The Recipe Room

A Chinese-style lemon chicken dish that you can make at home.  Serve it with plain boiled rice or a medley of yummy veggies. For more Chinese chicken recipes, why not try this hot and spicy chicken with almonds?

Ingredients:

• 475g chicken breasts, boneless
• 2 tsp dry cornflour, and 1 tsp cornflour mixed with water
• 1 egg white
• A generous pinch of salt
• 245ml groundnut oil
• The juice and zest of 4 lemons
• 90ml chicken stock
• A generous dash of dry sherry
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• A slug of sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, skin removed and finely sliced
• 1 bunch spring onions, very finely sliced
• 1 fresh red chilli pepper, finely sliced
• 1cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and shredded
• Salt and pepper to season

Steps:

1. Make the chicken coating by mixing the egg white, dry cornflour, and salt together in a bowl.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and stir them into the mixture, coating them well all over, and leave to one side for 25 minutes.
3. Whilst the chicken is resting, juice and zest the lemons and prepare the remaining ingredients.
4. Put a large wok on a high heat, and once very hot, add the groundnut oil and heat until it begins to smoke.  Take it off the heat and add the chicken, moving it about to prevent it from sticking, and stir-frying until it becomes white all over.  Remove the chicken, and drain off the oil – be careful as the oil may be extremely hot, so drain it over a heat-proof bowl.  Leave the chicken to one side.  Let the cooking oil cool, discard it, and then clean out the wok with kitchen paper.
5. To make the lemony sauce, add the following to the wok: lemon juice and zest, chicken stock, soy, dry sherry, sugar, garlic, ginger and chilli.  Bring the mixture up to the boil and then stir in the cornflour and water mix.  Turn the heat down to a simmer for 20 seconds, adding the chicken pieces and half of the spring onions.  Move the chicken pieces about to coat them all over and ensure that they are thoroughly heated.

Duration: 25 to prepare, 15 to 30 minutes to cook

Recipe for: 4 servings

Having lived part of my life in Spain, I am passionately influenced by the flavours of both the Mediterranean and the Continental aspects of Spanish cooking.

March sees much of the countryside come alive with the delicate pink blossom of the almond tree.  Because almonds are so abundant there, they are used in many sweet and savoury recipes.  Chicken with almond sauce is simply delicious. And for dessert, you can follow the almond theme with this flaked almond chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
• 50g ground almonds
• 20g wholemeal bread (1/2 to 3/4 of a slice)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 mug of chicken stock

Steps:

1. In a heavy-based frying pan, fry the garlic cloves whole with the bread for a few minutes, in 2 tbsp of olive oil – until both are golden brown.
2. Remove them to a mortar and create a pulp with a pestle.  If you don’t have these, put the ingredients in a plastic bowl and gently squash them with the end of a rolling pin, mixing them in well afterwards with a fork – it works just fine.
3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a clean frying pan and cook the chicken breasts, first sealing in the juices for a few minutes on high both sides, before turning the heat down to medium and frying on until cooked throughout.  If the breasts are very thick, I slice them in half horizontally about 2/3 of the way through cooking so that they are ready within about 10 minutes.
4. Whilst the chicken is cooking, mix a splash of stock into the bread and garlic pulp. Stir well.
5. Sprinkle the ground almonds into the same pan in which you fried the bread and garlic, and dry-fry it for a few minutes on a medium heat until golden in colour all over.
6. Then add the bread, garlic and stock mixture to the almonds, stirring it all in well and keeping it on the heat.  Gradually add the rest of the stock and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes.
7. The chicken and almond sauces should come together at about the same time.
8. Place the chicken onto warm plates, spoon over the sauce and garnish with fresh parsley.

This dish is also very tasty served with finely sliced, steamed, then sautéed cabbage, with fried garlic, drizzled all over with olive oil and lemon juice.

Duration: Ready in less than half an hour

Recipe for: 2 people

Here’s a one pot Chinese chicken dish that’s fast to prepare and is full of wonderful oriental flavours. It’s a great mid-week meal which is simply yet beautifully presented; with finely sliced spring onion and plenty of coriander sprinkled over hot and zingy chicken and rice. Sometimes I substitute the ginger for fresh, finely sliced lemongrass to give this dish more of a Thai twist. It is one of our staple recipes that comes out every couple of months.

We had the family over to stay this weekend, and we cooked this dish because it is so tasty, and you can prepare it quickly in the kitchen; leaving more time to catch up with loved ones that you haven’t seen for a while. It was the first time my husband’s parents made the 4 hour drive to come and stay under our roof, and a special time was had by all.  For another spicy chicken dish, try this chicken tikka masala.

