As the heat is dying down and I am getting fed up with BBQ food and salads it’s time to dust off some hearty meals. This month’s feature is Chicken and below are a few tasty meals to try and as usual, they are all fairly easy to make.
My favourite is the Special Chicken Fried Rice. Basically, you can throw anything into the wok that’s left in your fridge! I hadn’t tried to cook Jerk Chicken until last year when I tasted some at a friend’s BBQ. She gave me the recipe and now it’s a firm favourite at our house, so why not give it a try?
Buen Apetito
Chicken and Bacon Brochettes
4 small boneless chicken breasts
16 ready to eat dried apricot halves
1 courgette
4 rashers of smoked rindless bacon
8 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Wooden skewers
Cut the chicken into quarters and make a small slit in each piece and push one piece on each skewer. Next cut the bacon in half and wrap around a courgette. Slice before pushing in place, then add a cherry tomato, another piece of chicken and then an apricot and another piece of chicken. Leave plenty of room to hold the skewer and finally brush with olive oil. Place under the grill for 20 – 25 minutes turning occasionally.
Special Chicken Fried Rice
225g long grain rice
150g cooked chicken shredded
1 clove garlic
150g broccoli florets
2 carrots
100g baby sweetcorn
2 tbsp vegetable oil
50g frozen peas
50g bean sprouts
2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
Cook the rice in a pan of boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain well and spread out on a large plate to stop the rice sticking together. Peel and crush garlic. Peel the carrots and chop into sticks and cut the broccoli into small florets. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and add the carrots and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli, peas, sweetcorn and bean sprouts and stir fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the rice, chicken and soy sauce and stir fry for a further 2 minutes and serve.
Coronation Chicken
100g (4oz) mayonnaise
75g (3oz) mango chutney
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp lime zest
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp salt
500g (1¼lb) skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets (cooked and diced)
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chutney, curry powder, lime zest, lime juice and salt. Add chicken and toss with the dressing until well coated. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Use half mayonnaise, (half crème fraiche for a lower fat version of this recipe).
Jerk Chicken
Italian salad dressing mix
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp ground red pepper
2½lbs chicken pieces
Mix all ingredients except chicken in bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover and marinate for 1 hour or overnight in fridge.
Grill it or BBQ it then enjoy it!
Peanut Coated Chicken Wings
12 chicken wings
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp celery salt
½ tsp chilli powder
Black pepper
2 eggs
150g peanuts (not roasted)
50g breadcrumbs
4 tbsp olive oil
Rinse wings and dry on kitchen towels. Mix together paprika, coriander, cumin, salt, chilli powder and black pepper. Rub half into one side of the chicken and turn over and repeat the process on the other side. Beat the eggs. Place the peanuts in a food processor or coffee grinder and chop until finely chopped. Mix with the breadcrumbs and place in a shallow bowl. Dip each chicken into beaten egg and coat with ground peanuts. Heat the oil in the frying pan and cook chicken for 12-15 minutes, turning once. To check chicken is cooked, insert skewer and the juice should run clear.