What we’re eating ….

This recipe is out of the April 2008 Canadian Living Magazine. I adapted it a bit (see below) but really liek the sweetness of the peppers when roasted on the chicken. Yum !

2 tablespoons chopped sweet red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh bail, parsley or coriander

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste

1 teaspoon brown sugar

4 boneless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, combine pepper, basil, garlic, oil, curry paste and sugar. Loosen chicken skin and spread mixture under skin. Place on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet (I hardly ever buy chicken with the skin on, so I just put the mixture of top of the chicken breasts in a roasting pan and cooked them). Roast is a 400F/200C oven for 15 to 20 mins or until chicken is cooked. Broil (grill) about 2 mins, watching to ensure it doesn’t burn.

This is a simple, easy dish. It’s perfect for summer, with salad ! We have it frequently …

Char-grilled Chicken and Chutney

4 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon Indian curry paste

2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

Put chicken in a bowl with curry paste, olive oil and lemon juice. Marinate 30 mins. Grill, bbq or pan fry until cooked through. Serve with mango chutney

Cook chicken thighs or breast fillets in pan until cooked through. Remove and fry 2 teaspoons crushed garlic until fragrant. Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and cook until most is evaporated. Add 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato pesto and 300mL/10oz thickened cream. Bring to the boil. Serve with cooked pasta.

Tastes like take-out Chinese but at least you know what’s in this one !

Chinese Honey Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts
plain flour
oil for frying chicken

SAUCE
1 tbsp oil
1/3 c water
1/3 c lemon juice
2 tsp cornflour
4 tsp sweet chili sauce
2 tsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
3 tbsp honey
3 spring. onions, chopped

1- chop chicken into pieces
2- mix sauce ingredients and set aside
3- heat oil
4- fry chicken until crispy
5- add ginger and honey
6- cook for a bit
7- add the sauce and simmer to warm through and coat the chicken well
8- add onions, stir and serve with rice or what ever else you like.

These are delicious and impressive-looking if you make the pastry neat !

Chicken Pesto Pies

4 sheets puff pastry

4 medium sized chicken thighs

1 tablespoon basil pesto

1 large handful baby spinach leaves

1 cup grated mozzarella

1 egg and 1 tablespoon water, beaten

Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan forced) / 450F

Pound chicken out to 1.5cm /0.5″ thick between sheets of plastic wrap

Spread chicken with a tablespoon of pesto, couple of spinach leaves and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Fold over to enclose filling.

Cut pastry into 16cm /3″ circles. Place chicken in centre and top with more pesto, spinach and cheese. Brush pastry border with egg wash. Pinch corners together to wrap around sides of chicken. Brush pastry with egg wash.

Place on lined baking tray. Bake for 20-30mins.

Love the flavour of this dish !

Chicken Spedeni
2 lbs / 800g of boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch wide strips
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of olive oil
1 tsp of pepper
1 Tbl of garlic powder or crushed garlic
2 Tbl of parsley flakes
3 oz /90g  fresh grated parmesan
4 oz /120g bread crumbs
1/4 cup butter
Juice of 2 whole lemons

Combine wine, oil, pepper, garlic and parsley and chicken. Marinate 30 minutes (or longer if you wish, can even leave overnight). By hand add enough Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs until mixture becomes consistency of paste and adheres to the chicken. If desired roll in additional bread crumbs. Can either oven bake, pan fry or thread chicken strips onto skewers and grill/broil/bbq. Melt butter and add lemon juice and spoon over chicken to serve.

We’ve only had this once, but it must have been good as I kept the recipe !

Braised Chicken Lemon and Honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

chicken pieces

1 red onion, sliced

12 whole garlic cloves peeled

1 lemon, cut into chunks

¾ cup chicken stock

½ cup honey

fresh oregano leaves

Heat large, deep pan over high heat, add the oil and chicken and cook for 5-8 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, add onion, cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for further minute. Return chicken to pan with lemon, stock and honey. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 mins or until cooked through. Lift chicken out and place on baking tray. Simmer sauce until thickened. Place chicken under hot grill for 3-4 minutes or until crisp. Serve with sauce.

Always delicious …

Balsamic Honey Chicken

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, halved

Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves, in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F /180C

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake 45 – 50 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked inside and when pierced with a knife the juices run clear.

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken.

This recipe creates a mild chicken dish, with a poached style. Its quite nice though …

Baked Asian Chicken

2 chicken breast fillets

1 tablespoon finely sliced or minced ginger

1 eschalots, finely sliced (can substitute white onions or shallots)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ tablespoon Chinese rice wine

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Slice each chicken breast in half so that you have two thin fillets. Lay out a square of foil for each fillet (enough to enclose the chicken). Place one thin fillet on foil and top with ginger and eschalot. Place other filet over the top. Gather edges of foil and pour over combined sauces. Close parcels tightly and bake on a tray at 400F/200C for 20 mins. Open foil and bake a further 10 mins.