Chilli Chicken and Bacon Salad

This was really tasty, and no wonder!  Chicken, sweet chilli sauce, oven chips, bacon, avocado!  *nom nom*  Very easy, very tasty, will definitely be making again.  The recipe called for specific items like watercress and chicory which I just substituted with a bag of Italian lettuce.  I laid off the lime juice too - I usually do, so I used about half of the required amount.

Taken from GoodFood Magazine's '101 Seasonal Salads', pg 116, published 2005

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets
2 1/2 tbs sweet chilli dipping sauce
2 tbs lime juice
175g oven chips
5 rashes streaky bacon
1/2 x 75g bag watercress
2 heads chicory, thickly sliced
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced at an angle
2 small avocados, peeled, stoned and cut into wedges.

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C.  Brush both sides of the chicken with 1/2 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce, season well and put on a large baking tray.  Mix 2 tablespoon chilli sauce with the lime juice and 1 tablespoon water to make a dressing.

2.  Dice the oven chips and scatter around the chicken on the baking tray, then add the bacon rashes.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the potatoes and bacon are crispy and the chicken is cooked, but still nice and juicy.

3.  Toss the watercress, chicory, spring onions and avocados in half the dressing and pile on to a platter.  Slice the chicken and scatter on top of the salad with the bacon and potato.  Spoon over the remaining dressing and eat while it's still warm.

Serves 2

Beef Skewers with Asian Salad

So, the recipe called for rump steak, and my closest and local supermarket was out at the time, so I used chicken breast fillets instead.  I imagine the result was very similar - it was a delicious meal!  Easy, very tasty and quite authentic.  I do plan on making it with the specified Rump steak one day....

I like to marinate my flavours, especially chicken over here in the UAE.  Sometimes the chicken here is hit and miss in terms of 'tough-ness' so marinating always helps tenderise the meat here.  I marinated the chicken strips for about 3 hours.

Taken from Olive Magazine's '101 Quick Fix Dishes', page 88, published 2007

Ingredients
Chinese five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon
vegetable oil
sweet chilli sauce
rump steak, 250g, cut into strips
clear honey, 1 teaspoon
White wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon
Thai Fish Sauce
garlic, 1 clove, crushed
salad leaves, small bag
cucumber, 1/2 halved, seeds scooped out out and sliced
spring onions, 3, finely sliced
dry roasted peanuts 50g, chopped
mint leaves, a handful

Method
Heat a ridged griddle pan or grill to very hot.  Mix the five-spice, 1 tbs vegetable oil and a few drops of the chilli sauce in a bowl.  Add the meat and stir until coated.  Thread the strips on to metal or bamboo skewers (soak bamboo skewers in cold water for 20 minutes first) and griddle or grill for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through.
Meanwhile, mix the honey, vinegar, 1 1/4 tbs fish sauce, garlic, a few drops of chilli sauce and 2 tbs oil in a small bowl.  Mix the salad leaves, cucumber, spring onions and peanuts and toss with the dressing.  Rip the mint leaves and add to the salad.  Divide the skewers between two plates and serve with the salad and a little bowl of fish sauce mixed with chilli sauce for dipping.


Serves 2.

Braised Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes

Gotta say, I *love* a meal that is quick and easy to prepare and that the WHOLE family will eat (a rarity around here).

I followed the recipe, except the part about using the thighs or drums - being an old Deli girl from way back, I do know how to cut up a whole chicken correctly into eight pieces, so that's what I did instead.  I did brown off the pieces but I did have to cook the whole dish a lot longer than the specified total time of 35 minutes.  Mine took around an hour.  Don't let the timings put you off, it is worth cooking and was delicious! Nom nom.

Oh yeah, I too par boiled my potatoes (USA baby reds) to make sure they were cooked through, nice and fluffy!

Taken from Olive magazine's '101 Quick Fix Dishes', page 68, published 2007

Ingredients
rosemary, 1 sprig, chopped
onion, 1 large, sliced
garlic, 2 cloves, sliced
new potatoes, 500g small, quartered
olive oil
chicken pieces, 8-10 thighs and drumsticks, skin on
baby plum or cherry tomatoes, 500g
dry white wine, 300ml
chicken stock, 300ml
kalamata olives, 150g, drained
basil leaves, a small bunch

Method
Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7.

