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Archive for the ‘Chicken’ Category

Chicken, Leek & Cider Pie

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 18 November 2018| 2 Comments »

Chicken & apple pieChicken pie is an autumnal dish in our house and we usually try a different version every year. We particularly liked this one flavoured with cider and apples.

Wine Suggestion: A natural suggestion is to drink the cider you used to make the pie, and we finished the remainder of the bottle likewise. Our choice this evening was from Normandy, courtesy of our last trip to France. When matching a wine, we think the appley character of Chenin Blanc is what to go with. If your prefernces are French wine, then a Vouvray is a good choice; tonight we chose the Secateurs Chenin Blanc from Swartland in South Africa; a country that really excels with this grape.

Chicken, Leek & Cider Pie – serves 4

  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 60g plain flour
  • 250ml dry cider
  • 250ml full-fat milk
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 3 medium leeks, sliced into rings
  • 1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced
  • 500g cooked chicken, torn into pieces
  • 50g extra mature cheddar, grated
  • 375g puff pastry
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten with 2tsp milk

Melt 40g of the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Continue to stir over a medium-low heat for a minute to make a roux. Remove from the heat and gradually add the cider, mixing carefully with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until all the cider has been added, then gradually add the milk. Season and return the pan to the heat and, stirring continuously, bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the mustard, lemon juice and crème fraîche and taste for seasoning.

Melt the other 20g of butter in a frying pan and gently fry the leeks and apples for 5 minutes. Add 2tbsp of water, season, cover and cook over a gentle heat for 8-10 minutes or until tender. If there is a lot of juice you can increase the heat to reduce it.

Add the chicken and half the cheese to the sauce, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and heat the chicken through. Gently stir in the leeks and apples. Taste and add more mustard or lemon juice if needed.

Spoon the chicken mixture into a 25 x 20cm pie dish or a round dish 25cm across. The dish should have a capacity of 1.3 litres. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and leave to cool completely.

Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a euro coin. Cut off a strip the same width as the lip of your dish. Wet the lip and press the strip onto it. Brush the strip with water and place the rest of the pastry on top. Press the edges to seal, then cut off the excess. Crimp the edges and decorate the top with the trimmings.

Make 3 small slits in the pastry close to the middle, then brush the top with the egg mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed up. Serve immediately.

(Original recipe by Diana Henry in BBC Good Food)

 

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Korean Chicken with Sesame Sprinkle

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , on 29 October 2018| 1 Comment »

Korean chicken with sesame sprinkle

Heaps of flavour in this Korean-inspired dish by Melissa Hemsley. Great on a weeknight with a green salad.

Wine Suggestion: This, like a lot of Korean dishes, is assertive, and has layers of bold flavours which makes winematching tricky but there are a number of options. Firstly a dry Marsala or dry Oloroso sherry. If neither of these are to hand then a lush and fruit forward red from Portugal. Our choice tonight was the Quinta de la Rosa Tinto from the Douro. They make lovely Ports here too, but have also dedicated vineyards and care for their dry wines as well; well worth searching out.

Korean chicken with sesame sprinkle – serves 2

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped or grated
  • 3cm piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes or Korean chilli powder
  • 1½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 6 tbsp tamari
  • 2½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

FOR THE SESAME SPRINKLE

  • 4 tbsp black & white sesame seeds (we only had white)
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes or Korean chilli powder

Preheat the oven to fan 220C/Gas 9.

Mix everything together(except the ingredients for the sprinkle) in a large heavy baking dish. Spread the chicken pieces out in a single layer, skin side down, and bake for 12 minutes.

Stir everything in the dish and turn the chicken pieces skin side up. Roast for another 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Meanwhile, prepare the sesame sprinkle by mixing the ingredients together. Sprinkle over the cooked chicken and serve.

(Original recipe from Eat Happy by Melissa Hemsley, Ebury Press, 2018.)

