Tag: chicken

Chicken Stew with Couscous

Harissa, a mild chili sauce, brings a lovely warmth to this cosy stew.

1 tbs. vegetable oil
2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
sea salt flakes
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved
1/2 cup chicken stock, plus more if needed
6 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
2 celery stalk, cut into batons
1 can chickpeas
1 heaping tsp. harissa
cooked couscous, to serve
toasted pine nuts, to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook gently until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cinnamon, cumin and cayenne pepper for a minute or two. Nestle in the chicken, sprinkle with salt and brown on both sides.

Add the chicken stock, carrots and celery, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Check several times and add more stock if the stew seems dry. Stir in the chickpeas to heat them up, then add the harissa.

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions. Serve the stew over the couscous and sprinkled with pine nuts.

Serves 4

One-Pan Sage and Onion Chicken and Sausages

Featuring the classic condiments of Britain (English mustard and Worcestershire sauce), this chicken is as easy as it is delicious.

1 large onion, cut into eights
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. English mustard
1 tbs. dried sage
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
4 lbs. chicken pieces (skin on and bone in)
12 pork sausages
2 tbs. chopped fresh sage

In a resealable bag, combine the onion, olive oil, mustard, dried sage, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Season the chicken well and add to the bag. Schwelch everything together well and leave in the fridge for a few hours or up to two days.

Heat the oven to 425°F. Transfer the contents of the bag to a large roasting tin, placing the chicken skin-side up. Nestle in the sausages and sprinkle with the fresh sage. Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning the sausages over half way through.

Serves 6

 

 

Sunday Night Chicken Soup

Any night chicken soup!

4 tbs. sake or sherry
3 tbs. mirin or dry white wine
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp. dried chili flakes
2 boned, skinned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 nests of Asian egg noodles
1 bunch Asian vegetables (such as box choy) or 1 bag frozen Asian vegetable mix
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
3 cups chicken stock

Mix together the sake, mirin, soy sauce, garlic and chili flakes. Toss in the chicken and leave to marinate 1 hour, if you have time.

Heat a pot of water and cook the noodles according to the package directions adding the veg a few minutes before the end. Drain and set aside

Heat the oils in a small skillet and cook the chicken. Tip in the marinade and bubble until glossy.

Heat the stock. Arrange the chicken, noodles and veg in bowls, then ladle over the hot stock.

Serves 2

Chicken Fricassee with Marsala, Chestnuts and Thyme

Lovely, homey and warming – this is pure comfort food.

3/4 cup Marsala
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sea salt flakes
good grinding of nutmeg
good grinding of pepper
4 boned and skinned chicken thighs, cut into pieces
1 tbs. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
1 leek, trimmed and sliced
2 tsp. thyme leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup vacuum-packed chestnuts, crumbled
basmati rice, to serve

Heat the Marsala and porcini in a small saucepan. As soon as it comes to a bubble, switch off the heat and leave for at least 10 minutes. Drain through a sieve into a jug. Chop the mushrooms and set aside. Save the Marsala.

Tip the flour, salt, nutmeg and pepper into a freezer bag and add the chicken pieces. Shake to coat the chicken. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy saucepan and add the leeks. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft. Add the chicken with any flour from the bag and the choppedvmushrooms to the pan along with the thyme leaves and cook over a medium heat until the flour is no longer visible

Pour in the Marsala and at the stock followed by the chestnuts and bubble on low for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thickened. Serve over the rice and sprinkle with thyme leaves.

Serves 4

Lemon Roast Chicken

What’s better for dinner than a perfectly aromatic roasted chicken?!

1 chicken
1 lemon, halved
1 tbs. sea salt
1 heaped tbs. butter
1 tsp. olive oil

Heat the oven to 425°F. Leave the chicken at room temperature for 1 hour, then place in a roasting tin. Put one lemon half in the cavity, sprinkle with sea salt, rub with butter and drizzle with olive oil.

Roasts for 1 1/2 hours. Let the chicken rest in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring to a carving board. Put the roasting tin over a medium heat and deglaze the pan with the juice from the remaining lemon half, letting the juices caramalize and thicken. Serve drizzled over the sliced chicken.

Serves 2 – 4

Chicken with Red Grapes and Marsala

I you can’t find chicken supremes, simply use bone-in breast or thighs. It’s really all about the lovely sauce.

4 tbs. Marsala
4 tbs. chicken stock
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbs. olive oil
2 chicken supremes
20 red grapes
1 tbs. fresh thyme leaves

Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix the Marsala, chicken stock and mustard in a little jug.

Heat the oil in a sturdy skillet or shallow casserole that will fit the chicken snuggly and will go in the oven. Season the chicken and cook, skin-side down for 5 minutes, or until golden. Turn the chicken over and add the Marsala mixture. Bring to a bubble, then drop in the grapes and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin crisp.