Toss the first 4 ingredients in a roasting tray in 2 tbs oil and cook for 25 minutes.  Fry the chicken in 2 tbs oil until browned and almost cooked through.  Add to the tray for the last 10 minutes of cooking, along with the tomatoes, wine, stock and olives.  Scatter with basil and serve.

Serves 4

Chicken Margherita

Ooo this was yummy, light to eat and oh so easy. Being the talented (ahem!) mother that I am, I actually made this dish into three different ones - one for the adults (MrL and I), one for the child (being Monet) and one for the toddler (being Lily). It was absolutely not a pain changing it for each group.

The adults recipe is the one that follows the main recipe. (However I couldn't find any bocconcini cheese and had some brie in the fridge so used that instead.) For the Monet version, I excluded the tomato, the spinach and the bocconcini, but instead still used the pesto and added cheddar cheese, then wrapped the chicken in streaky bacon. For the Lily version I just pulled it all apart so she had a bit of bacon, some cheese chunks, some cooked chicken breast which had a bit of pesto on it. Most of it was eaten - always a good sign.

Chicken Margherita

Taken from page 286, Women's Weekly FAST chunky book. (published 2009)

Ingredients
550g baby vine-ripened truss tomatoes
4 x 200g chicken breast fillets
1/3 cup basil pesto
180g bocconcini cheese
20g baby spinach leaves
8 slices prosciutto (120g)

Method
Preheat oven to 200C fan-forced.

Remove four tomatoes from truss; slice thinly.

Split one chicken fillet in half horizontally; open out. Spread one tablespoon of pesto on one side of chicken fillet; top with a quarter of the cheese, a quarter of the sliced tomato and a quarter of the spinach.

Fold chicken over filling; wrap with two slices prosciutto to enclose securely. Repeat process with remaining chicken, pesto, cheese, sliced tomato, spinach and prosciutto.

Roast chicken and remaining tomatoes in oiled large shallow baking dish, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until cooked through (Mine took about 30 minutes).

Serve chicken with roasted tomatoes.

Serves 4.

Wrapped in the prosciutto, waiting to be roasted.

Lily's version on the left, Monet's on the right (served with teeny, tiny cut up potatoes I tossed in olive oil and roasted for the same time as the chicken - tasty!)

Finished version.  Yum.

Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Crispy Posh Ham

I think the best cookbook I have bought this year would be Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food. It is a book aimed at teaching people to cook proper meals, but even if you can cook, there are some corker recipes in there.

This chicken breast is very tasty. I didn't use prosciutto, but rather streaky bacon which he does suggest to use. (Either that or Parma Ham)

*Taken from Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food, page 242, published 2008*

Ingredients

30g Parmesan cheese

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (I used dry)

2 skinless chicken breasts, preferably free-range or organic

freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

6 slices of prosciutto

Olive oil

Method

Grate your Parmesan. Pick the thyme leaves off the stalks. Carefully score the underside of the chicken breasts in a criss-cross fashion with a small knife. Season with a little pepper (you don't need salt as the prosciutto is quite salty). Lay your breasts next to one another and sprinkle over most of the thyme leaves. Grate a little lemon zest over them, then sprinkle with the Parmesan. Lay 3 prosciutto slices on each chicken breast, overlapping them slightly. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining thyme leaves. Put a square of clingfilm over each breast and give them a few really good bashes with the bottom of a pan until they're about 1cm thick.

Put a frying pan over a medium heat. Remove the clingfilm and carefully transfer the chicken breasts, prosciutto side down, into the pan. Drizzle over some olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, turning halfway through, giving the ham side an extra 30 seconds to crisp up.

Either serve the chicken breasts whole or cut them into thick slices and pile them on a plate. Serve some lemon wedges for squeezing over, and a good drizzle of olive oil. Lovely with mash and green veg or a crunchy salad!

Serves 2

Chilli Lime Chicken and Pasta

Ooo I like this recipe a lot.  It is fresh tasting, light and easy to put together.  Nice to eat on a warm summer's day...