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Crispy Southern-Baked Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , on 23 October 2018| Leave a Comment »

Crispy southern-baked chicken

A take on southern-fried chicken but without the grease. These spicy drumsticks really taste good and would be perfect to serve a crowd of kids or adults. Serve with chips and salad (and maybe some cold beers).

Crispy southern-baked chicken – serves 4

  • 50g flour
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 100g panko breadcrumbs or day-old breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp celery salt (we used ordinary salt)
  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil

Put the flour, 1 tsp of the the paprika and salt and pepper in a large freezer bag. Put the egg in a shallow bowl. Put the breadcrumbs, the other tsp of paprika, the cayenne pepper, celery salt and plenty of black pepper into a separate bowl and mix well.

Put the chicken in the freezer bag and toss to coat in the flour. Tip out into a sieve and shake to remove any excess.

Dip each drumstick in the egg, then coat with the breadcrumbs. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to help the breadcrumbs stick.

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy tray in the the oven for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken to the tray spacing well apart. Cook in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning once the underside is golden brown and crusty. Drain on kitchen paper before serving with chips and salad.

(Original recipe from Family Kitchen Cookbook by Caroline Bretherton, DK, 2013.)

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Kung Pao Chicken

Posted in Asian, Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 10 October 2018| Leave a Comment »

Kung Pao Chicken

The last time we had this famous Szechwan dish we’d just arrived on a stop-over in Abu Dhabi on our way to visit family in Melbourne. We arrived late and ordered room service and this truly hit the spot. A great combination of velvety chicken, roasted peanuts and a bit of spice. This recipe is from Yan-Kit’s fabulous Classic Chinese Cookbook. Serve with rice.

Wine Suggestion: our choice in Abu Dhabi was a Kirin beer, which was perfect that night. Similarly, choosing a wine this time we looked for a savoury dry texture and chose an Emilio Hidalgo La Panesa Fino Sherry which is kept under flor for 15 years and is outstanding; smooth and velvety even though completely dry and with a salty, nutty texture. A good match, but you needn’t find this exact example as any good Manzanilla or Fino works.

Kung Pao Chicken – serves 3

  • 350g chicken breasts, cut into thin strips and then cubes about 1cm square
  • 4 tbsp groundnut oil or corn oil
  • 2-3 long dried red chillies or 4-5 smaller dried chillies, seeded and cut into pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced diagonally
  • 4 to 6 thin slices ginger
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or medium dry sherry
  • 3 scallions, cut into small rounds
  • 50g roasted peanuts

FOR THE MARINADE:

  • third of tsp salt
  • 2 tsp thin soy sauce
  • 2 tsp Shaohsing wine or medium dry sherry
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tbsp egg white, lightly beaten

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 1 tbsp thick soy sauce
  • 1-2 tbsp chilli sauce
  • 2 tsp rice or white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1½ tsp cornflour
  • 6 tbsp clear stock or water

Put the diced chicken into a bowl.

To prepare the marinade; add the salt, soy sauce, wine/sherry, cornflour and egg to the chicken. Mix well and leave to marinate for 15-30 minutes.

Prepare the sauce by mixing the soy sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornflour and water together.

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking, then add the oil and swirl it around the pan.

Add the dried chilli, stir, then add the garlic and ginger and stir until aromatic. Add the chicken. Turn and toss for about 1 minute.

Splash in the wine or sherry, stirring and tossing continuously.

Add the scallions and cook for another 30-45 seconds by which time the chicken should be cooked.

Add the well-stirred sauce to the wok and keep stirring while it thickens.

Finally stir in the peanuts, then remove to a warm serving plate. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

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Chicken in Vermentino

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 2 October 2018| Leave a Comment »

Chicken in Vermentino

A fresh, vibrant Vermentino brings the elements of this River Café one-pot dish together; juicy roast chicken, buttery waxy potatoes and earthy porcini mushrooms.

