This is my alternative.

The chicken is lightly marinated to keep the breast meat beautifully soft and succulent, with just enough seasoning to give it flavour without turning it into tikka.

A little yoghurt, oil, garlic, ginger and gentle seasoning helps protect the chicken as it cooks, while the high heat of the air fryer gives the pieces a little colour around the edges without drying them out.

It’s perfect for milder curries such as Korma, Pasanda, Butter Chicken and other creamy dishes where you want the flavour of the finished curry to remain the star.

Cook the chicken separately, then add it to your curry towards the end of cooking. This keeps the pieces tender and juicy rather than simmering the chicken breast in the sauce until it becomes dry.

You can cook it in an air fryer, under a hot grill, on the BBQ or in a tandoor.

For stronger curries where you want that distinctive restaurant-style tikka flavour, stick with my Chicken Tikka Marinade. For everything else, this has become my go-to way of preparing chicken breast for curry.