*Taken from Women's Weekly 'Meals In Minutes', pg 54, published 1998*

Ingredients

4 (680g) chicken breast fillets

8 large cherry tomatoes

300g fresh lasagna sheets

100g baby rocket leaves, torn

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon drained capers

2 teaspoons finely grated lime rind

2 small fresh red chillies, seeded, chopped finely

Method

Cook chicken on heated oiled griddle, in batches, until browned both sides and cooked through.  Cut chicken, on the diagonal, into 1cm-thick pieces.  Cook the tomato halves, both sides, on same griddle until just soft.

Meanwhile, tear pasta into large, uneven pieces.  Cook pasta in large pan of boiling water, uncovered, until just tender; drain.

Divide pasta among serving plates; top with chicken, tomato and rocket, drizzle with combined remaining ingredients.

Serves 4

Honey Chicken

Very nice indeed this recipe.  Pretty easy to whip up, even though I don't have a wok (I used my frying pan).  I used chicken breast instead of thigh fillets and I omitted the snowpeas because of a lack of having any!  

*Taken from Murdoch books 'Australian Family Favourites', page 56,published 2007*

Ingredients

500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into cubes

1 egg white, lightly beaten

40g (1/3 cup) cornflour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 green capsicum, cubed

2 carrots, cut into batons

100g snowpeas, sliced

90g (1/4 cup) honey

2 tablespoons toasted almonds

Method

Dip the chicken into the egg white, then lightly dust with the cornflour, shaking off any excess.

Heat a wok over high heat, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat the side of the wok.  Add the chicken in tow batches and stir-fry each batch for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and just cooked.  Remove the chicken from the wok and drain on crumpled paper towels.

Reheat the wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and stir-fry the sliced onion for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly softened.  Add the green capsicum and carrot, cook. tossing constantly, for 3-4 minutes, or until tender.  Stir in the sliced snow peas and cook for 2 minutes.

Ensure the wok is still very hot, then pour in the honey and toss with the vegetables until well coasted.  Return the chicken to the wok and toss thoroughly until heated through and well coasted in the honey.  Remove the wok from the heat and season well.  Serve immediately, sprinkled with the toasted almonds.  Serve with steamed white rice.

Serves 4

Pizza Chicken Melts

I had this recipe, a photocopy taken from one of those small BBC Good Food, 101 Recipes, that my mother had.  This was really nice and will make again soon.  A nice alternative to plain chicken.  

 

Ingredients

2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

50g cheddar cheese, grated

4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 tsp pesto sauce

green salad, to serve

Method

Preheat the grill to high.  Sandwich the chicken between cling film or 2 plastic food bags and beat firmly with a rolling pin or the bottom of a saucepan to flatten.  Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side until golden.

While the chicken cooks, mix the cheese and tomatoes together.  Take the chicken out of the pan and wipe out the with with kitchen paper.  Return the chicken to the pan, spread each breast with a teaspoon of pesto, then pile the cheese and tomatoes on top.

Put under the hot grill for a minute or so (protect the handle with foil if you think it is likely to burn), until the cheese has melted.  Serve with a green salad.

Serves 2 (easily doubled or halved)

Fragrant Chicken Curry

I'm always on the lookout for a good chicken curry recipe.  I found this tucked away in my cupboard, photocopied from some book.  (I think it might have come from a BBC 101 Recipes type book, but I am unsure which one..)  

It was super easy to make and the result was delicious.  Very tasty indeed.  Just the right amount of heat for my liking.  Instead of chicken breasts I used chicken thighs and I also halved the recipe.  I served it with poppadums and steamed jasmine rice.  It is also very low in fat (something like 4 grams)

Ingredients

3 onions, quartered

4 fat garlic cloves

5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled & roughly chopped

3 tbs moglai (medium) curry powder

1 tsp tumeric

2 tsp paprika

2 fresh red chillies, seeded & roughly chopped

40g fresh coriander

1 chicken stock cube

6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 x 410g cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed

natural low-fat yoghurt, naan bread or poppadums to serve

Method

Tip the onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, ground spices, chillies and half the coriander into a food processor.  Add 1 tsp salt to blend to a puree (you may need to do this in 2 batches).  Tip the mixture into a large saucepan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  

Crumble in the stock cube, pour in 750ml boiling water and return to the boil.  Add the chicken, stir, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Chop the remaining coriander, then stir all but 2 tbs into the curry with the chickpeas.  Heat through.  Serve topped with the reserved coriander and the natural yoghurt, with naan bread or poppadums on the side.