Wine Suggestion: there’s only one choice here, and we would recommend the Poggio ai Ginepri Bolgheri Vermentino from the Tuscan coast. This is from the superb Argentiera estate with a clever 80% Vermentino and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. We say clever as the vines are quite young and the Vermentino brings at this early stage very typical texture, salty-savouriness and appley lemon fruit with the Sauvignon giving fresh acidity and backbone. Argentiera say they expect the percentage of Vermentino to rise as the vines age, but at the moment it is deliciously light and vibrant.

Roast chicken with Vermentino – serves 4

  • 2kg organic chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
  • 1kg waxy potatoes
  • 75g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
  • 250ml Vermentino

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Wipe the chicken pieces clean with paper towels and trim off any excess fat.

Soak the porcini mushrooms in 400ml of hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and keep the soaking water. Rinse the mushrooms to remove any grit and chop.

Heat a medium frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil, then add the garlic and lightly brown. Add the porcini and cook for 2 minutes. Add a little of the mushroom soaking liquid and simmer gently, adding more liquid to keep the mushrooms quite wet. Season.

Peel the potatoes and quarter them lengthwise.

Put the chicken pieces into a roasting tin in a single layer. Add the potatoes, rosemary, wine, and 3 tbsp of olive oil. Stir in the porcini and season. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook for another 30 minutes. The chicken and potatoes should be light brown. Serve with the pan juices.

(Original recipe from Italian Two Easy: Simple Recipes from the London River Cafe by Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Clarkson Potter, 2006.)

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Merguez with Couscous

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 17 September 2018| Leave a Comment »

Merguez pot au feu with couscous

A dish of Merguez sausages and couscous from Marseilles. Like a Pot au Feu with flavours of the Maghreb. So delicious!

Wine Suggestion: French meets the Mediterranean, meets the Middle East – the Massaya le Colombier is a Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo blend. Made in stainless steel to preserve the fruit we love to chill this for 30 minutes, but you don’t have to.

Merguez with Couscous – serves 6 to 8

  • 2 tbsp ras el hanout
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 700g skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 courgettes, thickly sliced
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, halved and sliced
  • 2 dried red chillies
  • 1 pinch of saffron
  • 1 large piece of orange zest (use the juice to soak the raisins)
  • 400g merguez sausages
  • 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp harissa

FOR THE COUSCOUS:

  • 450g couscous
  • 100g raisins, soaked in orange juice
  • 50g butter

Put the spices in a large wide pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil and heat until sizzling. Add the chicken, vegetables, chillies, saffron and orange zest with 1 litre of cold water and slowly bring to a simmer. Season well and continue to cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Add the merguez sausages to the chicken, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas.

Meanwhile, put the couscous into a bowl and cover with the same volume of boiling water. Cover with cling film and leave to steam for 5 minutes, then fork through.

Tip the couscous into a serving bowl and add the raisins, butter and plenty of salt and pepper.

Add 4 tbsp of the chicken cooking liquid to the harissa to make a sauce.

Serve the chicken & sausages with the couscous and harissa sauce on the side.

(Original recipe by Lulu Grimes IN: Olive Magazine, September 2013.)

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Spicy Yoghurt Chicken

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , on 8 August 2018| 3 Comments »

Spicy Yoghurt Chicken

Drumsticks are a regular weeknight dinner in our house and we’re always looking for ideas for what to do with them. You can cook these on the barbecue or in the oven – we find oven first and finished on the barbecue works well.

Wine Suggestion: Our choice of the Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Federspiel was a good match with the spice, chilli and chicken, as well as fresh to suit the warm weather we’re having. Long may it last.

Spicy yoghurt chicken – serves 4

  • 8 skinless chicken drumsticks (the skins are easy to pull off)
  • 142ml pot natural yoghurt
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric

Make a few slashes in the drumsticks with a sharp knife.

Mix the yoghurt and spices together in a large bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Add the drumsticks and massage with the yoghurt mixture, then cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Lift the drumsticks out of the yoghurt and shake off the excess.

Cook on a hot barbecue for 20-25 minutes or roast in the oven for 30 minutes (200C/180C Fan)

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

 

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Chicken Saltimbocca

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 17 July 2018| Leave a Comment »

Chicken Saltimbocca

This is an easy version of an Italian dish which is perfect for a tasty mid-week dinner. A great combination of chicken, ham & sage. Also easily halved if you are only two.

