Tag: chicken

Thai green curry chicken

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Fragrant, punchy and succulent. Soft poached chicken and crunchy veg, cloaked in copious sauce that does the miraculous task of being both spikily spicy and coconuttily creamy.

  • 2 heaped tbsp green curry paste
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 3 lime leaves
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 300g chicken breast, cut into fine slices
  • 100g fine green beans, cut into short lengths
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 15g basil leaves
  1. Heat half the coconut milk in a wok over a high heat until it bubbles
  2. Add the green curry paste and stir together until it dissolves into the coconut
  3. Add the rest of the coconut milk and stir together. Bubble the mixture for 5 mins
  4. Add the chicken, green beans and lime leaves, stir in
  5. Turn the heat to medium and cook for a couple of mins, then add the fish sauce and sugar
  6. Continue to bubble and stir until the chicken is just cooked through, just a couple more mins should do it
  7. Turn off the heat and tear in the basil leaves

Serve over jasmine or basmati rice. Don’t eat the lime leaves. Do eat the delicous curry with a spoon. Maybe with a refreshing cucumber salad on the side.

Chicken and leek pasta

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Delicious, savoury, garlicky, lemony with sweetness from roasted leek. An excellent weeknight dinner, simple to make and tasty to eat. Feeds 2

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 2 leeks, cut into 2cm pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 200g pasta shapes
  • ½ lemon, zest and juice
  • Parmesan
  1. Pre-heat oven to 190C fan (210C)
  2. Put the chicken thighs, leek pieces and whole, unpeeled garlic cloves into a roasting tin
  3. Drizzle over the oil, add salt and pepper and smush everything together to coat with oil and seasoning
  4. Shuffle everything out into a single layer and pop it in the oven for 30 mins
  5. Put a big pan of salted water on the hob to boil. Try to time it so the water comes to a boil as the roasting tin comes out of the oven
  6. Put the pasta in and bubble for 10-12 mins (or whatever the package says) until cooked – then drain and put back in the saucepan
  7. In the meantime, remove the leeks to a bowl on one side
  8. Remove the chicken from the tin onto a chopping board and slice into bite-sized pieces
  9. Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin back into the roasting tin
  10. Scoop 60ml or so of boiling pasta water from the saucepan and use it to deglaze the roasting tin over a low heat, scraping the delicous brown from every corner and squishing the garlic into the mix as you do it
  11. Add the lemon juice and zest, stirring to combine
  12. Pour the glossy mix of lemon, garlic and chicken juice into the drained pasta, scraping with a spatula to catch every scrap
  13. Tip in the leeks and chicken and stir thoroughly to combine. Check the seasoning
  14. Serve hot with a drift of grated parmesan over the top

Chicken, leek and ham pie

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Creamy, savoury and delicious. Steamy and bubbly, covered up above and below – there’s no stew with a hat in here, it’s pastry all over!

  • 400g chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, trimmed, rinsed and chopped
  • 1 celery stick, trimmed and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 50ml white wine
  • 100ml milk
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 150g cooked ham, diced
  • Small handful parsley, chopped
  • 2 packs shortcrust pastry (2 x 320g)
  • 1 small egg, beaten
  1. Season 1 tbsp flour with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken in the flour until coated
  2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat
  3. Fry the chicken in batches until lightly golden all over then transfer to a plate
  4. Lower the heat and melt the butter
  5. Add the onion, leek, celery and garlic
  6. Stir together and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins until softened and lightly coloured
  7. Add the other 2 tbsp flour and mustard. Stir in and cook for a minute
  8. Pour in the wine and bubble it away, then add the milk and stock
  9. Bring to the bubble, stirring to get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan
  10. Turn the heat down to a simmer and season well. Cook for 5-10 mins until sauce is thickened and smooth
  11. Add the chicken back in, and throw in the ham and parsley. Take off the heat and stir
  12. Taste to check the seasoning, adjust if needed and scrape the filling into a bowl to cool
  13. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C), put a baking tray in to heat, and take pastry out of the fridge to come to room temp
  14. Roll one sheet of pastry into a round baking dish, draping the extra over the sides
  15. Fill with the cooled filling and brush the edges with beaten egg. Top with the other sheet of pastry and press down around the edges
  16. Trim the edges, and then press a fork all the way around to completely seal and make a pretty pattern
  17. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and cut a little hole into the middle to let the steam out
  18. Bake on the pre-heated tray in the oven for 40 mins until the pie is golden brown all over and the filling is bubbly hot

Spicy chicken and mange tout stir fry

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Succulent chicken, crunchy greens and chewy noodles, wrapped up in a fiercely spicy-sweet sauce which will make your tongue dance the fandango.