Serves 8 

Chicken Peri-Peri Marinade

No photo here, just a recipe for my own reference to make a 'Nando's'-like marinate for chicken breasts.  Very tasty indeed and very much like a Nando's chicken breast when popped into a Hamburger bun with sliced iceberg lettuce and tomato...

We found this recipe via the Internet in a Yahoo discussion site.

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tbs cider (or white wine) vinegar

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp angostura bitters

1 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

1 dried hot red chili (I omitted this)

1 fresh red chili

2 cloves garlic

Chicken Breasts

Method

Combine the lime juice, vinegar, paprika, bitters and hot pepper sauce in a glass baking dish.

Wearing kitchen gloves, split the dried chili with a sharp paring knife and remove the seeds.  Do the same with the fresh pepper.  Mash the peppers with the garlic into a smooth paste using a mortar and pestle.  Add the paste to the lime mixture in the baking dish and combine.

Toss the chicken breasts in the marinade until they are completely coated.  Cover and let marinate several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

BBQ or grill, basting regularly until cooked through.

Polenta-encrusted Fried Chicken with Sweetcorn Mash, Fried Bananas and Green Tomato Relish

I have made this a couple of times and both times I have enjoyed it. Loads of flavours (the bananas are a nice addition) and really different too, however there is a lot of ingredients in it and it does take a bit to make...

*Taken from Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie's Kitchen', page 206, published 2002*

Ingredients
4 skinless chicken breast fillets
200g flour
1 tbs allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chilli powder
2 eggs
200g polenta
2-3 tbs butter
2 bananas
-for the mash-
8 medium potatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
255ml milk
4 cobs of corn
1 bunch of finely sliced spring onions
-for the relish-
100ml vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 shallots
400g green or red tomatoes, chopped
6 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 handfuls of fresh mint, chopped

Method
Carefully cut each fresh corn cob in half and strip the kernels off by sitting each cob on its end and slicing down the sides. To make the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked. Drain and return them to the hot pan with the milk, corn kernels and some salt and pepper. Bring back to the boil, then turn off the heat. Thrown in the spring onions. Mash up with a masher, season and keep warm.

To make the relish, put the vinegar, sugar and sliced shallots in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until reduced by half. Add the chopped tomatoes and warm through. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and add the olive oil. The herbs are added just before serving.

Take each chicken breast and make 2 slices into the meat lengthways so that the breast fans out into 3 'prongs'. Mix the flour with the spices and salt and pepper and spread it out on a plate. Now beat the egg in a bowl with a fork and pour the polenta on to another plate. Place the 2 plates and the bowl next to one another. Dip the chicken breasts in the flour first, shaking off any excess, then in the egg and finally in the polenta. This will give you a lovely polenta crust.

Heat a large frying pan and gently fry the chicken in 2 tablespoons of the butter for about 5 minutes on each side, turning it half-way through. When the chicken is cooked and golden brown, remove it from the pan and keep warm. Peel the bananas and cut it in half lengthways. Fry in a little more butter until tender and golden.

To serve, spoon a mound of mash on to each serving plate with a piece of banana on top. Place a piece of crispy chicken on top. Stir the parsley and mint into the relish and put a big dollop on top of the chicken.

Serves 4

Lebanese Chicken

Eaten fresh of the BBQ or eaten cold the next day, a nice and tasty way to eat chicken. I marinated mine the night before, cooked on the BBQ grill (not flat plate as stated in recipe) and served it up with a fresh green salad and home-made hash browns. Delicious.

*Taken from Murdoch Books, 'Australian Family Favourites', pg 166, published 2007*

Ingredients

250g (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt

2 tsp soft brown sugar

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

7g chopped flat-leaf (italian) parsley

3 tbs lemon juice

1 x 1.8 whole chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces

cooking oil spray

Method

Put the yoghurt, brown sugar, garlic, cumin, coriander, chopped parsley and lemon juice in a large non-metallic bowl and mix together.

Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refridgerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Lightly spray the barbecue plates with oil, then preheat the barbecue to medium heat. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and season. Cook the chicken pieces on the flat plate, turning them frequently, for 20-30 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Serves 4-6

Green Chicken Curry

Always on the hunt for a good Green Chicken Curry recipe, this one came pretty close. Our only complaint was that it was a bit too spicy for our likings (and Lyndon loves spicy foods!) Next time I would minus one of the tablespoons of curry paste, but otherwise this was pretty tasty...

