Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts

Crusted Cajun Chicken with Sweet Chilli Sweet Potato Mash

Serves 4 / Approximate cooking time 15 minutes 

This is recipe is from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals, so I cannot take credit for it. However, I can say that preparing it was fast and the end result was very tasty. The original recipe comes with a corn salsa and some extra toppings, which I have omitted because I was happy enough to serve it with some yoghurt and salad. This dish also very versatile because you can replace Cajun spice with anything else say curry powder, lemon zest and garlic, chilli powder, etc. Be creative :)



Ingredients

 800g sweet potato
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, more to taste
salt and pepper
20g feta or goats cheese
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp polenta or breadcrumbs

 Preparation 

  1. Peal and finely slice the sweet potato. Put into a pan of boiling water and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes have softened. Then drain and set aside but keep the potato warm in the pot. 
  2. Cover a cutting board with 2 layers of clingfilm. Place the chicken on the clingfilm and then cover with 2 more layers of clingfilm. 
  3. Bash the chicken until flattened to about 1.5cm thickness. Even thickness allows for even cooking. 
  4. Remove the top two layers of clingfilm. Then sprinkle the breadcrumbs or polenta on top, then liberally apply the Cajun seasoning and finally, season with pepper and salt. Make sure to do this on both sides. Then bash the chicken on both sides just to make sure the seasoning sticks. 
  5. Put the chicken in a frying pan with 2 tbsp of oil, cooking for 3-4 minutes on each side on a medium/high heat. The crust should be golden and the chicken cooked through. 
  6. Mash the sweet potato then mix in the sweet chilli sauce. 
  7. Serve the sweet potato and chicken together with your choice of side. Top the sweet potato with crumbled feta. I had some Greek yoghurt drizzled with honey with my chicken because I am wuss when it comes to spice!
  8. Enjoy! 
cajun chicken cajun spices chicken
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Chicken, Squash and Tomato Gratin



Ingredients 

 4 chicken fillets
2 large mozzarella balls
3 large tomatoes
olive or vegetable oil
300g of squash (butternut or courgette)
2dl arrabbiata sauce (chilli tomato sauce)
2dl shredded parmesan
salt and pepper, to taste

Serve with rice or mash potato.

Cooking Time!

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. 
  2. Cut the chicken fillets into 2cm thick pieces. 
  3. Brown the chicken in a frying pan with about 1/2 tbsp of oil.
  4. Cut the squash into 2mm pieces, either with a knife or a mandolin. 
  5. Lightly saute the squash with a little oil until lightly golden. If necessary, pat down with a paper towel to remove excess oil. 
  6. Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into thin slices. 
  7. Pour the tomato sauce into a shallow oven dish. 
  8. Evenly distribute the tomato and mozzarella into the oven dish. 
  9. Layer the tomato and squash on top, either alternatively or whatever pattern you like. 
  10. Scatter with parmesan. 
  11. Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes. If at this point the parmesan is not golden, you can turn on the grill for a couple of minutes. 

Serves 4-6. Approximate cooking time 40 minutes. 

baking dish butternut squash tomato cheese
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Sweet, Spicy and Sticky: Japanese Ginger, Lime Chicken with a Fresh Green Salad



This chicken dish is delicious for summer and the spiciness of the chicken pairs really well with the freshness of the cucumber. This marinade plus the basting creates a wonderfully sticky, sweet and spicy glaze to the chicken. I hope you give this a try! This recipe is based on the Japanese ginger and garlic chicken recipe from Delicious Magazine March Edition. I modified it slightly by making it a bit more spicy, reducing the ginger and adding lime zest. I found that these modifications really worked :)

 Ingredients 

 Chicken 

6-8 bone-in chicken pieces (thigh, leg, etc.)
4 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
40g of fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
3.5 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sake
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp of chilli flakes
zest of one lime

Salad 

half a cucumber
1 tsp of sea salt
1 tbsp of pickled ginger
50g of edamame

Preparation 

  1. In large dish or bowl, combine the brown sugar, chilli flakes, sake, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. 
  2. Using a knife, create small wholes in the chicken. 
  3. Add the chicken to the large dish containing the marinade. Massage the marinade into the chicken. 
  4. Let the chicken marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. 
  5. Preheat the oven to 180C or 360F. 
  6. Line a large oven dish with tinfoil. Then place the chicken on the pan and pour half the marinade on top. 
  7. Baste the chicken with the remaining marinade every 5 minutes in the first 20 minutes using a pastry brush or a spoon. 
  8. Cut the cucumber in half and de-seed using a spoon. Slice into thin slices or alternatively you can shred it. 
  9. Do the same for the ginger and combine the two in a small bowl. 
  10. Finally, add the edamame, sea salt and then refrigerate until serving. 
  11. Then let the chicken cook as usual for another 15-20 minutes. Check to see if the chicken is done by piercing it at the thickest area. The juices from the chicken should run clear. 
  12. Serve the chicken with the salad only or with a side of rice. 
  13. Enjoy :) 
asian barbecue chicken
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Slow-Cooked General Tso's Chicken



I found this recipe on a blog called Host the Toast, and I thought it looked so tasty that I had to try it. There pictures made it look way better than takeout. I was sceptical that I would be able to do it myself, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Make sure you check out more from Host the Toast; so many of their recipes look amazing. I did not change their recipe at all except for the measurements, which I converted into metric and the amount (by halving the serving). If you are in the US make sure to check out their recipe so you do not need to convert anything back to cups. Also, the original recipe calls for 4 hour cooking time. Depending on your slow cooker it may take less time or even longer. Mine only took about 3 hours on low, so around the 3 hour mark check the sauce consistency. It may be finished already!

