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Archive for the ‘Chicken’ Category

Sticky lemon & chilli chicken noodles

Posted in Asian, Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , on 27 March 2012| 1 Comment »

Healthy, super-speedy and tasty. Perfect weeknight dinner!

Sticky lemon & chilli chicken noodles – to serve 2

  • 100g thread egg noodles
  • 2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • oil
  • 4 scallions, shredded
  • 50 mange tout, shredded
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp chilli sauce

Cook the noodles according to the pack. Put the chicken slices into a plastic bag, add the cornflour and some seasoning and give it a good shake. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and stir-fry the chicken until golden. Set the chicken aside and add the vegetables to the pan but hold back some of the scallions for a garnish. Toss for a couple of minutes .

Return the chicken to the pan and add the lemon, honey, soy sauce and chilli sauce, plus a splash of water and bubble for a few minutes to make a sauce. Toss with the noodles and garnish with the remaining scallions.

Wine Suggestion: Go for something fresh, fruity and aromatic, like a Sauvignon Blanc from Italy or Chile.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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An old one but a good one

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , on 16 February 2012| 1 Comment »

Remember chicken chasseur? It used to be very posh when I was a child (and Jono was a teenager – hehe!) Still tastes just as good if a bit retro at this stage. Serve this with some mash and greens.

Braised chicken chasseur – to serve 4

  • 4 chicken legs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, thickly sliced
  • 250g whole button or chestnut mushrooms
  • 1 rounded tbsp tomato purée
  • 300ml white wine
  • 400ml chicken or beef stock
  • 3-4 tomatoes, quartered and deseeded
  • sprinkling tarragon and chopped parsley

Season the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a lidded sauté pan or shallow casserole. Fry the chicken over a medium-high heat until golden all over. Remove from the pan. Drain off any excess fat, leaving about 2 tbsps for cooking the onions. Add the onions and mushrooms, stirring for 6-8 minutes or until starting to colour. Stir in the tomato purée and white wine, then pour in the stock.

Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a simmer. Put a lid on the pan and cook for about 1 hr, or until the meat is really tender.

Skim any excess fat from the surface and add the tomatoes. Simmer without the lid for another few minutes to soften them, scatter over the herbs.

Wine Suggestion: You will have the rest of the bottle of white you used in the sauce so we recommend you drink that with the dish. Use whatever you have in the fridge or if you’re buying one specially try a Côtes de Gascogne which should be good value and you won’t mind putting the half of it in your dinner!

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Spicy chicken with a cucumber and cashew nut salad

Posted in Asian, Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 1 September 2011| 1 Comment »

We’re determined to cram in as many salads as we can before it turns properly autumnal. Chicken thighs are the way forward for flavour and moisture – breasts have their purposes but they dry out terribly so get thighs for this dish. Nice fresh flavours.

Spicy Chicken Thighs with Cucumber and Cashew Salad – to serve 4

  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 large red chillies, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 8 bonesless skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the cucumber and cashew salad:
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • 200g vermicelli noodles
  • 2 cucumbers, halved and thinly sliced
  • small handful fresh mint leaves
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp cashew nuts, crushed
Whisk the fish sauce, pepper, garlic, chillies and sugar in a bowl. Put the chicken in another bowl and pour half the marinade over. Cover and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, in two batches, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

While the chicken cooks, add the lime juice and sugar to the remaining marinade. Stir until the sugar dissolves to make a dressing.

Pour boiling water over the vermicelli and leave for a minute or two until soft. Drain under cold water, put in a large bowl and add the cucumber, mint, scallions and cashews. Add the dressing, toss well and serve with the chicken.

(Original recipe from ‘Bill Granger Every Day’ published by Murdoch Books, 2006)

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Teriyaki Chicken and Barbecued Lemons

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Food, Healthy, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on 17 August 2011| 1 Comment »

I’m sure we’ve already mentioned that we panic-buy skinless, boneless chicken thighs – though they do seem to be easier to get these days. Thighs are much tastier than chicken breasts and don’t have the same tendency to dry out.