*Taken from Murdoch Books 'Australian Family Favourites'*

Ingredients
250ml (1 cup) coconut cream
4 tbs green curry paste
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
250ml (1 cup) coconut milk
4 Thia eggplants (aubergines) or 1/2 purple eggplant, cut into chunks
2 tbs shaved palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tbs fish sauce
4 mukrut (kaffir) lime leaves, torn
1 handful Thai basil leaves
1-2 large red chilies, sliced
coconut milk or cream, for drizzling

Method
heat a wok over a low heat, add the coconut cream and bring to the boil. Stir until the oil separates out.

Add the green curry paste, stir for 1 minute then add the chicken. Cook the chicken until it turns opaque, then add the coconut milk and eggplant. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender. Add the sugar, fish sauce, line leaves and half the basil, then mix together.

Garnish with the rest of the basil, the chilli and a drizzle of the coconut milk or cream. Serve with rice.

Serves 4

Chunky Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This was good for the soul this soup and quick to make. Instead of using the 2 ripe tomatoes, diced, in this recipe, I cut back on the stock and added a 425g can of crushed tomatoes in stead. Instead of ditalini pasta I used tiny star shaped Italian pasta and a bit extra than stated, to thicken up the soup. The recipe also states to use chicken thighs but I used 1 chicken breast instead.. It was very tasty but Monet didn't think much of it. Typical.

*Taken from Family Circle Book 'Quick Short Chicken Recipes' published 1999*

Ingredients

1 tbs oil

1 carrot, sliced

1 leek, chopped

2 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces

1/4 cup ditalini pasta

1 litre vegetable stock

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the carrot and leek over medium heat for 4 minutes, or until soft. Add the chicken and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until the chicken has changed colour.

Add the pasta and the vegetable stock, cover and bring to the boil. (I added the can of tomatoes at that time too.) Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. Add the tomato halfway through cooking. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Serves 4

Coriander and Lime Chicken

This was delicious and very easy to make. Does not take much time at all to make either and I love that!

*Taken from the Family Circle book 'Quick Short Chicken Recipes' published 1999*

Ingredients

2/3 cups (160g) coconut cream

1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock

1 1/2 tbs lime juice

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

4 chicken breast fillets

plain flour, for dusting

2 tbs oil

2 tbs chopped fresh coriander leaves

fresh coriander leaves, extra, to garnish

Method

Whisk the coconut cream, stock, lime juice and ginger together in a medium bowl. Cut the chicken across the grain into 1 cm slices and lightly coat with flour.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Add the coconut cream mixture to the pan and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by half and thickened slightly.

Return the chicken strips to the pan, add the coriander and simmer for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Garnish with the extra coriander leaves. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Serves 4

Chicken and Leek Pies

I once wrote in my cookbook that this recipe reminded both Lyndon and I of the old KFC Chicken Pie's they sold many (many) years ago... Monet actually ate this pie (she takes after her dad!) but she did pick out the peas and corn kernals (which I add!)

*Taken from the Murdock Book 'Fast Food'*

Ingredients

60g butter, 1 leek, thinly sliced

4 chicken breasts (about 200g each), cubed

50g plain flour

1 cup (250ml) chicken stock

300ml cream

1 cup fresh or frozen peas, blanched

1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the leek for 2-3 minutes, or until soft. Add the chicken and cook for 45 minutes (I cooked for about 10-15 mins), or until cooked. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until it starts to bubble. Add the stock and cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Add the cream, reserving 1 tablespoon to glaze the pastry. Cook until the mixture just starts to boil. Stir in the peas. Season. Remove from the heat. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200c.

Divide the filing among four individual pie dishes or ramekins. Top with a circle of pastry, cut just bigger than the top of the dish, then press around the edges to seal. Brush the surface with the reserved cream. Make a small slit int he top to allow steam to escape. Place the dishes on a metal tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Serve with a green salad.

Serves 4

Chargrilled Chicken and Sprout Salad

The book states this is for 4 people but this served both only Lyndon and I. I guess if you had extra guests you could serve it up with something else to make it go further. It was pretty easy to prepare and was tasty too.

