Neven Maguire: butter them up with chicken

In this day and age with such easy access to social media, you could say that everyone who dines in your restaurant is a critic. It’s fair to say that in the restaurant business, you are regularly reviewed not just by visiting journalists, but by the public, as well.

If a chef or restaurant owner tells you they don’t pay any attention to reviews, I think they might be telling a little white lie. Even if you don’t go looking for what is being said about your restaurant, you can rest assured that someone will come to you with any news.

Whenever you get a negative review, it’s important to look at it carefully and see if there is something you can do to make things better – sometimes there is, and in that case, you discuss what changes are needed with your team and just get on with it.

On the flip side, it is frustrating when you receive a negative review and you genuinely feel that it is not accurate and without merit. This can happen, too. In fact, I am sure it has happened at least once to everyone in the business.

There is nothing you can do about these kinds of reviews except move on – there is no point entering into a conversation, an explanation or even an argument about it, because these tactics just don’t work. But it does hurt, and anyone who tells you otherwise is simply putting on a brave face.

Then, though, there are the wonderful reviews which make you feel great about yourself, your business and give your team a massive boost. We are lucky to have received some very good reviews recently. So I’d like to thank everyone who takes the time to review us.

We are only ever as good as our last meal, so we endeavour to do our best and improve all the time and I hope you enjoy the experience every time you dine with us.

If you are partial to Indian food, you will know that butter chicken is one of the best-loved curries of all time. This recipe is actually a really great one-pan dish, and even better – it can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge or frozen.

It actually tastes better the next day, when the flavours have had time to settle into each other. It is just a simple, tasty curry and the perfect meal if you’re having some friends or family around for dinner.

I like using chicken thighs here instead of breast, because they have a bit more flavour.

If you enjoy the odd takeaway, butter chicken is also known as chicken makhani – it combines marinated chicken with a rich, butter and absolutely delicious sauce.

Chicken makhani is an authentic Indian curry with origins from the city of Delhi, where it was first created as a way to use up pieces of leftover tandoori chicken.

Midweek dinner

The second recipe I’m sharing this week is the perfect roast for a midweek dinner. You can ask your butcher to prepare your spatchcock chicken, or you can just do it yourself at home – all you need to do is remove the chicken’s backbone with a pair of good, sharp scissors.

This is a fail-safe dish which everyone loves. It can be dressed up or dressed down with the addition of a few side dishes and a dessert, or it could be sliced up and served alongside a crunchy salad for a healthier option.

There are lots of herbs used in this recipe – thyme and rosemary are two of my favourites – but you could spice things up even more, if you like, with some harissa or Cajun seasoning. Remember: if you spatchcock (also known as butterflying) a chicken, it will cook more quickly.

A lot of the skin is exposed to the heat, so it will get deliciously brown and crispy as it roasts in the oven. I use this recipe often, but really enjoy using it when we have barbecues – it works wonderfully on the grill and always goes down well with dinner guests.

Ingredients: Serves 4

1.2kg whole chicken

6 garlic cloves, crushed

A few sprigs each of thyme and rosemary, leaves picked and chopped

A few bay leaves, torn

Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 extra, sliced

5 tbsp olive oil

1 packet of fresh rosemary

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Spatchcock the chicken by placing it breast-side down with the legs towards you. Use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to cut along the backbone and through the ribs. Flip it over and press down the backbone so that the chicken flattens out.

2 Place the chicken in a dish large enough to hold the chicken.

3 Combine the garlic, herbs and the lemon rind, juice and slices with the oil. Season with salt and pepper, give it a good mix and rub the mixture all over the chicken. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

4 Preheat the oven to 220°C. Put the chicken in a shallow baking tin, skin side up, spread all the marinade back over the bird and arrange the slices of lemon on top.

5 Roast for 45 minutes until cooked through and tender. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes, then carve into portions (and the breasts into slices). Garnish with the extra herb sprigs to serve.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

500g skinless and boneless chicken breasts or thighs

Juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon

3 tbsp mild curry seasoning

4 tbsp natural yogurt

3 tbsp sunflower oil

30g butter

2 red onions, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 red chilli, seeded

3cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced

20g fresh coriander

400ml passata (Italian sieved tomatoes)

120ml cream

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Trim the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken in a bowl and stir in half the lemon juice with a good pinch of salt.

2 Add two tablespoons of the curry seasoning, the yogurt and one tablespoon of the oil. Mix to combine, then season generously with pepper. Cover and leave to marinate for at least an hour or up to three days in the fridge.

3 Heat the rest of the oil and a knob of the butter in a wok or skillet over a high heat, and quickly sear the marinated chicken in batches until golden brown, transferring with a slotted spoon to a clean bowl as you go.

4 Add the onions to the pan and sauté for 4–5 minutes until they start to caramelise. Tip in the garlic, chilli and ginger, then add another knob of the butter and sauté for 1–2 minutes.

5 Chop the stalks from the coriander and add them to the pan with the rest of the curry seasoning and another knob of the butter. Toast for a few minutes until very fragrant. Pour the passata into the pan and bring to a simmer, then add the cream and the rest of the lemon juice.

6 Transfer to a blender and blend until you have a very smooth sauce. Return to the pan and add the chicken with any juices and reheat gently for about five minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

7 Season to taste, then fold in the lemon rind with the rest of the butter and the coriander leaves, reserving a few sprigs to garnish. Transfer to bowls and garnish with the coriander sprigs.

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