Tag: chicken

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

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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.

Chicken burgers

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Crunchy and tasty. Stick it in a toasted brioche bun with lashings of sriracha, mayo, sliced gherkins and a couple of baby gem lettuce leaves. With the obligatory coleslaw and sweet potato wedges on the side. Makes 4.

  • 500g minced chicken
  • 2 slices of white bread
  • 150ml milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
  • Zest of ½ a lemon
  • 150g or so of dried breadcrumbs
  • Veg oil
  1. Soak the bread in the milk for 10 mins
  2. Put the mince in a bowl, add the egg, milk and bread mixture, and season with salt
  3. Mix thoroughly, cover and pop in the fridge for 10 mins
  4. Make into 4 burger shapes (or more, if you want little burgers!)
  5. Mix the breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon zest and parsley. Season and mix again
  6. Tip onto a plate and coat the burgers with the zesty breadcrumbs
  7. Heat veg oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry for 5 mins on each side until golden brown, crunchy and cooked through

Chicken with saffron and yoghurt

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Sunshine in a chicken dish. Perfect for a summer lunch with friends.

  • 8 chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 green chilli (with or without seeds, your call)
  • 2 tbsp ras el hanout
  • 2 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 pinch saffron strands
  • 200g plain yoghurt
  • 1 whole orange, skin left on and cut into slices
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Whizz up the onion, garlic and chilli. Mix with all the other ingredients except the chicken and orange to make the marinade
  2. Dunk the chicken into the marinade, massage in, then cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour (up to 24)
  3. When ready to cook, pre-heat oven to 200C fan (220C)
  4. Slice the orange and place it on the bottom of a roasting tin as a bed for the chicken thighs
  5. Roast for 20 mins, turning halfway through. Serve with the orange slices and jewelled rice

Alternatively, cook this chicken under the grill or on the barbecue. Chargrill orange wedges to squeeze over when you serve

Chicken paprikash

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A favourite of my mum’s, a nod to (some) of my heritage and a great option for a family meal. Creamy, nourishing, lightly spiced, it’s so much more than the sum of its parts. Feeds 2. DELICIOUS.

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½ tbsp paprika
  • Pinch of hot paprika
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 3 tbsp sour cream
  1. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through this mixture
  2. Heat veg oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat
  3. When the oil is hot, fry the thigh fillets on both sides until browned (but not necessarily cooked through) and then remove and put on one side
  4. Turn the heat down and melt the butter
  5. Add the onion and fry gently until softened.
  6. Throw in the garlic and give it another couple of mins
  7. Then add the paprika and chopped tomatoes, stir in and continue frying until the tomatoes start to soften
  8. Pour over the chicken stock and stir thoroughly to combine
  9. Bring to the boil and place the chicken thighs back into the pan
  10. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 mins
  11. Stir through the sour cream, turn off the heat and season

Serve on some nutty brown rice with long stem broccoli or cucumber salad. You will thank me.

Chicken and chorizo stew

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A happy marriage of Spanish flavours. Hearty, rich and contented. All you need to serve with it is a chunk of crusty bread to dip into the sauce and a large glass of red wine. Feeds 4

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 chicken thighs (with bones or without, up to you)
  • 100g chorizo, chopped into pieces
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 250ml dry sherry
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the oil in a casserole dish over high heat and brown the chicken on both sides
  2. Remove from pan, turn heat down to medium and add the chorizo
  3. Once browned, add onions and cook for 5-10 mins over low heat until cooked through
  4. Pour in the sherry and bubble, stirring to loosen the brown bits from the bottom of the pan
  5. Add the stock, tomatoes, sugar, herbs and spices.
  6. Bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid on for 20 mins. Uncover, stir in the cannellini beans and cook for further 20-30 mins until the sauce is thickened and lovely
  7. Serve with stir fried garlic spinach on the side if you want something green with it

Tom kha kai soup

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Thai chicken and coconut soup. Surely as good for fixing coughs and sneezes as traditional Jewish chicken soup. Pale and soothing in appearance, extremely comforting, but also aromatic and exciting to eat – the perfect balance of salt, sweet, sour and spicy.

  • 125g chicken breast, sliced into strips around 5mm thick
  • 100g cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
  • 50g little button mushrooms, halved (optional)
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass, bashed with the back of a knife then cut into 3
  • 3 cm piece of fresh ginger, cut into 6 pieces
  • 4 lime leaves, torn in half (can substitute 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 red birdseye chilli, cut in half
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 250ml water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • Fresh coriander
  1. Put the coconut milk and water in a large saucepan on a medium heat for a couple of minutes but don’t let it boil. If it shows signs of boiling, just turn it down
  2. Add the lemongrass, ginger, lime leaves, chilli, mushrooms and tomatoes, stir in and cook for another 2 mins
  3. Add the chicken strips and cook on medium heat for 5 mins until they’re cooked through. Again, turn it down if it looks as though it might boil.
  4. Add the lemon juice, fish sauce and sugar and cook for another minute. Taste for seasoning.
  5. Totally optionally, this is the stage when you would pick out the lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger and chilli
  6. Serve straight away with fresh coriander leaves sprinkled over the top

Chicken stock in the slow cooker

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I always try to make stock after we have a roast chicken, and the slow cooker is the simplest way to do it. It’s so satisfying to make something delicious and useful (and easy!) from a thing that would otherwise be thrown away.

  • Chicken carcass, broken into a few pieces
  • 1 onion, cut into quarters (could be the onion from inside the chicken if you did that with your roast)
  • 1 carrot, cut into 4 pieces (don’t worry about peeling it)
  • 1 stick celery, cut into 4
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 or so black peppercorns
  • Other bits if you have them in the fridge – parsley stalks, leek tops, spring onion trimmings
  1. Stick everything into the slow cooker, cover with boiling water and set on low for 6 hours (although longer is fine if you’re out all day). Go and do something else.
  2. Sieve the now pale golden stock, ideally through muslin to catch the tiny bits

That’s it. 2 steps and you’re done. Use it in soup, risotto, orzotto, casserole, freeze it for later, whatever.

You can adjust the flavourings of the stock however you like. Instead of parsley and bay leaves, add any combination that goes with what you plan to cook – fresh herbs, garlic, fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick, star anise, chilli flakes.

Chicken and sweetcorn soup

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A takeaway favourite, surprisingly simple to make at home and doubly delicious. Feeds 4

  • 1.2 litres decent chicken stock
  • 300g sweetcorn (fresh, frozen or tinned) – or a combination of creamed corn and whole kernals
  • 1 tbsp of shaoxing rice wine
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • 2 tsp cornflour blended with 2 tsp water
  • 250g cooked, shredded chicken
  • 1 egg whisked with 1 tsp sesame oil
  • Spring onions, finely sliced
  1. Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan
  2. Add the sweetcorn, lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 mins
  3. Add the shaoxing, soy sauce, sugar and pepper and stir through. Taste and add salt if needed
  4. Pour in the cornflour slurry and whisk in
  5. Bring the soup back to the boil and then turn down to a simmer
  6. Add the chicken and then, in a steady stream, pour in the egg mixture. It will set as it hits the broth and give you those lovely trailing tails of egg through the soup
  7. Serve immediately, sprinkled with spring onion