Fresh ribbons of pasta topped off with soft livers, and plenty of crunch; chestnut spaghetti with chicken livers is an unusually satisfying dish.

Let’s face it; chicken livers are not everybody’s favourite; perhaps they’re one of those things, like Marmite, that you either love or hate! If you’re one of the lovers, you’ll enjoy the combination of the soft livers with the crunch of the chestnuts in this dish. If you’re still not convinced, well, what’s the harm in giving it a try? You might just enjoy it, and livers are packed with nutrients, you know.

If livers really don’t float your boat, you could make this prawn and courgette tagliatelle instead. I recommend fresh pasta for this meal; or for the deeply committed pasta lover, you may want to make it yourself for the most delicate of textures and the best of tastes.

Risottos are a filling and healthy food to prepare on a budget.  Chicken risotto with green peas is a refreshing blend of spring vegetables, chicken and lemon. (I also recommend this mushroom risotto.)

Ingredients:

• 600g risotto rice
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• A generous splash or two of Martini, or white wine
• 6 chicken breasts sliced into diagonal strips about 1.5cm wide, skin removed
• 1.5L prepared, hot chicken stock
• 300g peas
• 300g courgettes, halved then sliced into long, thin strands – or however you prefer them
• 2-3 tbsp crème fraiche or double cream
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• A generous twist or two of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to season

Steps:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan.  Sauté the onions and courgettes until soft.  Add the minced garlic and the chicken pieces; fry until the chicken is well-browned on all sides and about 2/3 cooked throughout.
2. Add the rice to the pan, coat it all over with the oil and juices and fry for a couple of minutes.  Splash in the Martini, turn the pan down to a simmer and reduce away all of the Martini.
3. Spoon in a ladle or two of the hot chicken stock.  Stir it in and with the pan uncovered, simmer the rice until the stock is absorbed.  Continue to add ladlefuls of stock in this way until the rice is fully cooked.  Stir the contents of the pan regularly.  Some of the chicken will fall apart in the cooking process, but this is normal and just contributes to the texture of the dish.
4. Use your judgement to gauge when the rice is around 10 minutes from being cooked, adding in the peas at this point, and stirring everything together.
5. Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat, season the pan well with salt and pepper, spoon in and combine the crème fraiche, twist over the lemon, and sprinkle over with half of the coriander and all of the parsley.
6. Serve into pretty bowls and garnish with the remaining coriander.
   

Duration: 30 minutes to prepare, 40-60 minutes to cook

Recipe for: 6 servings

 

Chicken fricassee is a bright and colourful dish which combines the meat with a mix of vegetables which are roasted together in a stock.

You can thicken the sauce into a white gravy at the end of the roasting time with cream if you wish, but here is the light version for you.  It’s a great meal for a Sunday to share with family or friends.  Enjoy it with a light and fruity red wine, or a crisp dry, herby white. (For a vegetarian version, try this lentil fricassee.)

Ingredients:

• 4kg chicken pieces; breasts and legs, skins on, boned
• 6 cloves garlic whole and with skins left on
• 90ml extra virgin olive oil
• 225g shallots, with skins left on and cut into halves
• 300g courgettes, cut in half lengthwise and then into chunky strips
• 200g cauliflower, cubed
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into medium-size rounds
• 900ml chicken stock
• 10 whole mixed colour peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Salt flakes and fresh ground pepper to season

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
2. In a large heavy-based frying pan, heat half of the oil on a medium to high heat, and brown the chicken pieces all over as you seal in the juices.  This only takes a few minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown.
3. Take the pan off the heat and put the chicken in a large roasting tray, along with the rosemary, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves.
4. Now return the frying pan to the heat, add the remaining oil and sauté the chopped vegetables until golden brown on all sides.  Mix them in with the chicken on the roasting tray.
5. Back to the frying pan now!  Give it a little wipe with a piece of kitchen paper to remove any browned pieces of meat and vegetables, and then pour in the chicken stock.  Bring the liquid up to the boil, season it with salt and pepper and pour it over the chicken and vegetables in the roasting tray.
6. Roast the fricassee in the oven for between 40 minutes and an hour, or until all of the chicken pieces are cooked throughout.

Duration: 25 minutes to prepare, 40 – 60 minutes to cook

Recipe for: 6 people

There are such good authentic curry pastes now that my original desire to create them from scratch has rather ebbed away over the years.  Yellow Thai chicken curry works really well with potatoes, and I use chicken thighs because they tend to be more succulent than chicken breast.  The result of all of the combined ingredients is colourful and aromatic.