Wine Suggestion: When considering a match for the salty prosciutto and savoury sage we thought of two wines straight away. The first a good Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi from the Marche in Italy, like Sartarelli. The second a choice between a good Pinot Blanc or Gris from Alsace. Each should have a minerality, nuttiness and textural spices on the palate with a good balance of vibrant fruit.

Chicken saltimbocca – serves 4 

  • 4 chicken breasts (skinless & boneless)
  • 8 thin slices of prosciutto
  • 8 sage leaves
  • 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 25g butter
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • juice of ½ a lemon
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Flatten the chicken breasts between two sheets of cling film by bashing with a rolling pin. Cut the flattened chicken in half lengthways. Put a piece of prosciutto and a sage leaf onto each piece of chicken and attach with a cocktail stick. Coat the chicken in the flour.

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and cook 4 of the chicken pieces at a time for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown but a little undercooked. Set aside and cook the rest of the chicken in the remaining oil.

Wipe out the frying pan with a piece of kitchen paper, then add the butter. Heat until frothy, then add the wine and lemon juice and bring to the boil. Bubble the sauce for about a minute before adding all of the chicken back to the pan and cooking for a further 2 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley over the top and cook for another minute, then serve immediately with the sauce.

Serve with new potatoes or green veg.

(Original recipe by Aldo Zilli IN: BBC Good Food Magazine, May 2001.)

 

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Chargrilled Pepper & Lime Chicken with Lime Aïoli

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Gluten-free, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 9 July 2018| Leave a Comment »

Chargrilled Pepper & Lime Chicken with Lime Aïoli

We’re just back from holidays in France and there seems to be a little heatwave going on. You can’t get more straight forward than this for tasty barbecued chicken and a cheat’s aïoli. Less time spent inside and more time to sit in the sun. We actually cooked this back in May when the sun was also shining – serve with some seasonal veg or salad.

Wine Suggestion: one of the wines we picked up on our trip was Chateau du Hureau’s Foudre blanc, 100% Chenin Blanc made and matured in large 20hl oak casks. A good choice.

Chargrilled pepper chicken with lime aïoli – serves 2

  • 4-6 skinless boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • ½ a clove of garlic, crushed

Trim any big bits of fat off the chicken thighs. Lay them out on a piece of cling film and put another piece of cling film on top. Gently bash the chicken with a rolling pin to flatten.

Put the chicken into a dish and add half of the lime juice, 1 tbsp of olive oil, some salt and lots of black pepper. Leave to marinate for about 15 minutes.

To make the aïoli, put the mayonnaise into a dish and add the rest of the lime juice, the garlic and some seasoning. Stir together until combined.

Shake off excess marinade and cook the chicken on a hot griddle or barbecue for about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve with the aïoli. Some chips would also be good.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, June 2011.)

 

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Leftover Chicken Curry

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , on 1 May 2018| 6 Comments »

Left-over Chicken Curry

A quick curry made with leftover roast chicken. We liked it and the fresh tomatoes definitely lighten things up for this time of year. We didn’t have any coriander but mint was a good substitute. Rachel Kelly also says that you can just use 2 tsp each of garam masala, coriander and ground cumin if you don’t have all the spices.

Wine Suggestion: This is quite a mild curry and we think you could choose most fruity, white wines and lighter, juicy reds easily. We had a glass of La Piuma Pecorino from the Marches in Italy and it was a refreshing match.

Leftover Chicken Curry – serves 4

  • vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, very finely chopped
  • 2-3 large tomatoes, chopped (plus some extra to serve)
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • leftover roast chicken, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • cooked basmati rice, to serve
  • coriander, chopped, to serve

Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Gently fry the onion with a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes or until softened, then add the garlic and ginger. Continue to fry gently for another few minutes.