  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 chicken breasts, sliced ½ cm thin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 red birdseye chilli
  • 4 spring onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 120g mange tout
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp chilli oil
  • 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 400g cooked noodles of any sort (approx 200g dry weight)
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  1. Prep everything before you start cooking. This is a quick one
  2. Heat the veg oil in a wok over a high flame
  3. Throw in the garlic, ginger and chilli. Stir in and almost immediately chuck in the spring onions
  4. Flip them about in the oil, then add the chicken
  5. Move the ingredients about constantly – stir frying them you might say (!) until the chicken there’s no pink left on the chicken
  6. Add the soy sauce and chilli oil and a splash of water
  7. Stir together, then throw in the mange tout
  8. Stir cook for a final couple of mins on high then turn the heat down and add the hoisin sauce and noodles
  9. Toss the noodles (I love an udon!) through the chicken, veg and sauce – should only take 1 min
  10. Sprinkle with coriander and serve immediately with chopsticks and a massive grin on your face

Lemon and garlic chicken and chips

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A family favourite, full of flavour but ever so simple to make, using oven chips as a shortcut, with harissa yoghurt to dunk into. More yummy than you’d ever imagine, given the simplicity of the ingredients. Literally winner winner chicken dinner. Feeds 4.

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • Generous sprig of fresh oregano
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 100g greek yoghurt
  • 1 heaped tbsp harissa paste
  • 1 kg chunky oven chips
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  1. About an hour before you cook, mix the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh oregano (twisted and pinched a bit to release the flavour), salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the chicken breasts in a dish. Cover and refrigerate, turning once, until you need them
  2. Mix the yoghurt, lemon zest, harissa paste and a pinch of salt to a pleasing pale pink
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  4. Put the chips on an baking tray and stick in the oven. They’ll need about 30 mins (for some reason they always take at least 5 mins longer than the package says) so the timing should all come out about right
  5. While the chips are cooking, heat a large, oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat
  6. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shake off and place in the pan
  7. Cook without moving them for 10 mins until deep brown on the underside, then flip them over and put the pan into the oven for 15 mins. (If your pan isn’t ovenproof, just transfer to an oven dish)
  8. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest while you put the chips in a big bowl and sprinkle with the paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Gently toss the spices through lightly and you’re ready to go

Serve with something green (broccoli is usually our green of choice) and spoon the chicken juices over the top. Dunk everything in harissa yoghurt and feel happily full of delicous food.

Slow cooker groundnut chicken stew

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Spicy, creamy, savoury and sweet. Enormously easy to make and beautifully tasty served on top of rice or next to some fried plantain. Feeds 2.

  • 4 chicken thigh fillets, cut into pieces
  • 1 tbsp veg oil 
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red birdseye chilli, finely chopped (for less heat, use a large pinch of dried chilli flakes instead – for more, use a scotch bonnet chilli, finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée 
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes 
  • 250ml chicken stock (or half a stock cube and 250ml water)
  • 100g crunchy peanut butter (ideally no added salt)
  • Pinch of sugar
  1. Heat the slow cooker to low
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then fry the ginger, garlic, onion and chilli for 5-7 mins, until soft but not coloured
  3. Add the tomato puree and mix well to coat before tipping in the tinned tomatoes, sugar, stock, coriander, bay leaf and peanut butter
  4. Season with salt and plenty of ground black pepper
  5. Bring to the boil and then tip the contents of the pan into the slow cooker. Add the chicken and sweet potato then mix well and cover
  6. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. The chicken will be tender, the gravy will be thick and aromatic

Chinese spiced roast chicken

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Fragrant and deeply satisfying. Very much the best of both worlds. Serve with coconut rice and steamed mange tout sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

