and salt. Get your hands in and squeeze the mixture together. Set aside and leave to soften.

2. Mix all the ingredients for the minty mayo together and set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 210C/200C Fan/Gas 6. Oil a roasting dish or tray or line with baking paper.

4. Butterfly the chicken breasts: place each breast on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to slice into it from the side, starting at the thicker end and taking care not to cut all the way through, so you can open it out like a book. Open each butterflied breast and use your hand to flatten it.

5. Mix the tandoori paste with the gram flour, cayenne and salt. Spread a thin layer over one side of each butterflied chicken breast. Lay the chicken in the roasting dish, paste side down, and smother the remaining paste generously over the chicken. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through.

6. Meanwhile, tip the coleslaw into a clean tea towel placed over a large bowl. Gather the edges of the towel and squeeze the mixture inside to remove any excess moisture, letting it run into the bowl. (This step is optional, but it will stop your sandwiches getting soggy.)

7. Towards the end of the chicken’s cooking time, add the naans to the oven to warm through.

8. To assemble, cut a large piece of baking paper and place one of the warm naans in the middle. Spread generously with the minty mayo and arrange the chicken on top (you might need to slice the chicken to fit). Add another naan on top and spread with more minty mayo. Top with a layer of cabbage slaw and then poppadums, breaking the poppadoms to fit if needed. Top with another naan to finish. Press down firmly to get all those layers really stuck together, then use the baking paper to wrap tightly. Cut in half (through the paper) and serve.

Tandoori chicken sandwich