After a relatively sunny day on Sunday we deicided to plan a barbecue for Monday. Jono ended up standing outside in the rain under a big umbrella – that’s summer in Ireland! Do try barbecuing lemon halves – it makes them super juicy and a bit milder, perfect squeezed over grilled meat or fish.

Teryyaki mustard chicken – to serve 4

  • 8 boneless chicken thigh fillets – the skin can be on or off
  • vegetable oil, for brushing
For the teriyaki sauce
  • 3 tbsp beer
  • 3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • lemon halves, for serving
Combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Put the chicken in a flat, non-metallic dish and pour over the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for no more than 3 hours, turning now and again. Take it out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.

Light the barbecue. Brush the grill with a little vegetable oil to stop the chicken sticking. Put the chicken thighs on the grill, reserving the marinade, and cook for about 5 minutes, turn and cook for another 3 minutes.

Start basting with the teriyaki sauce and turning every minute – for about 4 minutes or until the thighs start to look charred at the edges.

Check they are cooked through and remove them to a plate, cover and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with barbecued lemon halves to squeeze over.

(Original recipe by Ross Dobson for Sainsbury’s Magazine, August 2009)

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Comforting Chicken Pilaf

Posted in Chicken, Food, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on 15 August 2011| 2 Comments »

There is something so comforting about chicken and rice. The butter and gentle spices  lift the otherwise bland background – a really simple but impressive dish.

Golden Chicken Pilaf – to serve 4

  • 50g butter
  • 4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 500g chicken stock mixed with a large pinch of saffron (from a cube is fine)
  • 300g basmati rice
  • a handful of roughly chopped coriander

Heat half the butter in a large wide pan with a lid. Brown the chicken in batches and set aside. Add the rest of the butter then tip in the onions and cook really slowly until tender and golden brown (around 10 minutes).

Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods and cloves and cook for a minute. Add the chicken stock and chicken pieces, pour in the rice and stir well.

Cover tightly (if the lid isn’t tight, put a sheet of foil underneath) and cook on a really low heat for another 15-20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Scatter the coriander over before serving.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive, August 2007)

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Chicken with Courgettes and Garlic

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , on 20 July 2011| Leave a Comment »

Apologies to any of you that don’t like courgettes but as long as people keep donating us homegrown ones we’re going to keep on cooking them.

This dish is based on courgettes, onions and garlic and it’s so tasty that you can’t tell it’s low fat. The recipe is to serve 8 (to serve buffet-style) but we just cooked half and it worked well.

The original recipe suggested side dishes of tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. We had some new potatoes to use up so we roasted them with a bit of oil and some herbs from the garden.

Chicken saute with courgettes and garlic – to serve 8 (easily halved)

  • 8 x chicken breast fillets
  • 8-10 small courgettes – we used a giant one
  • 2 onions
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 2 red chillies
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 50g butter
  • juice of 2 small limes
  • lime wedges, to serve
  1. Cut the chicken into 1cm thick strips and the courgettes into 1cm thick slices on an angle. Slice the onions finely and separate into rings. Slice the garlic very finely. Deseed the chillies and shred finely.
  2. Heat a large frying pan or a heavy roasting tin on the hob. Add the oil and sauté the onions and courgettes until golden brown – you might have to do this in a few batches. Season and transfer to a plate.
  3. Add the butter to the frying pan. When it sizzles, sauté the chicken strips in batches until golden brown all over. Add them all back to the pan together and cook for another minute before seasoning and adding the onions, courgettes and sliced garlic.
  4. Keep cooking for another few minutes until everything is almost tender, then add the lime juice, and check the seasoning. Scatter over the chillies and serve with lime wedges.
(Original recipe by Gary Rhodes for BBC Good Food Magazine July 2003)

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Easy BBQ Kebabs

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Food on 27 June 2011| Leave a Comment »

We were very tired on Sunday (after our big dinner party the night before) so these kebabs were about as much as we could muster. They are easy to do for a crowd too if you’re planning a summer barbecue. It’s a bit of a cheat as we use a bought honey and mustard marinade (ours was from Marks & Spencer).