  • 1 whole chicken, around 1.5 kg
  • Green tops of about 6 spring onions
  • Small handful coriander stalks
  • 3 thick slices of unpeeled fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly crushed
  • ¼ lime
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 tbsp chicken fat (optional)
  • Salt
  • 3 tbsp shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 heaped tsp cornflour
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C fan (240C)
  2. Place the chicken in a roasting tin that fits it quite snugly. Don’t wash it!
  3. Untie the elastic from around the chicken and free the legs and wings to stick up wherever they want
  4. Trim any excess fat from the opening of the cavity and remove any giblets if there are any
  5. Stuff the chicken cavity with the spring onion, coriander, ginger, garlic, lime and star anise
  6. Fully optional, but for an extra moist roast chicken, ease the skin gently away from the breast without tearing it and rub the chicken fat directly onto the flesh under the skin with your fingers
  7. Season the skin well with salt
  8. Put into the hot oven for 15 mins, then turn it down to 170C fan (190C) and baste
  9. Stick the timer on for an hour and continue to baste every 15 mins
  10. After an hour, take the chicken out remove the bird to a plate and rest for 10-15 mins
  11. Make a spectacular gravy with the cooking juices and brown bits from the pan, deglazed with the shaoxing. Add some of the cooking water from the mange tout, thicken with the cornflour in a tsp of water and season to taste.

Chicken with sherry and new potatoes

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Comforting, delicate and delicious. Eat it with contented grunting noises and something green on the side. Feeds 2.

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 2 tsp veg oil
  • 200g baby new potatoes, cut in half
  • 80g whole blanched almonds, toasted until deeply golden
  • 100ml fino sherry 
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Season the chicken and heat the oil in a thick-bottomed lidded pan over a medium heat
  2. Brown the chicken all over
  3. Add the potatoes and flip through the chickeny oil until they take on a bit of colour
  4. Throw in the almonds and sherry
  5. Stir in, bubbling and scraping the tasty brown off the bottom
  6. Add 100ml water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 mins. Check the seasoning and serve.

Whole poached chicken

~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

Pale and incredibly succulent, cooking a whole chicken using this method feels as though the end result must be doing you good.

I tend to go one of 2 ways with a poached chicken. One is the classic Jewish penicillin, cooked with leek, carrot, celery and parsley. This makes the basis of an excellent soup with matzo balls, but I prefer it as a plate of beautifully tender chicken pieces served with brown basmati rice, garlic greens and a generous spoonful of dijon mustard for a poke of hot spice on the side.

The other way is Chinese style ‘saliva chicken’, so succulent it makes your mouth water. This is cooked with spring onions, ginger and rice wine, and served again with rice and a contrasting poke of spice this time provided by intensely spicy chilli sauce.

  • 1.5kg whole chicken
  • Aromatic ingredients (either 2 spring onions, roughly chopped; 2-inch piece of ginger, sliced into thick coins; 2 tbsp shaosing rice wine; 1 star anise OR 1 leek, cleaned and roughly chopped incl the green bit; 1 large carrot, scrubbed and roughly chopped; 1 stick celery, roughly chopped; small handful parsley stalks; 5 black peppercorns; 1 bay leaf)
  • 2 tsp salt
  1. Put the chicken breast side up, salt and all the aromatic ingredients into a deep pan
  2. Pour over enough cold water to just cover the chicken
  3. Cover and bring to a rolling boil
  4. Boil for 10 mins then turn off the heat and leave the pot to sit, covered, for an hour
  5. Remove the chicken from the pot and discard the other ingredients
  6. Rest for 10 mins then remove the skin, cut into pieces, season with a pinch of salt and eat up

To make soup, boil the broth until reduced by at least a third to intensify the flavour

You can also use the broth as stock to use in other dishes

If making the Chinese style version, sprinkle the chicken pieces with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Here’s the recipe for the chilli sauce to dunk your chicken pieces in

Szechuan chilli sauce

  • 6 tbsp chilli oil
  • 2 tbsp black vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp shaosing wine
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, squashed with the flat of a knife
  • 1 spring onion, minced
  • Coriander stalks, minced
  1. Mix all the ingredients together. Allow to sit for 15 mins before using, discarding the garlic as you serve

Coronation chicken

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

A trashy-but-unashamed retro classic and brilliant use of leftover roast chicken. Wrap it in lettuce leaves, top toast with it, put it on a salad, make a mega-sandwich. Feeds 2.

  • 1 large, cooked chicken breast or equivalent amount, sliced and diced into approx 1cm cubes
  • 4 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
  • 2 tbsp plain yoghurt (or substitute plain coconut yoghurt)
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 heaped tbsp mango chutney
  • 1-2 tsp medium curry powder
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Literally just mix everything together and you’re good to go. Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and eat it.

BUT ALSO… a recent innovation I’ve just discovered that blew my tiny mind is using chickpeas instead of chicken. It’s coronation chickpeas! Incredibly yum. Just drain a tin of chickpeas and crush them roughly with a potato masher. Mix with all the other ingredients, plus a handful of packaged crispy fried onions. Tuck. IN.