Category Archives: chicken

Poached chicken with Vietnamese coleslaw

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This recipe was provided to me courtesy of the Heart Foundation, who kindly hosted a blogger event last week (you can read all about that over on my other blog) and fed a bunch of us delicious, healthy food – which we had to cook ourselves! ;) It’s easy and quite quick to make, and really does look spectacular.

Serves 4-6

Salad

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 knob of ginger, chopped
1/4 cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, grated
2 sprigs of mint leaves, finely chopped

Dressing

2 tbs fish sauce
4 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce

Topping

Unsalted peanuts, chopped
Fried shallot flakes (available in the Asian section at the supermarket)

Combine the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and mix until sugar is dissolved. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and mix well. Allow to stand for 20 minutes while you prepare the chicken to allow the flavours to develop. Once chicken is almost ready to serve, add the cabbage, carrot and mint and mix well. Arrange on a serving platter with shredded chicken on top and sprinkle peanuts and shallots over.

Poached chicken

4 120g chicken breast portions
500ml water
2 parsley stalks
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 chopped red chilli
Freshly ground pepper

Bring the water, parsley stalks, onion, chilli and pepper to the boil in a shallow pan. Place the fillets into the liquid, turn down low and allow to poach for 10-12 minutes, turning once. Remove from the poaching liquid and shred with two forks. Alternatively, you can cut the chicken into thin slices.

As you might have noticed, I used what was on hand for the pictured version. I had some red cabbage in the fridge and plenty of carrots. Fresh mint grows in our garden, so that was easily available. I thought it needed a bit more “green” though, so I added some finely shredded lettuce. You could substitute any kind of cabbage in this recipe – wombok would work really well – and could even use different herbs. A mixture of mint, basil, coriander and Vietnamese mint would be fantastic. Use your imagination and go nuts!

Kind-of-Cajun chicken with avocado salsa

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This recipe was borne out of desperation. Bike Boy had defrosted chicken breasts for our dinner, the fridge was down to the last dregs of the fortnightly shopping and we were both tired and out of inspiration. A quick recce of what was available produced this… and it was GOOD.

Please excuse our slightly past-its-best avocado. It tasted fine, I assure you.

Serves 2-3

2 large chicken breasts
1 tbs sweet paprika
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cayenne or ground chilli
1 tbs olive oil

Slice each chicken breast into 3-4 pieces. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl and add chicken. Toss through until chicken pieces are well coated. Stand for at least 30 minutes. Heat a barbecue or grill plate and cook chicken pieces for a few minutes each side until done. Serve with salsa.

Salsa
1 medium tomato
1 avocado
2 spring onions (scallions)
1 tbs lime juice
1 tbs chopped coriander leaves
Salt

Dice tomato and avocado, slice spring onions thinly. Place into a small bowl and add lime juice, coriander and salt. Mix well.

This is great accompanied with potato or sweet potato wedges and/or a salad.

Chicken meatballs with spicy tomato sauce

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chicken meatballs with spicy tomato sauce

Serves 3-4

400g lean chicken mince (or use beef, kangaroo or turkey)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ tsp crushed garlic
20g pine nuts
Chilli flakes to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
A big handful of continental parsley, chopped
1 tbs grated parmesan
A squeeze of lemon juice
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Mix onion and chicken mince in a bowl. Place all other ingredients except egg white into the bowl of a food processor and process until a coarse paste is formed. Add to the chicken mince and mix through, using hands for best results. Add about ½ the egg white, mixing well. You can add more if need be, but don’t make the mixture too sloppy.

Heat a non-stick pan and add two teaspoons of olive oil. Take heaped teaspoons of the mixture and form into balls, then fry in batches, turning frequently until browned on all sides and cooked through. Serve with tomato sauce (over pasta or not, as you prefer) and a salad.

Tomato sauce

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion
1 tsp crushed garlic
400g can of chopped tomatoes
2 small roasted capsicums, chopped (you can use the kind you buy in jars or from the deli)
½ cup red wine
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
About 4 medium mushrooms, sliced

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add onion, garlic and chilli and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until onion is soft. Add capsicum and cook for a minute or two more. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to cook a further 10 minutes uncovered.

Chicken Cacciatore

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Serves 6

1 tbs olive oil
1.5kg chicken pieces
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 cloves garlic, minced
400g can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup chicken stock
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
4 anchovies
¼ cup white wine
A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
A cup of pitted Kalamata olives

Heat olive oil in a heavy-based pan. Add chicken pieces a few at a time and brown on all sides. Remove and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden-brown. Add the chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, anchovies and sugar and bring to the boil. Stir frequently until liquid is reduced by almost half. Add the tomatoes, basil, wine, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken pieces, cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is tender. Add the olives about 20 minutes before serving.

If the sauce is still too runny when the chicken is cooked, remove chicken to a plate and transfer sauce to a pan. Cook sauce over medium-high heat until reduced, then pour over chicken before serving.

If using a casserole dish, increase the stock to 1 cup and the wine to 1/2 cup and cook in the oven at 150C for 1-2 hours.

Pomegranate chicken

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I know; long time, no post! :)

Serves 4

One small whole chicken
Juice of one pomegranate (reserve the seeds)
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 tbs chopped basil
1 tbs lime juice
2 tbs olive oil

Butterfly the chicken. Process the garlic, spices and herbs in a food processor, adding a little of the oil if necessary to make a smooth paste. Add the rest of the oil, lime juice and pomegranate juice and mix well. Season with salt and pour into a shallow dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, turning once.

