Just chicken fillets with a nice tasty sauce and water chestnuts, which we love!
Ginger and Chilli Chicken – serves 6
- 6 small skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 level tbsp cornflour
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered
- 300ml chicken stock
- 4 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
- 1 x 275g tin water chestnuts, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander
FOR THE MARINADE:
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
- 1 tsp finely grated root ginger
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, to make 12 thin fillets.
To make the marinade, measure the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken breasts, toss to coat and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade (but don’t throw the marinade away) and place in a single layer in the pan (you will probably need to do this in batches). Brown for 3 minutes, turning halfway. Transfer to a plate and wipe the pan with damp kitchen paper to remove any marinade.
Mix the cornflour with 4 tbsp of water in a small bowl until smooth.
Heat the rest of the oil in the frying pan over a high heat. Add the shallot and mushrooms and fry for a few minutes. Add the reserved marinade, the stock and the crème fraîche and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Add the cornflour mixture, season and bring to the boil to thicken.
Add the water chestnuts and return the chicken to the pan. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has a nice consistency.
Serve with rice and sprinkle with coriander to serve.
(Original recipe from Mary’s Foolproof Dinners, BBC Books, 2024.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 