Transfer the chicken to two shallow bowls or dinner plates. Put the pan over a high heat and bubble for 2-3 minutes, or until the sauces has reduced and thickened. Pour over the chicken and serve.

Serves 2

St. Tropez Chicken

Here is the smell and flavor of the south of France on a plate.

10 chicken pieces, skin-on and bone-in
juice of 1 lemon
`1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rose wine
2 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
1 tbs. mixed herbs with lavender, such as Herbs de Provence

Put the chicken in a large plastic freezer bag. Add the lemon juice, honey, oil, wine, garlic and herbs. Squelch everything together well and chill overnight or up to two days.

Heat the oven to 325°F and tip the chicken into a roasting tin with the marinade, skin side up. Cover with foil and roast for 2 hours. Remove the foil and turn the heat up to 425°F. Cook for another 15 minutes to brown the skin. (Alternatively, grill over a medium heat for 7-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.)

Pour the juices from the roasting tin (of if grilling, the marinade from the plastic bag) into a small saucepan. Heat over a medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Serve with the chicken.

Serves 6

 

Chicken Fajitas

Delicious, Dazzlingly Easy and Do It Yourself!

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
1 tbs. garlic flavored olive oil
2 tbs. lime juice
2 tbs. vegetable oil
2 small onions, peeled and cut into thin half moons
3 bell peppers (orange, yellow and/or red), deseeded and cut into
strips
8 soft flour tortillas, warmed, to serve

Optional accompaniments:

grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream
corn kernels
avocado
iceberg lettuce, shredded
fresh cilantro
hot chili sauce

Over a shallow bowl, cut the chicken into strips with a pair of scissors. Toss in the oregano, cumin, salt, olive oil and lime juice. Leave to marinate.

Warm the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok and cook the onions over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Tip in the bell peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until everything is softened.

Add the chicken with the marinade and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with warmed tortilla and the accompaniments of your choice.

Serves 4

Chicken in a Pot with Lemon and Orzo

Here is happiness in a pot!

1 chicken (approx. 4 lbs.)
3 fat cloves garlic, peeled
2 medium carrots
2 medium leeks
1 tbs. olive oil
2 lemons
2 tsp. dried tarragon or thyme
2 tsp. sea salt flakes
1/2 tsp. dried chili flakes
6 1/3 liters cold water
1 cup orzo
6 tbs. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
fresh grated Parmesan, to serve

If time permits, allow the chicken to sit on a cutting board for abut 40 minutes before cooking, then season well. Peel the carrots and cut them into 3 lengths, then into batons. Cut the leeks into 2″ rounds. Heat the oven to 350°F .Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch Oven and add the chicken, breast-side down. Brown over a high heat for 3-5 minutes then turn breast-side up.

Take the pan off the heat and grate the garlic and lemon zest around the chicken. Add the tarragon or thyme and give it all a stir in the oil. Scatter in the vegetables, followed by the salt and chili flakes then squeeze in the juice from the lemons.

Pour in the cold water and bring to a boil. Clamp on a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Take the pot out of the oven and sprinkle in the orzo, pushing it under the liquid and give everything a stir. Cook for another 15 minutes, by which time the orzo should be plump and tender.

Let the pot stand uncovered for 15 minutes, then stir in 4 tbs. of the parsley. Using 2 forks, gently pull the chicken away from the bones and discard them. Stir everything again and ladle into warm bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and the Parmesan.

Serves 4-6

Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce

The title says it all: homey, comforting, easy and fabulous.

1 chicken, spatchcocked or cut into peices
1 tsp. sea salt flakes
2 fat garlic cloves, grated
2 tbs. softened butter
75ml dry white vermouth or wine (or 75ml chicken stock)

For the sauce:
300ml heavy cream
4 fat garlic cloves, grated
good grinding of black pepper
sea salt flakes, to taste
3 tbs. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tbs. finely chopped chives

Start by making the sauce so that the garlic can infuse the cream. Combine the cream and garlic in a saucepan with the pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce and bubble for 3 minutes. Set aside.

Put the chicken or chicken pieces in a roasting tin skin-side down. Sprinkle with half of the salt and all of the grated garlic. Rub in gently then leave to sit for 30 minuets.

Heat the oven to 425°F. Turn the chicken over, sprinkle with the remaining salt and pour the vermouth in the bottom of the tin. Roast for approx. 45 minutes until the juices run clear and the skin is golden. Transfer the chicken to either a carving board or heated platter to rest. Add the pan juices to the cream sauce.

While the chicken is resting, bring the sauce back to a boil and add most of the herbs, simmer gently for 5 minutes, keeping an eye on it and stirring it regularly. Taste and add salt to taste. (If the sauce fails to thicken, combine 1 tbs. soft butter with 1 tbs. flour and stir into the sauce.) Transfer to a warm jug.

Cut the chicken into pieces if spatchcocked and place on a heated platter. Top with some of the sauce and the remaining herbs.

Serves 6