*Taken from 'Tossed. A Murdock Book'*

Ingredients
600g chicken breast fillets
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cos lettuce, leaves roughly torn
50g snowpea sprouts, white ends trimmed

yoghurt and caper dressing
200g low-fat, thick plain yoghurt
2 tbs capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
4 tbs lemon juice

Method
Put the chicken breasts in a shallow, non-metallic dish. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, cumin, coriander and lemon juice. Pour the mixture all over the chicken, rubbing it in thoroughly to coat all sides. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

Nearer to serving time, make the yoghurt and caper dressing. Put all the ingredients om a s,a;; bowl and add a few grinds of black pepper and 1-2 tablespoons of water to thin it slightly. Whisk well and set aside.

Heat a BBQ grill or chargrill pan to medium. Add the chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for a further 4 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then slice into strips.

Put the lettuce and snowpea sprouts in a serving dish and add the sliced chicken. Pour over the dressing, mix gently and serve.

Indian Marinated Chicken Salad

This was a tasty salad to make, even though it was a little fiddly to make. It was refreshing to eat though and a little different! I served it as a main meal for 3 adults, but is more suited for 2...

*Taken from 'Tossed. A Murdock Book'*

Ingredients
1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
325g chicken breast fillets (I used tenderloins)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced on the diagonal
60g picked watercress leaves (I used baby spinach)
80g (1/2 cup) freshly podded peas (I used frozen)
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 small handful coriander leaves

yoghurt dressing
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbs thick plain yoghurt
1 tbs chopped mint
1 tbs lemon juice

Method
Combine the lemon juice, garam masala, turmeric, ginger, garlic and 1 tsp of the oil in a large bowl. Add chicken and onion, toss well to coat all over, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove the onion from the chicken marinate, then heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the chicken over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Cut each breast across the grain into 1 cm slices.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and saute the zucchini and marinated onion for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden and tender. Toss in a large bowl with the watercress. Cook the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender, then drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Add to the salad with the chicken, tomato and coriander.

To make the yoghurt dressing, dry-fry the cumin and coriander seeds in a frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Put the seeds in a mortar and pestle and pound them to a powder. Mix together with the yoghurt, mint and lemon juice. Gently fold the dressing through the salad and divide into 2 bowls.

Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

I don't know where I originally got this recipe but over the years I have added and changed a few things, so I am claiming it as my own recipe now! We love this soup, especially Monet!!

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

4 cups chicken stock

1 cooked chicken breast, chopped into small pieces (or use left over roast chicken like I usually do)

1 can creamed corn, (use either 310g or 440g tin)

1 handful frozen corn kernels

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 handful of uncooked vermicelli pasta (optional - good for thickening)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the onions until soft, but not brown. Add the chicken stock to the pan followed by the chicken, creamed corn, corn kernels, spring onion and pasta (if using). Bring slowly to the boil (or wait until pasta is cooked through, if using). Add the egg in one long stream, using a fork where it meets the liquid soup, to beat into the mixture. Cook for one minute. Enjoy.

Serves 4-6

Tuscan Chicken

(Post number 50!!)

This was delicious. Of course. Good old Karen Martini recipe once more. She suggests to BBQ the chicken pieces but I actually roasted the pieces in the oven with some 'smashed potatoes', 2 garlic clove heads and some big onion rings, which caused the juices to become a delicious gravy, once the pulp from the cooked garlic was added. I baked in the oven for 50 odd minutes at 230C. And I served it with a handful of mixed lettuce leaves. Delicious.

If using a BBQ, Karen suggests to serve this with a dressed lettuce salad and a simple potato salad (or baked potatoes). Either way, you will enjoy it.

*Taken from Karen Martini's 'Where The Heart Is'*

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and coarsely chopped

4 tbs Dijon mustard

1/3 cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil

2 lemons, juiced and zested

salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

1 x 1.5 kg chicken, cut into 8 pieces

lemon wedges to serve

Method

To make the marinade, place the garlic and rosemary in a small bowl. Add mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and zest. Stir well to combine and season to taste. Pour marinade over chicken, cover and leave in fridge for 40 minutes or overnight.

Preheat a BBQ to hot, then cook chicken, skin-side down, for 8-10 minutes. Turn chicken, reduce heat and cook for a further 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to platter, keep warm and allow to rest for 2 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Serves 4-6