This recipe is a must for all spaghetti and tandoori lovers! Now you can have a fusion of your favorite spaghetti recipe with chicken tikka! This recipe can be made with left over chicken tikka if you have any. I made it from scratch and it hardly took me anytime. The spaghetti can be replaced with the pasta of your choice . For a vegetarian version of this recipe : replace the chicken tikka with tofu , paneer or mushroom tikka . This dish can be frozen, or made and kept for a few days in the fridge. It can then be topped with grated cheese of your choice and popped into the oven!
I will write this recipe step by step so you can make it quickly!
INGREDIENTS:
150 grams of spaghetti
1 tablespoon of spanish olive oil + 1 tablespoon to saute the chicken
150 grams of chicken breast, cubed
3 cups of white sauce (bechamel)
1 teaspoon of Nitu Didi tandoori mix powder OR any tandoori spice powder
salt to taste
1 cup of grated emmental cheese or cheese of your choice
FOR THE WHITE SAUCE:
3 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of white flour
500 ml of whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of nutmeg
grated cheese (optional ) for a cheesy white sauce
METHOD:
Step 1: Put 4 cups of water to boil. Add a teaspoon of salt.
Step 2. While the water is boiling season the chicken breast witht he tandoori spice powder and mix well.
Step 3. Once water is boiled add the spaghetti and the spanish olive oil and let the spaghetti cook till al dente .Once cooked drain
Step 4. As the spaghetti is cooking make the white sauce by melting the butter in a pan, then add the flour and cook for half a minute on low heat so that the flour loses its raw taste and then add remove from the heat and quickly mix in the milk whisking so that no lumps are formed. Put back on heat and stir continuously till thick. Add salt, black pepper powder and a pinch of nutmeg. If you want you can also flavour it with herbs such as oregano and a bit of garlic powder. Add the grated cheese and mix well. This is your white sauce (bechamel).
Step 4: Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the chicken and sautee on high heat till just about done, taking care not to overcook
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 200.
Step 6. Mix the spaghetti with the white sauce, adding some grated cheese if you like into it. Add the chicken with the chicken drippings and mix well. Pour into the baking dish and top with grated cheese and put into the oven till bubbling and cheese is melted and golden brown.
NITU DIDI TIP:
To make this gluten free you can use gluten free pasta or rice noodles. You can also use skimmed milk and low fat cheese if you are counting calories.
To make this vegetarian just substitute the chicken for tofu, paneer, mushrooms, seitan etc,
To freeze this dish just put the dish into an aluminium foil tray, cover and freeze. To cook just remove from the freezer, defrost for a couple of hours and put into a preheated oven.
WHICH SPAGHETTI DID I USE?

Nitu Chugani