BBQ Honey & Mustard Chicken Kebabs – serves 4 

  • 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 12 rashers of streaky bacon
  • 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 orange pepper, cut into chunks
  • 2 red onions, cut into wedges
  • 1 bottle of honey & mustard marinade (M&S do a good one)

Stretch the bacon rashers with the back of a knife and cut each slice into 3 pieces. Wrap the pieces of bacon around the lumps of chicken.

Thread the peppers, onions, and chicken onto skewers (metal ones are best – if you have wooden ones you need to soak them for 20 minutes so they don’t burn on the barbecue).

Brush the marinade over the kebabs and leave for 20 minutes or so.

Cook the kebabs on a barbecue until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with potatoes and coleslaw.

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Chocalong Chicken Mole

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , on 9 April 2011| 3 Comments »

This month’s Irish Food Bloggers’ Association Cookalong theme was chocolate.

Anyone who follows this blog will know that we don’t do too many desserts but we got the Green and Black’s Chocolate book – Unwrapped – out with enthusiasm anyway. Flicking through the many fabulous looking desserts we came across this Chicken Mole, a savoury South American dish with chocolate sauce.

To be honest we weren’t too sure if we’d like the result and to be really honest we didn’t. I’ve used a square of chocolate in a big pot of chilli before and there is no doubt it can add a bit of character. This recipe uses 75g of dark chocolate and was a bit much we thought.

Having said that all four of us cleared our plates and two even had seconds so it wasn’t that bad, maybe just not quite to our tastes. Interesting nonetheless and we made a cracking guacamole to serve on the side (which we shall blog about later) with some tortilla chips which pleased us more.

Here’s the recipe if you’re feeling brave.

Chicken Mole – to serve 4

  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 2tsp smoked sweet paprika
  • 8 pieces of chicken on the bone (we used thighs and drumsticks)
  • 400g tin of red kidney beans
  • 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 75g dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas mark 2.

Crush the garlic and slice the onions.

Seal the chicken in some olive oil in a big casserole pot that can go in the oven. When the chicken is lightly browned add the onions and garlic.

When the onions are lightly browned, add the tomatoes and kidney beans (including the juice), plus the paprika and 50g of the chocolate.

Bring to simmer and put in the oven for 1 hr 30 minutes.

Skim the surface to remove any chicken fat. Taste and adjust seasoning – you’ll need some salt. Add another 20g of chocolate to taste.

We served this with pilau rice, tortilla chips and guacamole.

Wine suggestion: This went well with a rich Tempranillo/Garnacha blend from Toro in Spain.


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Braised Chicken & Flageolet Beans

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 23 March 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yes it’s another chicken recipe but we’ve made a pact not to cook anymore chicken for a while. We got all over-excited when we realised M&S had skinless, boneless chicken thighs and bought tonnes of them and now we’re sick of chicken. Still, this was quite nice with a nice tang from the wine and as we’d opened the bottle we felt we had to have a glass to drink too. Another healthy one and quick to make after work.

The healthy mid-week recipes are going to be non-chicken for the forseeable future.

Braised chicken & flageolet beans – serves 2, but easily doubled

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 300ml white wine
  • 400g can flageolet beans, rinsed & drained
  • handful of flat parsley

Heat the oil in a wide pan with a lid, add the chicken and brown it all over. Tip in the onion, garlic and thyme, then fry for 2 minutes.

Pour in the wine, 150ml water and season with salt & pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, covering half way through, until the chicken is cooked.

Stir in the beans and warm through briefly. Roughly chop the parsley and stir it in to serve.

Wine suggestion: We used a Chilean Chardonnay in the dish which tasted good to drink with it too. Chardonnay and chicken are nice together.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Healthy Lemony Chicken and Courgette Couscous

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , , on 15 March 2011| Leave a Comment »

This is a good everyday recipe and a really nice way to cook boring old skinless boneless chicken breasts.  We’re hoping the leftovers will make nice lunch boxes for tomorrow too.

