My Favourite Chicken Dish adapted from Jamie Oliver

I love Jamie Oliver – his recipes are simple, don’t take long to make and dfull of flavour. I accept the man is a cook rather than a chef but for me that’s just perfect for everyday meals and most of the basic entertaining I do. l always use chicken thighs with the skin on as they go all crispy and delicious. I serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad or steamed greens. The next day I shred the remaining chicken, squeeze out the garlic cloves and mix up all the leftovers in the pan to make a wonderful ‘sauce’ for pasta. 

Serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS

8 Chicken thighs with skin on plus 4 plum chicken legs
2 punnets cherry tomatoes
1 bulb garlic, separated into unpeeled whole cloves
1 large red chilli, finely sliced
1 generous bunch basil, leaves picked and stalks finely sliced
1 can cannellini beans, drained
sea salt and cracked black pepper
olive oil
mashed potatoes to serve

PREPARATION

1. Place chicken pieces skin side down in a single layer in a large casserole dish. They should fit snugly. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, then turn and sprinkle the skin side with salt and pepper.
2. Now scatter basil leaves, cherry tomatoes, whole unpeeled garlic cloves, chilli and basil stalks over the top of the chicken.
3. Mix around a bit so that most of the tomatoes and basil are at the bottom with the chicken resting on top. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Place in a 180 degree C oven for 45 minutes. Move chicken around so that skin will brown and crisps up evenly. Place in the oven for another 30 minutes.
5. Add the drained cannellini beans and mix around. Finish off in the oven for 15 minutes while finalising the mash.
6. Eat with steamed greens or a green salad.

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Spicy Chicken Wings – Devine. There are never enough.

These chicken wings are loved by everyone from 8 years to 80; baked, not fried; spicy, not hot. In my experience they are so popular that I allow at least 4 per person.  It’s the perfect finger food for a barbecue or cocktail party where preparation can be done ahead of time – just finish under the grill before serving.

Makes approx 40.

8 cloves garlic
5-6 red birds eye chillies, finely sliced – it won’t be too hot
2-3 stalks lemon grass, finely sliced
4 coriander plants, root and leaves
4 Tablespoons grated ginger
6 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons oil
2kg(5lbs) large chicken wings

1. Remove and discard tip of chicken wing. Chop remainder of chicken wing into two parts.
2. Place chicken wings in a single layer in a baking dish(36cmx20cm)
3. In a food processor, process sliced lemon grass until fine. Then add chillies and process again.
4. Add remaining ingredients to food processor excluding the chicken wings. Process until fine.
5. Pour marinade over chicken wing and marinade overnight.
6. Roast in oven at 200°C(400°F) for 30minutes and turn over.
7. Just before serving finish under the grill until nicely browned.
8. Sprinkle with a little fresh coriander to garnish (optional).
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Chilli Lime Dressing for those Hot Summer Days

This is a light healthy meal in one dish that serves equally well for lunch, a light dinner or a picnic. Leftovers are perfect for school lunch boxes. Using a bought barbecue chicken saves time.

Serves 4-6

3-4 cups (300g) spiral pasta
1 cooked chicken, broken into bite size pieces
½ red capsicum, finely diced
125g (4 ounces) button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, grated
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon basil, chopped
1 small oak lettuce
¼ cup grated parmesan

Dressing (mix together):
2 teaspoons sambal oelek chilli paste
1 clove crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup olive oil

1. Boil pasta following packet instructions until just tender. Drain and cool.
2. Arrange lettuce in a shallow serving dish.
3. Add cooled pasta and remaining salad ingredients excluding parmesan.
4. Toss with half the dressing.
5. Sprinkle with parmesan and remaining dressing.

Adriana’s Chicken Curry is a Family Favourite

In the early days this was a close family friend, Adriana’s favourite dish to serve when we visited. It was so popular with my kids, Bianca and Sven, that I adopted this and it became one our everyday dishes too. All the hard work is in making the curry paste and, as these ingredients are enough for two portions, the second time you make this dish is really quick. As with any curry, the fresher the ingredients, the better it tastes.

Serves 6-8

Curry Paste – Process ingredients to make a smooth paste. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 stick lemon grass, sliced
3-4 coriander plant roots
6-8 fresh birds eye chillies with seeds removed
1T(15ml) fresh ginger
rind of 1 lime or lemon
½t(2ml) shrimp paste
3t(15ml) paprika
1t(5ml) tumeric
1t(5ml) cumin
3t(15ml) oil

Curry
2T(30ml) oil
½portion of curry paste from above
4 spring onions or shallots, chopped
2T(30ml) fish sauce
1x440g tin coconut milk
1kg skinless chicken, chopped into 2cm cubes

1. Heat oil over a low heat and fry the curry paste (only ½ of the total amount if using 1kg chicken) and shallots or spring onions till fragrant.
2. Add fish sauce and coconut milk and simmer about 5minutes till thoroughly heated.
3. Add chicken and cook about 20minutes until just tender.
4. Best if reheated to eat the next day.