Add the spices and mix well with the onion. Fry for another 3 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another minute or two then add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken and warm through. Dollop in about 2 tbsp of yoghurt, then warm gently – easy does it here so the sauce doesn’t curdle.

Serve with steamed rice and sprinkle over some fresh coriander and chopped tomato.

(Original recipe by Rachel Kelly in The Guardian)

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Chicken with Agrodolce Sauce

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, Italian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 10 April 2018| 2 Comments »

Chicken with an agrodulce sauce

A quick and healthy Italian-style sweet & sour dish for midweek. We weren’t completely sure about the celery but it smells amazing in the pan with the red onions and tastes perfect in the finished dish. Serve with new potatoes and a green salad or steamed tenderstem broccoli.

Wine Suggestion: We served this with a fuller Italian white, the l’Insolito by Michele Biancardi from Puglia. This is made from Minitolo which used to be thought of as a sub-variety of Fiano. Honeysuckle and white flower aromatics are tempered by a good citrus twist … sort of like the agrodulce.

Chicken with Agrodolce Sauce – serves 2

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp flour, well-seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally. Cover the 4 pieces of chicken with baking paper and flatten gently with a rolling pin. Dust the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour shaking off any excess.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and brown the chicken really well, then remove from the pan. Throw the onion and celery into the pan now and cook for about 3 minutes, then season. Add the tomatoes and cook for another few minutes or until they start to break down, then add the vinegar and sugar.

Return the chicken to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through, then stir in the parsley.

Serve with green salad or steamed broccoli and some new potatoes if you like.

(Original recipe by Jennifer Joyce IN: BBC Olive Magazine, April 2009.)

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Roast Chicken Drumsticks with Parsley & Garlic

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , on 22 March 2018| Leave a Comment »

Roast drumsticks with parsley and garlic

The title is a little bit deceptive as you don’t actually need to put these in the oven. They are very cheap and tasty and especially good with some potatoes and green veg. We’ve given the recipe to feed four people but we used just four drumsticks to feed two and scaled down the extra bits slightly and it worked perfectly.

Wine Suggestion: We had a simple, unoaked Viura (the grape used in white Rioja) from Castilla in Spain and the flinty texture and balance between fruit, freshness and a lighter body worked even better than we hoped.

Roast chicken drumsticks with parsley & garlic – serves 4

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 12-16 chicken drumsticks
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Season the drumsticks generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a large, heavy-based casserole with a lid or a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and half the butter. When the butter is foaming, add the drumsticks, and fry until browned all over.

Cover the pan with a lid and continue to fry gently for 20-25 minutes, turning often. Remove the lid and add the rest of the butter, the garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat and rest for a few minutes before serving.

(Original recipe by Paul & Jeanne Rankin IN: BBC Good Food Magazine, March 2014.)

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Chicken Parmigiana

Posted in Cheese, Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , on 13 December 2017| 2 Comments »

Chicken parmigiana

This is an absolute crowd pleaser and should please most children and other fussy eaters. It is easy but there are  a few steps so leave yourself plenty of time. We liked this way more than we expected to! Good with garlic bread and a big salad.

Wine Suggestion: you mustn’t overwhelm this dish with a heavy, powerful wine. It can have character though and the youthful Rocca delle Macie Chianti Vernaiolo was a good match. Unoaked and fruit driven this is a lighter red and all freshness and vitality. Other alternatives that work are light Pinot Noir, Gamay or Barbera.

Chicken Parmigiana – serves 4 (generously)

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chop 2 and peel the other
  • 100ml red wine
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 4 chicken breasts (ask your butcher to butterfly if possible)
  • 100g plain flour
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 75g Parmesan, grated
  • 75g breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • pinch sugar (optional)
  • 2 balls mozzarella, sliced
  • handful fresh basil leaves

Start by making the sauce. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until soft and translucent, then add the chopped garlic. Cook for another couple of minutes, then add the red wine. Allow to bubble until the wine is reduced by about half, then add the oregano and tomatoes and season well with salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce at this point and season with a pinch of sugar if necessary, then continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes, without the lid, until the sauce is well reduced – you want it to be fairly thick.

