Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Curry wasn't something which I had experienced a lot of prior to my moving over here to the UK. My only experience had been a chicken curry that a friend of mine from Manchester had made for me about 30 years ago.
I was living on a British Military Training Base in Canada. I remember that it was delicious but very spicy. She had used a whole bottle of curry powder in it! It was love a first bite however!
The first curry I made after moving over here to the UK was a Chicken Tikka Masala that I learned how to make when I was taking my Chef's course.
I thought it was really nice, and whilst I can by no means claim to be an expert at the dish of curry, I have been experimenting every since with flavours and textures in the years ever since.
I don't really like to use jarred sauces and mixes for things like this. I prefer to start from scratch . . . using fresh spices and pastes and today I made a delicious Chicken Biryani which was quick and simple to make.
I found the recipe in a cookbook I had purchased a long time ago entitled . . . Good Food, The Family Meal Planner. It's a great book for anyone who has a family and is struggling to get an interesting and delicious variety of meals on the table to feed their families.
This was very quick to make and has some lovely fruity flavours and just a bit of heat. Of course you can adjust the heat by the type of curry paste you choose to use.
I chose to use a Balti, but curry pastes vary widely in strengths and heats. A Korma would be mild and coconutty, whereas a Madras would blow your hat off.
I quite liked the Balti. It's somewhere in between the two.
I love the flavours of cinnamon, bay and cardamom in this dish. It makes a lot and is quite hearty!
I do like a one pan supper that is quick, simple and easy to make and when it's delicious as well, then I'd call this a winner!
I love the addition of the toasted almonds on top. Included also is a tip to make a delicious salad from the leftovers on the day after.
*Chicken Biryani*
Serves 4
1 tsp ground tumeric
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast portions, cut into 1 inch cubes
Mix the leftover cold chicken rice with about 2 TBS of mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with some sliced baby gem lettuce and sliced cucumber.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
If you like chicken and you like pies, then today you are in for a real treat because the other day I cooked us a Chicken and Mushroom Pie for our tea that was absolutely fabulous.
With a delicious rich gravy, made all the better for using some pale ale to help flavour it (and cream) and a crisp and flakey puff pastry topping. This Chicken and Mushroom Pie is a winner all round!
I was able to use the Kingfisher Premium Ale which came in my latest Degustabox for this recipe. You could actually use any kind of light ale you wish to use.
Do you like my little cut out chicken shapes in the four corners of the pie? I know, cute! I also sprinkled the top with a big of freshly ground black pepper and flaked sea salt after I brushed it with the egg wash.
Did you know that sea salt flakes expand when they are heated? They do. I didn't know that myself. But when the pie came out of the oven they were twice the size as they were when they went in!
In any case this is one very delicious pie! With a fabulous gravy and tender pieces of chicken and mushrooms, and that buttery flaky crust it went down a real treat with some mashed potatoes and a green vegetable on the side!
*Chicken and Mushroom Pie*
Serves 4
225ml of pale ale (1 cup)
100ml of double cream (3 1/2 fluid ounces, scant half cup)
Mix the chicken stock, cream, and seasonings together in a measuring beaker.
Some people might see a chicken pie as a waste of a good bottle of lager, but we saw it as a delicious addition to an already delicious pie. If you don't have any lager, you could just use additional chicken stock.
Weeknights I try to keep things really simple. I am very busy during the week and after having worked as a chef for many years, I quite honestly don't want to spend all my days in the kitchen cooking. Simple, quick and easy works well for me . . . but simple, quick and easy doesn't mean that food has to be tasteless or even unhealthy. It is more than possible to cook a delicious meal without a lot of effort and from scratch.
The other day I found myself with a couple of boneless chicken breasts and some peppers plus a pot of leftover pasta in the refrigerator. I needed to use the peppers and the chicken and I didn't want to have to throw the pasta away and so I decided to throw them all together and make a simple and quick supper for us.
We eat a lot of chicken in this house. Here in the UK we are very lucky that chicken is probably one of the most affordable source of protein when it comes to meat of any kind.
I love the versatility of it, which means you can actually eat it more than once a week and never really get tired of it.
It is a well known fact that the less your food is handled before it lands in your grocery cart, the cheaper it will be. This is why more often than not I will buy my chickens whole and then portion them myself when I get home.
I have shared a fabulous video on how to do just that here. It's well worth a watch.
This recipe today is really a very simple recipe for roasting bone in chicken breasts that results in moist and tender chicken every time.
I really believe that keeping the bone in and the skin on chicken breasts helps to preserve their flavour and moistness. It's very simple to dry out boneless, skinless chicken breasts and nothing is more unpalatable . . .
It's more of a technique really, which involves making a type of compound butter . . .
created by creaming together softened butter and a mix of herbs and seasonings . . . and then pushing that butter carefully between the skin and the flesh of the chicken breast.
The butter melts . . . flavouring and helping to preserve the moistness of the meat . . .