Chicken with lemon and courgette couscous – to serve 4

  • 200g couscous
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 courgettes, grated
  • 2 lemons, 1 halved, 1 cut in wedges
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Put the couscous into a large bowl and pour over the stock. Cover and leave for 10 minutes, until the stock has been absorbed.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry the courgettes until softened and starting to crisp at the edges. We used very big courgettes which gave out loads of water – it this happens just drain the water off in a colander and put the courgettes back in the pan to crisp up a little.

Tip the courgettes into the couscous and stir in plenty of seasoning and a good squeeze of lemon juice from one of the halves.

Halve the chicken breasts horizontally and put them on sheets of cling film. Cover with another sheet and beat them out with a rolling pin to make them thinner. We had escalopes in the freezer which worked well without bashing. Season.

Heat the other tbsp of oil in a large pan and fry the chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Squeeze over the juice from the other half lemon and serve with couscous and lemon wedges.

Hardly any fat or calories which can’t be bad either.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Super-healthy, Italian Chicken & Rosemary Stew

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , , , on 9 March 2011| 7 Comments »

As well as being super-healthy this dish is bursting with great flavour; and it achieves this without the use of salt or pepper. We are usually very generous with seasoning (we take our inspiration for the pros) but this has more than enough delicious flavour without any: we were impressed and helped ourselves to seconds after scoffing the initial bowl.
Serves 4
  • 6 Chicken Thighs, skinless, boneless and quartered
  • olive oil
  • 2 Onions, sliced
  • 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
  • 2 sprigs of Rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
  • 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Pearled Spelt (or Pearled Barley if you can’t find this)
  • 500ml Chicken Stock
  • 250g waxy potatoes like Charlotte, peeled and quartered
  • small bunch of Parsley, chopped
Heat oven to 190C / fan 170C / Gas 5.
Fry the chicken thighs in a little olive oil until browned. Remove and then add the onions and cook until softened.
Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for a minute, add the balsamic and cook for a further minute.
Add the rest of the ingredients, including the chicken, bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven for one hour.
When cooked stir in the parsley and serve in bowls with crusty bread.
(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Movida’s Adobo de Pollo

Posted in Barbecue, Chicken, Food, Sherry, tagged , , , , , , , on 25 February 2011| Leave a Comment »

Movida is the best Spanish restaurant in Melbourne. We were there last June and just got a table by the skin of our teeth as it is massively popular. It’s up a little cobbled street and if you didn’t know better you would walk right by which would be a big mistake as the tapas are fandabbydosey. They also have a crackin wine list and great staff – our idea of heaven. So book your table before you go!!

Jono’s sister Rachel sent us Movida Rustica for Christmas, the second cookbook to come out of this restaurant and we’ve been dying to get stuck into the recipes.

These barbecue kebabs have a delicious herby flavour with a massive oomph from the smoked paprika and they give off a fabulous sweet smoke when they’re cooking. So if you’re not going to Melbourne or indeed Spain any time soon we suggest you try these.

P.S. M&S are at last doing skinless, boneless chicken thighs but they are in the casserole section rather than the chicken section.

P.P.S. You’re supposed to marinade the chicken overnight but we forgot and just marinated for 1 hour and it was still great.

Adobo de Pollo (or Chicken skewers with paprika and oregano to us Irish folk) – makes 12 tapas

  • 1kg skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into 2.5 cm chunks
  • 2 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp saffron threads
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 125ml extra virgin olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients in a big bowl, cover with cling film and marinate overnight in the fridge (or for as long as you’ve got).

Thread the chicken onto 12 metal skewers.

Heat the barbecue to high and cook the skewers for 5 minutes, or until cooked through, turning often.

Let them cool slightly and serve – we had ours with some herby lemon couscous.

