Mrs Ball’s Chutney Chicken Recipe (2024)

When you think of chutney in South Africa, what comes to mind? The answer is undoubtedly, Mrs Ball’s Chutney. This is something that most South Africans can agree on: no chutney can quite compare to that made according to the original Mrs Ball’s Chutney recipe! Quite some time back, we put a bit of effort into finding and posting about the secret recipe to creating chutney just as good as Mrs Ball’s Chutney and of course, those who got their hands on it absolutely loved it. Now we’d love to take things to the next level and teach you how to use this very recipe to create South African chutney chicken that’s absolutely, mouth-wateringly irresistible. Of course, if you’d like to simply buy a bottle of Mrs Ball’s Chutney for the recipe, that’s great too.

Let’s talk about history for a bit…We all like tosmear and dollop generous helpings of Mrs Ball’s Chutney on just abouteverything, but what’s the story behind this delectable condiment? Many of usdon’t quite know what the “deal” is with the brand and how it officially cameto be the favourite chutney of the nation. Today, it’s time to question. Howdid Mrs Ball’s Chutney become such a household brand? Before we dive head firstinto a Mrs Ball’s Chutney chicken recipe, let’s take a quick look at thehistory of Mrs Ball’s and why her chutney is so well loved in South Africa (andother countries too now!).

The story of Mrs Ball’s Chutney is quite quaint whenyou take into consideration that this giant of a chutney brand came from suchhumble beginnings. It all started in 1852 when Henry James Adkins and his newCanadian immigrant wife, Sarah Adkins, settled near East London (Eastern Cape)and opened up a general dealer store, selling anything and everything. In 1870,Sarah started making chutney as an income booster, using her Canadian mother’soriginal recipe. Ever wondered why the bottle says Mrs H.S Ball’s Chutney onit? Well, Sarah might have been great at whipping up delicious chutney, but hermarketing skills were a little challenged. Her first name for the product,which is why the bottle says “Mrs H.S Ball’s Chutney”, was in fact “Mrs HenryAdkins Senior, Colonial Chutney Manufacturer, Fort Jackson, Cape ColonyChutney”. That’s more of a mouthful than the chutney itself, isn’t it?!

In the years to follow, Mrs Ball’s Chutney became quite well known and her little business grew from selling 20 bottles a day to around 8000 bottles per day. It’s an undeniable fact that Mrs Ball’s chutney was delicious. It was even exported to the United Kingdom due to the growing demand for South African chutney just like Mrs Ball’s! The business was kept in the family until 1970 when Sarah’s youngest daughter, still continuing the business until the age of 97, passed away. It was then sold to Brooke Bonds Oxo and then sold on to Unilever Foods. And now you know the general history of Mrs Balls.

The Best Mrs Ball’s Chutney Chicken Recipe

If you like Mrs Ball’s Chutney and you love a sweet sticky chicken dish (who doesn’t, right?!), why not make your own South African style chutney chicken?! The ingredients required are simple and it’s really a quick and easy process. You should be able to get everything you need, no matter where you are in the country. Whipping up a South African chutney chicken recipe is easier than you think. Simply follow these instructions.

What you need:

Once you have gathered these simple ingredients, it’stime to get started.

• 1 small/medium onion chopped finely
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 red chilli (remove seeds and chop finely)
• 6 tablespoons of Mrs Ball’s Chutney
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 8 chicken thighs (with skin and bone)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Cooked rice of your choice for serving
• Green side salad for serving

What to do:

While making a South African chutney chicken dishtakes an hour including preparation and cooking, there really is very littlerequired from you. Prepare to put your feet up, enjoy a glass of wine, and letthe chicken cook through. Here’s what you need to do.

• Preheat the oven to 180Degrees Celsius.
• Heat the oil in afrying pan over medium heat.
• Add the finely choppedonion to the oil and fry until it starts to go translucent.
• Add the garlic andchilli and fry for an extra minute on lowered heat – the mixture should becomequite fragrant.
• Stir the chutney,Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise into the mixture and add salt to taste.
• Season the chickenthighs with salt by patting the salt into them.
• Arrange each piece ofchicken on a foil-lined baking tray and then using a spoon; scoop the chutneyand onion mixture over the chicken pieces.
• Place the baking trayin the oven and roast for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Check that the chickenis cooked right through and that the sauce is sticky.
• Once the chicken iscooked through, serve it on a bed of rice with a green side salad.

One last thing to do…enjoy!

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