Preheat the oven to 200C Fan/180C/Gas 6.

Butterfly the chicken then put between two sheets of cling film and flatten slightly with a rolling pin. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Mix the Parmesan with the breadcrumbs, oregano and a few finely chopped basil leaves. Put half the flour onto a plate and season. Beat one of the eggs in a bowl and spread half the Parmesan mixture on another plate.

Dip each chicken breast in the flour and dust off any excess, then dip into the egg. Coat the eggy chicken in the breadcrumb & Parmesan mixture – pressing it firmly onto the chicken. Repeat this again with the next chicken breast. Now you may need to start the process again with the rest of the ingredients on fresh plates. Arrange the coated chicken on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil, then bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on.

To finish the dish you will need a large shallow oven dish that can take all 4 chicken breasts in a single layer. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub the dish all over with it. Spread the tomato sauce over the base of the dish, place the chicken on top and arrange the mozzarella over the chicken so it’s mostly covered. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and browned. Scatter some basil leaves over the top before serving.

(Original recipe from The Hairy Bikers Chicken & Egg by Si King & Dave Myers, Orion Publishing Co., 2017.)

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Chicken with Crème Fraîche & Tarragon

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , on 2 November 2017| Leave a Comment »

Chicken with creme fraiche & tarragon

Try this easy chicken dish for something tasty mid-week.

Wine Suggestion: we naturally lean towards a lightly oaked Chardonnay for this dish with sensitive, light oak as you need a wine with good body to match the flavours. For a mid-week meal the Mácon-Charnay by Domaine Manciat Poncet has the balance of flavours, fruit and texture, but if you want to step it up try some of Patrick Javillier’s Bourgogne Blanc cuvée’s (Oligocene is our pick) or for a real treat his Meursault which is outstanding and a real play of light and shadow; complex, fresh and vibrant.

Creamy mustard & tarragon chicken – serves 4

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or you could use thighs)
  • 200ml tub half-fat crème fraîche (full-fat is fine too)
  • ½ tbsp each Dijon and wholegrain mustard
  • ¼ tbsp dried tarragon, or 2 sprigs of fresh if you have it

Heat your oven to 200C/fan 180/gas 6.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the chicken breasts well with salt and black pepper. Brown the chicken in the oil for about a minute on each side, then remove from the pan.

Add the crème fraîche, Dijon & wholegrain mustards, and tarragon to the pan and stir together. Bring to a simmer before returning the chicken to the pan and spooning some of the sauce over them. Put the pan into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is bubbling.

Serve with rice or new potatoes and greens.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food).

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Chicken, Red Pepper & Olive Cacciatore

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , , on 8 August 2017| Leave a Comment »

Chicken with olives & tomatoes

This one-pot dish is full of Mediterranean flavours and reminiscent of summer sun. A tasty treat for mid-week and freezes well too.

Wine suggestion: try a glass of a good, dry Provençal Rosé. We had one made by Chateau Vignelaure which matched the sunny nature of this dish perfectly.

Chicken, red pepper & olive cacciatore – serves 6

  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 6 drumsticks
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 x 400g tin tomatoes
  • 2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary, needles chopped
  • 300ml red wine
  • 120g pitted black olives,  halved
  • a large handful of basil leaves

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

Season the chicken pieces well with salt & pepper. Heat a splash of oil in a large shallow casserole and fry the chicken until the skin is golden brown. This should take about 10 minutes and is easier to do in  a few batches. Remove the chicken onto a plate.

Pour most of the fat off the pan, then add the onions and garlic and fry for  over a low heat for about 8 minutes or until very soft.

Add the tomatoes, peppers and rosemary and simmer for another 10 minutes, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is rich and thick.

Stir the olives into the sauce and nestle the chicken pieces back into the pan. If your pan is too small to take the chicken in a single layer you can transfer everything to a baking dish at this point. Cook in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and comes away easily from the bone.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, July 2016.)