Wine suggestion: Do like the Spanish and drink Sherry – we had a glass of Lustau VORS (Very Old Rare Sherry) dry Oloroso which is exceptionally special but any dry Oloroso or Amontillado will serve you well. Chin chin!

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Josh’s Mediterranean Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , on 16 February 2011| 2 Comments »

Here’s a recipe from my friend Josh. I was a bit confused when I read it – I’m all for easy recipes but chucking it all in a pot and sticking it in the oven made me think there was a step left out. Anyways apparently not. So chuck the following ingredients in a casserole with a lid and put it in the oven for 1 hour at 180C (don’t add the olives until 10 to 15 minutes before the end). Very tasty and easy-peasy. It can also survive waiting for half an hour in the oven if someone arrives home late…. can’t it Jono?

  • tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2-4 chicken breasts or thighs (leave them whole or cut them in two like I did)
  • 8-10 shallots
  • chopped sun-dried tomatoes (to taste – I used a small handful)
  • 200-300ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 onion, grated
  • basil and oregano (I used a tsp of dried basil and a tsp of dried oregano)
  • salt and pepper
  • a big handful of olives

Serve with something starchy – rice, pasta, potatoes – whatever takes your fancy.

Thanks Josh!

Wine suggestion: We had a glass of a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend from Bordeaux (Le G de Chateau Guiraud – a dry wine from the famous chateau making gloriously sweet Sauternes) and it worked well or if you fancy a red you could try a nice Italian Barbera.

Julie

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The last Turkey recipe … for a while!

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, Soup, tagged , , , , , , , on 24 January 2011| Leave a Comment »

The turkey in the freezer is finally finished. We actually feel a bit sad… no more free food! So once again, if you have any leftover turkey from Christmas, here’s something else to do with it.

Inspired by Vietnamese Pho broth, which is usually made with beef. The recipe comes from BBC Good Food.

Asian noodle & turkey soup (feeds 4)

  • 1.5 litres turkey or chicken stock
  • a thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 cloves
  • 200g dried rice noodles, any sort
  • 2 limes, one juiced, one in wedges to serve
  • 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 400g roast turkey, shredded
  • 100g bag of bean sprouts (we used a bit more than this)
  • bunch of coriander
  • bunch of mint
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 red chillies, sliced (seeds in or out whatever you prefer)

Heat the stock in a large pan and add the ginger and spices, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Soak or cook your noodles according to what it says on the pack, then drain and rinse.

Add the fish sauce and lime juice to the stock and taste for seasoning – add more fish sauce if you think it needs it.

Divide the noodles between 4 bowls, then top with the shredded turkey, beansprouts, herbs, scallions and chillies. Ladle the hot stock over the bowls and serve with the lime wedges.

Hey presto!

Wine suggestion: Go for a simple, fruity Sauvignon Blanc. We had a leftover glass from Trentino in Italy, which is better known for its Pinot Grigio, and it went perfectly.

 

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Garlic, Thyme & Lemon Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Food, Healthy, tagged , , , on 12 January 2011| 2 Comments »

Super easy and quick: this was on the table in under 15 minutes and tasted great! It’s also another healthy recipe for all of you January dieters (us included!). This serves two people.

  • 2 skinless Chicken breast fillets
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • Thyme leaves from 2 sprigs
  • Olive oil
  • 1.5 lemons – 1 juiced and half cut into wedges
  • 2 slices of crusty bread, toasted (we used ciabatta)
  • rocket to serve

Make a cut in the side of each chicken and open them up like a book. Cover in cling film and flatten out evenly with your hands.

Mix garlic and thyme with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and spread over the chicken.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the chicken for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the other. We needed to do them separately as our frying pan wasn’t big enough for two (and the pan is big). Put both chicken breasts back in the pan when done, pour over the lemon juice and season well. Make sure you turn them over to pick up the pan juices and tasty bits.

Serve each chicken breast on a slice of toast and top with the rocket and a wedge of lemon.

Wine suggestion: something lemony like an unoaked Semillon or a Gavi di Gavi (unfortunately we just had a glass of water)

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