Heat oven to 200C. Place chicken into a baking dish, pouring all the marinade over it. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve with lemon wedges and cous cous – I added lemon zest, finely sliced spring onions, the reserved pomegranate seeds and a little extra virgin olive oil to mine.

Note: If you can’t get hold of a fresh pomegranate, you can buy pomegranate juice in a bottle from supermarkets.

Chicken, leek and mushroom pie

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Lovely winter recipe, just perfect for a cold night.

Serves 4

600g chicken thigh fillets, skin removed and fat trimmed
2 tbs olive oil
2 leeks, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into 1cm slices
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 medium potato, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
About 12 button mushrooms, sliced thickly
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tsp flour
2 tsp water
1/2 cup thickened cream
1 sheet frozen ready-rolled puff pastry

Dice the chicken, heat half the olive oil in a pan and cook till browned and almost cooked through. Set aside. Heat the remaining oil and cook the leeks, potato and garlic until the leeks begin to soften. Add mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the stock and wine and bring to the boil. Mix flour and water together and add to the pan, mixing well. Bring to the boil once more, stirring to ensure no lumps form, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. The liquid should be reduced and quite thick by this time – if not, simmer a bit longer. Add the cream and stir through, then transfer the mixture to a deep pie dish. Cover with the defrosted pastry and trim to fit. Cut vents in the pastry, crimp the edges, and brush with milk or beaten egg. Optional: sprinkle 1-2 tsp poppy seeds over the pastry.

Bake at 200C for 25-35 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

If you want to reduce calories in this recipe, substitute light evaporated milk for the cream, halve the oil and use a non-stick pan. You could also leave out the wine and use extra stock or water, but the flavour will change slightly.

Chicken Taco Salad

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A tasty twist on chicken salad.

Serves 2

2 x 100g chicken breast portions
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp Mexican chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin
A good shake of dried oregano
2 tbs grated reduced-fat cheddar
40g corn chips
2 handfuls of baby spinach
3 large lettuce leaves, torn
About 4 thin slices red onion
1/2 an avocado
10-12 cherry tomatoes
A few slices of red capsicum
Chopped coriander leaves

Combine lime juice, garlic, chilli powder, cumin and oregano in a glass bowl and mix well. Coat the chicken in the mixture and leave to marinate for as long as possible.

Grill the chicken, then slice. Arrange salad veggies on two plates, sprinkle the cheese over, and scatter the corn chips amongst it all. Top with the chicken and add a spoonful of bought salsa. Light sour cream or fat free natural yoghurt adds a nice touch too.

Grilled pesto chicken salad

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Another “quickie” recipe, great for weeknight meals. It’s really just a variation on my pesto-stuffed chicken.

Serves 2

2 pieces of chicken breast fillet, about 150g each
1-2 tbs pesto dip (I used Black Swan chunky basil and cashew)
A bunch of asparagus, cut into thirds and steamed
Baby spinach leaves

Cut a deep pocket in the side of each chicken portion, being careful not to cut right through. Spoon half the pesto into each pocket and press the edges of the chicken together, enclosing the filling. Cook in a preheated George Foreman grill (or you could use a non-stick pan or BBQ) for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Slice into 1.5cm slices and arrange on plates, on top of the veggies. You can add any other salad ingredietns you like – red capsicum or thinly sliced onion would be nice.

Casablanca Chicken

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I took the new slow cooker for a test drive today and the verdict is a big thumbs-up! This was something I made up this morning, pretty much based on what we had available. A few minutes preparation in the morning, chuck it in, turn the knob and voila! Dinner at 6:00pm.

Like most casseroles, the photo looks a bit…um… Well, let’s just say I could use a food stylist.

Serves 6

½ tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 whole cinnamon stick, broken into 2-3 pieces
4-6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
½ tsp hot paprika (optional)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
½ cup chopped coriander leaves and stems
½ cup roughly chopped dried apricots
1 sachet tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
Zest and juice of one orange
½ butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 5cm cubes

1 tbs olive oil
1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1.5kg skinless chicken pieces, with bones
2 medium onions, chopped

Place all ingredients except oil, pumpkin, chick peas, chicken and onion into a large casserole or slow cooker, mix well. Toss in the pumpkin and chickpeas, stir through. Heat half the oil in a non-stick pan and fry onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Remove and add to the mixture in the casserole. Add the remaining oil to the pan, brown chicken a few pieces at a time and add to the mixture in the casserole.

Cover and bake at 150C for about 2½ to 3 hours or until chicken is tender. If using a slow cooker, cook on the low setting for about 7-8 hours.

I recommend serving this with a green vegetable in season – and some couscous if you like. You could add a small bowl of harissa, so people add the appropriate level of heat to their own serve.

Chicken mince with noodles and green beans

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This has a Vietnamese influence and is quick and easy for a weeknight dinner.

Serves 3-4

400g lean chicken mince
1 tbs peanut oil
150g dried bean thread or rice vermicelli noodles
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp crushed chilli (optional)
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp lime juice
1 tbs cornflour
2 cups frozen green baby beans
1/4 cup chopped coriander or Vietnamese mint leaves

Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over and set aside. Steam beans (I microwave them) for 2 mins or until tender and set aside.

Heat a wok, add 2 tsp of the oil and when hot, add the chicken mince. Stir constantly, making sure you break up any lumps, until browned slightly and cooked through. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Add remaining oil and cook onion and garlic, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Drain noodles, return the chicken mince to the wok with the noodles and add all remaining ingredients except coriander. Stir until the mixture boils and thickens, mix coriander through and serve.

Provide extra fish sauce and lime wedges so each person can adjust to their taste.