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How to Barbecue a Whole Chicken

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , on 24 June 2017| 1 Comment »

BBQ poached chicken

We love this! No fear of either raw or dry barbecued chicken. The chicken is tender and moist and you get lots of delicious barbecue flavour. We’re going to be cooking this all summer!

Wine Suggestion: We started with a glass of Alsace: the Bott-Geyl Pinot d’Alsace “Points Cardinale” which highlighted the ginger and chilli in a very good way.

We then followed with a juicy, medium bodied red, the Ridge Geyserville, a Zinfandel blend. Don’t be afraid of having a red with either Chicken or spice, just make sure the wine isn’t too tannic or heavy, and that there is enough juiciness to provide a foil for any chilli or ginger. In this case the Geyserville added a layer of flavour that gave the chicken extra dimension and celebrated the barbecue char.

Poached and Barbecued Chicken – serves 6

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2-3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1-2 leeks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 garlic bulb, halved
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
  • 1 glass of red wine
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 red chillies, halved
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 large chicken

Heat a large saucepan (big enough to hold the chicken) over a moderate heat, add the oil and sauté the onion, celery, leeks, carrots and garlic together for a few minutes, then add the ginger, red wine, cinnamon, star anise, honey and soy sauce. Bring to the boil then simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Season the chicken and set it on top of the layer of vegetables in the pot, add about 1 litre of water, then cover the pan and simmer gently for an hour and a half.

Preheat the barbecue. Strain 200ml of the cooking liquid into a small pan and reduce over a high heat until it becomes thick & syrupy, remove the chicken from the pot and set onto a tray, brush the reduced liquid over the chicken. Cook the chicken on a moderate barbecue, turning, until charred all over.

If you like you can discard the vegetables boil up the remaining liquid to serve as a sauce.

Serve the chicken with barbecued veg or other nice summer salads.

(Original recipe from Cooking at the Ballymore Inn by Georgina O’Sullivan.)

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Butter Chicken Curry

Posted in Chicken, Food, Indian, tagged , , , , , , , on 29 May 2017| Leave a Comment »

 

Butter chicken

Not an authentic recipe by any means but really tasty and much healthier than anything available in the local take-away. We have also made this with leftover cooked chicken with good results.

Wine Suggestion: We want to like wine with curry but most times we prefer something cool and bubbly – like beer! With this we had a bottle of Cooper’s Original Pale Ale to remind us of recent travels in Australia.

Butter Chicken Curry – serves 4

  • 500g skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • ½ a lemon, juiced
  • 35g butter
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • curry paste (we used half a jar of Patak’s Madras which is quite spicy but use what you like)
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tbsp ground almonds
  • 175ml full-fat natural yoghurt
  • 150ml chicken stock
  • coriander leaves
  • cooked basmati rice, to serve

Toss the chicken pieces with the turmeric, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and ½ tsp salt. Heat the butter in a large wide pan, then cook the onion for about 10 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the curry paste and tomato purée and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until opaque (if using cooked chicken just heat through).

Mix the almonds and yoghurt together in a bowl then stir into the curry and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the stock and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Scatter over the coriander and serve with the rice.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, April, 2017.)

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Braised chicken with mustard & leeks

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 6 March 2017| 1 Comment »

Braised chicken with mustard & leeks

Another suggestion for using up a leek. Chicken, mustard and leeks are natural friends and make for a delicious mid-week dinner.

Wine suggestion: choose a classic pairing with this and go for a Chardonnay. Your choice of which one but both simple and unoaked or sophisticated and expensive white burgundy will work.

Braised chicken with mustard & leeks – serves 2

  • olive oil
  • 4 chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 100ml white wine/chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp double cream
  • 1 tbsp chopped tarragon

Heat a splash of oil in a wide, deep frying pan and cook the chicken thigh fillets until golden on both sides.

Add the leek to the pan and cook until softened.

Add the wine or stock, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the Dijon mustard and double cream and continue to simmer with the lid off until slightly thickened.