My rating of this recipe: 4.5/5

Comment: The slow cooker takes away from of the crispiness of the chicken, but otherwise it was delicious! Perhaps my oil was not hot enough though. The steps were very easy to follow and their pictures were great.

Ingredients 

500g of chicken breast, diced into 3cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp of sea salt 
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 
75g of cornflour 
1/4 tsp of pepper 
55g of sugar
60ml of soy sauce
60ml of pineapple juice (other commenters said orange juice worked great too) 
3 tablespoons of white wine or apple cider vinegar 
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper 
1/4 tsp of ginger (dried)

Preparation 
  1. Combine the cornflour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Coat the chicken pieces in the mix, shake them off to get rid of any excess flour and then set them aside. 
  2. Heat a 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Brown the chicken pieces on a high heat (turn half way through, approx. 2 minutes per side). NB: You may need to add more oil if you are using a small pan and need to work in batches. 
  3. Let the pieces cool on a plate lines with power towels. 
  4. To the slow cooker, add the sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger and cayenne. Mix everything together. 
  5. Add the chicken and cook on low for 3-4 hours. 
  6. If you find the sauce is not thick enough, add some cornflour mixed with water. Then let it cook for another 20 minutes. I did not need to do this though! 
  7. Serve with rice, broccoli and spring onion. 
  8. Enjoy! 
asian fusion asian inspired broccoli
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Chicken Salad Packed Full of Vegetables


Ingredients 

 approx. 250g of pre-cooked chicken/ quorn chicken pieces
1 head of pre-cooked or raw broccoli, chopped
1 tsp of sesame seeds
2 tbsp of feta
4 mini pickled beetroots (or fresh)
2 soft boiled eggs
2 large handfuls of spinach
black pepper, to taste
drizzle of balsamic vinegar

To the pre-cooked chicken: Combine with one tablespoon of greek yoghurt and sprinkle with some cumin, paprika, turmeric (for colour) and a dash of cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. I roasted a whole chicken, shredded it and add this spice mix. Add about 1 tbsp of yoghurt per 250g of chicken. This chicken makes delicious sandwich meat too!

Combine all the ingredients! My soft boiled egg is not pictures because it is underneath the pile of broccoli! This salad was so well-balanced with the salt from the feta, sweet from the beetroot and savoury from the chicken. If you are vegetarian I would suggest adding tofu as a replacement for the chicken (toss in the spice mix, sans greek yoghurt) and obviously leave out the egg. I nice edition would be some sweetcorn, which I did not have on hand. Enjoy!
beetroot salad broccoli chicken
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Mamma's Chicken Pie


I'll be the first to admit that I have not tried many chicken pies. But I have a strong inkling that this is one of the best ones. Yes, it is my mum's recipe but I know a good pie when I see one. It is packed full of chicken, mushrooms, pepper and onion. The creamy sauce but still with some heat and warmth from the spices is so comforting. This pie is easily made vegetarian by replacing the chicken with artichoke hearts and some well wilted and drained spinach. My mum recently made this vegetarian version and it was incredibly delicious. My only advice is to let the pie sit for 20-30 minutes to let it set. This makes serving far less messy. This pie is also incredible the next day; the creamy pie sauce gets even richer in flavour. 

Ingredients 

Pie dough

3dl flour 
125g butter 
2 tbsp water 
Dash of salt 

Filling 

1 red onion, finely chopped 
1 small red pepper, finely chopped or cut into strips (as seen above)
200g of mushrooms***, finely chopped
2-3 chicken filets, finely chopped 
2 1/2 dl cream 
1 1/2 dl of flour, mixed in 1/2 dl of water 
salt and pepper 
chili flakes 
grill or steak seasoning 
paprika 
2 dl grated cheese, preferably cheddar 

***Add the mushrooms even if you don't like them because they had so much flavour. If you are like me and don't like mushrooms, simply dice them even smaller. 

Cooking Time!

Pie Crust
  1. Combine the flour and salt together in a bowl. 
  2. Add cubes of cold butter into the flour/salt mixture and combine with your hands. 
  3. Run the mixture through your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. There should be no butter lumps. 
  4. Alternatively combine all these ingredients in the food processor. 
  5. Stir in or add in the water slowly, just enough so the dough combines.
  6. Finally, wrap the dough in the cling film and let it chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes or until you need it. 
  7. Roll out with a rolling pin OR merely place the dough in the dish and press it out evenly with your fingers. 

Filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C or 180 fan. 
  2. Saute the red onion and mushrooms on a medium heat, until the onions have softened. Put them to the side. 
  3. Fry the chicken with a generous sprinkling of paprika, salt, pepper and chilli flakes. The seasoning depends on how much chicken you decide to use. Make sure that the seasoning (sans chilli flakes) cover all the chicken. Make sure to season on both sides. Then add chilli flakes depending on how hot you like it. 
  4. Add the onion and mushrooms and then pour in the cream. 
  5. Slowly pour in the water/flour mixture and bring to a steady simmer. 
  6. Let the filling simmer for 5 minutes. 
  7. Once the filling has finished simmering, pour it into the crust-filled pie dish. 
  8. Cover the pie with cheese and the peppers. 
  9. Finally, let bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

Serves 6. Approximate cooking and prep. time: 1 hour. 
baking cheesy chicken
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