What we’re eating ….

CHICKEN BREAST WITH BASIL WINE SAUCE

4 chicken breasts

pepper

30g/1oz butter

2 shallots/green onions

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cup dry white wine

½ cup cream

½ cup fresh basil

3 tblspns fresh parsley

Flatten chicken breasts. Season with pepper.

Melt butter in frying pan and fry chicken over medium heat for 3 mins each side.

Remove and keep warm.

Add chopped shallots and garlic to pan over low heat.

Sauté until shallots are soft (5 mins).

Increase the heat, add wine and cream and cook for 3 mins.

Add basil and parsley. Return chicken to pan and heat through.

CHICKEN WITH CITRUS BUTTER SAUCE

4 chicken breasts

2 tblspns olive oil

125g/4oz butter, diced

8 shallots/green onions

juice of 2 limes or 1 lemon

¼ cup chicken stock/broth

½ cup dry white wine

1 tblspn fresh parsley

Lightly beat chicken breasts to flatten. Season with pepper.

Heat oil in large frying pan and sauté chicken over high heat for 2 mins each side.

Remove chicken, cover with foil and set aside.

Melt ½ of butter, fry shallots over moderate heat until soft.

Add juice, stock and wine, bring to boil and reduce by half.

Reduce heat, whisk in remaining butter until smooth and foamy.

Return chicken to pan, heat through and serve with parsley.

Chicken with Tarragon Sauce

30g / 1oz butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon

1 teaspoon French mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 cup brandy

½ cup cream

Heat butter and garlic in small pan. Add tarragon mustard, lemon juice and brandy. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 mins. Gradually stir in cream without boiling. Serve over cooked chicken breasts

Chicken tenders

Light olive oil, for frying

1 & 1/2 pounds/600g chicken tenders

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour

2 large eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup water

Breading:

1 & 1/2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs (dried breadcrumbs with Italian herbs)

1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, stripped and chopped (2 to 3 tablespoons)

6 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped (3 tablespoons)

2 handfuls chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or chilli flakes)

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.  Place a nonstick cookie sheet in oven with a foil liner.

Heat 1/2 inch oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper.  Place flour in a shallow dish.

Beat eggs with water in second dish.  In a third dish, combine the remaining

ingredients.  Coat chicken in flour, then egg, then breads and cheese mixture.

Add chicken to the skillet and cook until deeply golden on each side, 3 to 4

minutes.  Transfer to hot cookie sheet already in oven and bake for another 5

minutes.  Cook 5 or 6 tenders at a time in a single layer, adding additional oil

if necessary.  If chicken browns too quickly, lower heat slightly.

I’m a sucker for creamy sauces so I like this  …

CHICKEN MARSALA
Marinate chicken breast in 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce for 15 mins. Brown in butter in a skillet. Remove chicken -keep warm- and saute 1 cup sliced mushrooms (you may need to add more butter to the pan). Add 2 chopped shallots/green onions and deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup brandy (or sherry, or white wine or vegie stock). Add 1/4 cup Marsala (or brandy, sherry, white wine or vegie stock) and 1 cup chicken stock and simmer until reduced by 1/2. Add 1/4 cup cream and cook until sauce is thick. Spoon over chicken
 
 

Chicken Pesto Parcels

For each person, defrost one sheet of puff pastry (ready rolled) and one chicken breast. Flatten chicken breasts to an even thickness (about 1cm or 1/4″ thick) and top with baby spinach leaves, grated cheese and basil pesto. Fold each chicken breast in half to enclose filling. Place in centre of pastry sheet and pinch up sides of pastry to enclose chicken. Top exposed chicken with a few more spinach leaves, cheese and pesto. Brush pastry with lightly beaten egg. Bake at 180C/350F for 30 mins.

A nice dish for cold weather 

Chicken in tomato and mushroom sauce

4 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 brown onion, sliced

2 cloves crushed garlic

250g/8oz mushrooms

4 large ripe tomatoes

1 tablespoon port

1 cup water

½ teaspoon dried oregano and rosemary

pepper

Dust chicken with flour. Heat butter and oil in pan and fry chicken until lightly brown, then remove. Add onion and garlic and cook gently for 5 mins. Add mushrooms and cook a few more minutes. Add tomatoes, port, water, wine and herbs. Simmer 5-10mins. Place chicken on sauce and simmer for 10-15 mins or until tender. 

Chicken & Noodles

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons finely diced ginger
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• dash of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2  chicken breast fillets, thickly sliced on the diagonal
• 600 g (11/4 lb) fresh Hokkien noodles
• 1/2 bunch choy sum
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 1 large white onion, cut in half and then into thick wedges
• 1 medium carrot, cut into julienne
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 5 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and cut into 10 cm (4 in) lengths

Method

Combine ginger, sherry, cornflour, sugar, sesame oil and half the soy sauce in a bowl. Add chicken and, using your hands, mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Blanch noodles in boiling salted water until ‘al dente’ — about 4 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water, then thoroughly drain again.

Trim ends from choy sum, then cut crossways into three and wash well; drain.

Heat oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly, then stir-fry chicken for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, onion and carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add oyster sauce and water and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Finally, add noodles, choy sum, spring onions and remaining soy sauce and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through and noodles are hot. Arrange in bowls and serve immediately.