Stir through the chopped tarragon, season to taste and serve with either some steamed rice or mashed potatoes.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, January 2015.)

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Spiced Yoghurt Roast Chicken with Potatoes

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Potato, Roast, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 6 January 2017| 1 Comment »

Spiced yoghurt roast chicken

Our local butcher, Brady’s, stocks excellent free-range chickens which are juicier and have more flavour than most super-market offerings. Being a very cheap meat overall we think it is worth spending a bit more as the benefits far outweigh the cost difference.

We never tire of roast chicken recipes as they’re usually straight forward and provide lots of leftovers. We challenge you to resist the skin on this one!

Wine Suggestion: we felt like a red so went for the Chateau de Beauregard Fleurie as it has a lighter body and a lower acidity than a Pinot Noir which matched this dish really well. The chicken was moist, but not fatty so the medium acidity was a perfect foil and neither wine nor food overwhelmed the other.

Spiced-yoghurt Roast Chicken with Potatoes – serves 4

  • 1 whole chicken, approximately 1.5kg
  • salad potatoes e.g. Charlotte
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • a pinch of chilli flakes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

For the marinade:

  • small chunk of ginger, finely grated
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 green chilli, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced, keep the squeezed out halves to put inside the chicken
  • 100g natural yoghurt

Heat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5.

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and season with some salt and pepper.

Put the chicken into a large roasting tray and rub the marinade all over the skin with your hands. Put the squeezed lemon halves inside the cavity and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, then rest for 20 minutes under some foil before carving.

Cut the potatoes in half and toss with the cumin seeds, chilli flakes, 2 tbsp olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Tip into a shallow roasting tray and put in the oven above the chicken for the last 20 minutes. Turn over once during cooking and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes while the chicken is resting.

Delicious served with some coleslaw on the side.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, December 2016.)

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Oven-Roasted Chicken Tikka with Mint & Yoghurt Chutney

Posted in Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , on 18 December 2016| 1 Comment »

Chicken tikka with mint chutney

From Meera Sodha’s fabulous book, Made in India, we continue to make very successful dishes. We made this for a Christmas party alongside Meera’s Cinnamon lamb curry,  and coconut fish curry. All very straightforward particularly if you get the lamb cooked the night before and serve with a load of rice (cooked and kept warm in a rice cooker if you have one) and a simple salad.

We used small green birds-eye chillies with their seeds removed and while these were hot on their own they gave the right amount of background heat to each dish: think of it as a mild curry with a tiny, perfect kick.

If you prefer you can thread the chicken pieces onto kebab sticks before roasting. You will need to soak wooden sticks in water for about 20 minutes before using to stop them burning in the oven.

The Mint chutney was amazing and not only works with the chicken tikka but is also great with a roast or grilled lamb instead of the usual mint sauce/jelly.

Oven-roasted Chicken Tikka (Murghi na tikka) – serves 4-6 as a starter or with other dishes

  • rapeseed oil
  • 600g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of any fat
  • 4cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 fresh green chilli, roughly chopped
  • salt
  • 130ml whole-milk yoghurt
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • ¾ tsp cumin seeds, crushed
  • ¾ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp garam masala

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Line 2 oven trays and brush with a very light layer of oil.

Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put into a bowl.

Pound the ginger, garlic and green chilli with a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar, until it turns into a paste. Add the paste to the chicken, then add the remaining ingredients to the bowl along with 1¼ tsp salt. Mix well and cover. Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes or in the fridge for a a few hours if you can.

Shake the excess marinade from the chicken and divide between the lined trays. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning once.

Serve with salad and the Mint & Yoghurt Chutney below.

Mint & Yoghurt Chutney (Fodina anna dahi nu chatni) – makes a small jar

  • 5 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 20g fresh mint
  • 1 fresh green chili, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • juice of ½ a lemon
  • a pinch of salt

Put the ingredients into a blender and whizz until mixed. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

The chutney will keep for a day in the fridge if you want to make it in advance.

(Original recipes from Made in India by Meera Sodha, Fig Tree, 2014.)

 

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