Because it is cooked at a high temperature . . . it cooks a bit faster and the skin cooks up a bit crisper. In short it's delicious. Simple. Delicious. Economical. You can't ask for more than that.
I serve it simply with some vegetables . . . boiled new potatoes, steamed green beans and some cherry tomatoes on the vine which I roasted along with the chicken in the oven for about the last 10 minutes of cooking time. (Simply drizzle with a bit of olive oil and seasoning) These are soooo good.
*Roasted Bone in Chicken Breasts*
Serves 4
Meat
cooked on the bone may take a little bit longer to cook, but it's
always tastier and more moist. These chicken breasts are delicious,
with a crisp skin and lovely flavours.
4 single bone in chicken breasts, skin on, trimmed of excess fat
2 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature
your choice of herbs and spices for the butter (minced garlic, chopped parsley, smoked paprika, thyme, etc.)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBS unflavoured vegetable oil
Preheat
the oven to 230*C/450*F/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with some
foil and then lay a rack over top of it. Cream together the butter and
any seasonings you are using.
Season both sides of the
chicken pieces liberally with salt and pepper. Gently loosen a portion
of the skin on side of each piece of chicken breast, without tearing
it. Place one forth of the butter mixture inside, beneath the skin.
Gently massage it into the chicken meat beneath the skin, covering it as
much as you can. Seal the skin back up. Rub the skin of each breast
with some oil. Place the chicken pieces on top of the rack and roast
until golden brown and cooked through. This will take 30 to 35 minutes.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
My sister made this recipe that she found on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and put a picture of it on her facebook page. It looked so good that I immediately wanted to try it myself. We love cabbage and potatoes in this house and the recipe incorporated both of those along with some onions, chicken pieces and bacon! If it's got bacon you just know it's going to be good!
I was really wanting something light today. We eat chicken a lot in our house. We only ever very rarely have another form of protein. Pork or beef are a rare treat. Eating chicken as often as we do, it can be somewhat of a challenge to keep it interesting. Chicken breasts are so very adaptable and mild in flavour. They make a pretty decent canvas for other flavours.
I've been very lucky in my life to have been inspired and taught by remarkable women and cooks. One of them was my good friend Leona.
I was in my mid twenties when we met and Leona was probably a good 16 years or so older than myself. She was and is a remarkably great home cook and this is one of her recipes which she shared with me all those years ago.
It's not much to look at, but it's really a very simple dish and uses things we all probably have in our kitchens all the time, with the exception of maybe the onion soup mix.
I do always have a packet or two of that on hand . . . for dishes just such as this, but I know not everyone will.
It does not photograph very well . . . but don't judge this book by it's cover . . . it's really far, far more delicious than it looks!
Trust me on this. Would I lie to you? I think not!
You can use any combination of chicken pieces that you wish to use . . . legs, thighs, breasts, etc. Today I used boneless chicken breasts.
You will obviously not need to cook them as long as you would the bone in pieces.
You simply whisk together simple ingredients . . . tomato ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, water, lemon juice . . . and pour them over the chicken in a baking dish.
The dry onion soup mix is sprinkled evenly over top afterwards and then the whole thing is popped into the oven to bake.
I like to baste it every 15 minutes or so. The end result is tender chicken with a delicious sauce. Your family will think you have slaved all day, but that's okay . . . you don't need to tell anyone that you haven't!
I have always said that it is the simple things in life that are the most delious of all.
*Leona's Lazy Chicken*
Serves 4
One of my favourite things to eat is . . . Buffalo Chicken Wings . . . scrummy yeh . . . but not so good for you with all of that skin and fat . . . that's probably why they taste so good. Why does everything that's bad for you have to taste soooo good???? It's not fair I tell ya! It's just not fair!
I know what you are thinking. She tortured the old man with pasta, yet again. What can I say? Guilty as charged.
But you know what? I actually think he is getting used to it! He didn't complain at all today!
And in all truth there was nothing to complain about! This was delicious.
And in all truth there was nothing to complain about! This was delicious.
Chicken and Pasta in a Garlic and Tomato Cream Sauce. A fabulous one pot dinner, with chicken, pasta and the most delicious sun dried tomato and garlic cheese sauce!
I really like meals like this. They make a little bit of meat go a long ways.
I really like meals like this. They make a little bit of meat go a long ways.
They're delicious. It all fits in one pan so there is less to wash up, and you only need a salad on the side to make the meal complete.
This is such a simple recipe. You simply saute some garlic and sun dried tomatoes in a bit of oil from the sun dried tomato jar.
This is such a simple recipe. You simply saute some garlic and sun dried tomatoes in a bit of oil from the sun dried tomato jar.
Some chicken, some cream, some cheese, herbs and seasoning and you have a sauce which is to absolutely die for!
It's rich and it's creamy and it's indulgent . . . you don't have to use the pasta I have chosen to use if you don't want to.
It's rich and it's creamy and it's indulgent . . . you don't have to use the pasta I have chosen to use if you don't want to.