Thai curries – red, green and yellow were traditionally made from similar ingredients but with each featuring its colour-corresponding chilli, and with each chilli providing different tastes and properties.  Over time the ingredients have evolved to further accentuate the colour aspect of the dishes.  The Indian spice turmeric helps to give yellow curry its beautiful golden colour.

Although coriander is more characteristic of Thai green chicken curry, I like to add it to my yellow curry too because quite simply, it adds colour, and is totally delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 10 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and cut into chunks
• 6 shallots (or 1 large onion) peeled and finely chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced lengthwise into fairly thin strips
• 100g (1/4 tub) Cock Brand Yellow Thai curry paste
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 235ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into smallish chunks
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Steps:

1. Heat the oil and fry the chicken in a large saucepan over a medium to high heat for 7-8 minutes, until the surface is golden brown all over.
2. Add the shallots and the yellow pepper and continue to fry for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat, until softened.
3. Add the curry powder and the yellow curry paste, stirring in well so that the chicken is coated in the paste.  Cook like this for a few minutes.
4. Pour in the coconut milk, the chicken stock and the fish sauce, stir, and bring the mixture up to a very gentle boil.
5. Add the potatoes, turn down the heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the chicken and potatoes are thoroughly cooked and tender.  Stir the curry occasionally during cooking.
6. Squeeze in the lime juice, stir in the sugar and the coriander, and serve with fragrant rice.

Duration: 45 minutes

Recipe for 5-6 people

I recommend using chicken thighs for my chicken stir-fry as this part of the fowl is generally tenderer than the breast.  Stir-frys are renowned for being speedy to cook and healthy to eat.  As long as the vegetables are piping hot throughout, they taste great when they hold on to some of their crunch!  Sesame oil adds a subtle nuttiness, and ginger gives a little zing to this recipe.

In this recipe, I recommend ginger and cashew nuts. However, there are a million flavour combinations. Another particular favourite of mine is a honey and garlic chicken stir-fry.

Ginger was first cultivated in South Asia.  It is used as a delicacy, a medicine and a spice, and is from the same plant family as cardamon, turmeric and galangal.  Cashew nuts are a good source of protein and iron, amongst other nutrients.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 chicken thighs, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into thin slices
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ pack of beansprouts
• 200 ml chicken stock
• Handful of cashew nuts, whole

Steps:

1. Heat the oils on a high heat, in a wok if you have one, or in a large frying pan if not, and cook the chicken with the garlic until both are golden brown all over – around 5 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken.
2. Throw in the yellow pepper and the ginger, and continue to fry for a few more minutes.
3. Splash in the soy sauce, add the beansprouts and the chicken stock, and keep stir-frying over a medium to high heat for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Once you are sure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked and that the vegetables are piping hot throughout, sprinkle in the cashew nuts, cook for another minute then remove from the heat.
5. Serve alongside rice or noodles.

Duration: Less than 30 minutes to prepare, 15 minutes to cook

Recipe for: 2 people

Note: Remember that small children can have trouble swallowing nuts. When making this dish for them, cut the cashews into small pieces.

Maybe you roasted a chicken the day before and now you fancy a hearty soup?  This recipe makes perfect use of those roast chicken left-overs.  It’s simple to make and is a true winter warmer.  Winter celery adds a distinctive flavour to the dish.  Once you’ve cooked it a couple of times, you could create a variation if you fancy it by swapping the carrot for parsnip or butternut squash, or by swapping the fresh parsley for fresh coriander.  A chicken and corn chowder is also a tasty option. You don’t need to use a blender for this recipe either, just remember to chop the vegetables nice and fine and enjoy the texture of the torn chicken pieces. I often enjoy a glass of Guinness with my Hearty chicken soup for richness of flavour and relaxation.  Chicken is packed full of protein, and did you know that it’s also a good source of selenium?  Ladies and Gents, this is a simple chicken soup for the soul!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 carrots, washed and chopped into little cubes
• 3 medium celery sticks, washed and finely sliced
• 60g butter
• 30g plain flour
• 1.2 litres chicken stock
• 500g cooked, skinless chicken, hand torn into fairly fine shreds
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black peppercorns to taste

Steps:

1. Take a large heavy-based saucepan and place on medium heat, adding the butter, onions, carrots and celery and cook until the vegetables begin to soften.
2. Add the flour to the pan, stir it in, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and stirring the contents constantly, bring the liquid to the boil.  Reduce the heat, season with salt and black pepper and simmer the soup mixture for 10-12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
4. Place the cooked chicken into the soup and continue to cook until the chicken is piping hot throughout.
5. Sprinkle and stir in the parsley, and serve in bowls with baguette or hunks of granary bread on the side.

Recipe for: 4 people

Duration: 1 hour