Spiced Chicken and Caramelised Onion Tarts

, from Issue #48. August, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Spiced Chicken and Caramelised Onion Tarts

This looks like a mountain of onions when raw, but they do cook down dramatically and you need a good layer on each tart.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons tikka masala spice paste

Onions
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground garam masala
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 large brown onions, sliced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To cook
4 sheets pre-rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
handful of baby spinach leaves

To serve
natural yoghurt
Coriander and mint relish 
coriander leaves

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Chicken: Cut the chicken into 1 cm strips and combine with the spice paste. Cover and refrigerate while cooking the onions.

Onions: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and add all the ingredients, turning to coat in the spices. Season then cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if they start to catch. Uncover and cook for another 20 minutes until lightly golden and tender. Cool.

To assemble: Cut an 18 cm circle from each sheet of pastry and place on a lined baking tray. Cut an 18 cm x 1½ cm strip from the leftover pastry. Brush the edges of the circles with egg and place the pastry borders on top, pressing to seal. Brush the borders with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Divide the onions between the tarts then place the tarts in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the pastry.

To bake tarts: Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is well cooked, puffed and golden.

To cook chicken: Heat a little vegetable oil in a sauté pan. Season the chicken and cook in batches until golden and fully cooked through.

To serve: Place the cooked tarts on plates and top with the hot chicken and a few spinach leaves. Drizzle with a little yoghurt, coriander and mint relish and garnish with fresh coriander.