Bow Ties (Farfalle) or penne, or fusilli would all work very well. In any case I do hope you will give it a go because I know that if you do, you will absolutely love this!
Decadent
and delicious. Tender pieces of chicken and al-dente pasta in a lucious
garlic sauce filled with lots of basil and sun dried tomatoes.
1 pot of Knorr Garlic Paste seasoning (alternately you can use 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced)
12 sun dried tomato halves, in oil, drained and patted dry
2 TBS of oil from the jar of tomato halves
1 pound of chicken breast meat, cut into cubes
fine sea salt and sweet paprika to taste
225ml of single cream (1 cup)
125g of grated cheese mix (1 cup, I used a mix of strong cheddar, mozzarella, jack and edam cheeses)
1/2 pound of tubular pasta (I used macaroni, 8 ounces)
1 TBS dry basil
a pinch of red pepper flakes
110ml of reserved pasta water (1/2 cup)
fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
Put
a pot of lightly salted water onto the boil. Cut the tomato halves
into slivers. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the tomatoes and
garlic paste. Cook and stir for a few minutes, until very fragrant.
Add the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with paprika and salt to taste. Cook
over medium high heat, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through and
lightly browned.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for the required amount of time.
While
the pasta is cooking add the cream to the skillet with the chicken in
it, along with the cheese Bring to a gentle boil and then immediately
reduce to low. Add the dried basil and pepper flakes. Drain the
pasta, reserving 110ml (1/2 cup) of the cooking water. Tip the cooked
pasta into the skillet with the chicken and sauce. Stir to coat. Add
enough of the pasta water to give you a nice creamy sauce. Taste and
adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Heat through for several
minutes and then serve.
* Chicken and Pasta in a Garlic and Tomato Cream Sauce*
Serves 4
Serves 4
a pinch of red pepper flakes
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for the required amount of time.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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This is a recipe I had bookmarked a long time ago in a little cookery book I have from the BBC Good Food people, entitled 101 Storecupboard Suppers. I love the little BBC Good Food Books. They are not that expensive and are usually chocker block full of recipes that I want to cook. I know . . . I know . . . I have enough cookbooks, but as any food enthusiast knows, you can never have too many! (Todd doth protest!)
We have a very much beloved Cocker Spaniel in our house. She has a rather ticky tummy, so I don't give her dog food anymore, it always upsets her stomach. It's real chicken and rice and vegetables all the way with her and that helps to keep her healthy and when she is feeling well, we are happy too. I cooked some extra chicken yesterday when I was cooking hers, so that we could have this delicious casserole for our dinner today. (You don't think I would cook my dog anything I wouldn't eat myself do you???)
One of the things I have learned to embrace over here in the UK, and which I had very little experience with prior to moving over here was curries. I think my sum experience of eating curry had been when, living on a British Army training base in Canada back in the early 1980's, a British friend of ours cooked us a curry. I really enjoyed it, but I couldn't tell you now or then if it was authentic or not.
"Curries with their vast partioned platters of curious condiments to lackey them, speak for themselves. They sting like serpents, stimulate like strychnine, they are subtle, sensual like Chinese courtesans, sublime and sacred, inscrutably inspiring and intelligently illuminating like Cambodian carvings."
~Alistair Crowley (1875-1947)
This is one of those family supper dishes that will come in really handy on these last few days before Christmas when you are short on time and hands and yet everyone is home from work and school and absolutely starving! It basically cooks itself with very little attention, leaving your hands free to do the stuff that you really have to get on with!
One of the challenges I enjoy from receiving my Degustabox every month is coming up with unique and delicious ways to use the contents! My mother always said that was one thing I excelled at!
Taking whatever ingredients were thrown at me and coming up with something delicious! I think you will agree that this month I came up with something incredibly delicious.
I received a packet of the Salsa & Mesquite chips and I decided they would be the perfect ingredient to use in this months Degusta Box recipe! (I forgot to take a photograph of the bag of crisps with the chicken, sorry!)
I received a packet of the Salsa & Mesquite chips and I decided they would be the perfect ingredient to use in this months Degusta Box recipe! (I forgot to take a photograph of the bag of crisps with the chicken, sorry!)
Who doesn't love fried chicken? Not me, that's who! I adore the stuff, and if I can cut down the fat and hassle a tiny bit by oven frying it, so much the better.
I know that any calories saved by deep frying will have been absorbed by the use of potato chips in the coating, but . . . meh! It's Christmas!
This is sooooo easy to make as well. It's as simple as dipping the chicken in egg and milk and then shaking it in a bag of crush potato chips. Onto the baking tray . . .
And in due course you are rewarded with the most delicious oven fried chicken ever! Of course you can use any flavour of potato chips you wish, but these Salsa & Mesquite ones added an extra dose of spice and flavour to this delightfully tasty chicken!
It was sooooooooo GOOD! Tasty! Tasty!
Potato crisps/chips make the perfect crispy topping for oven fried chicken. I have used the new Kettle Cooked Salsa and Mesquite potato chips here for a nice and smoky tex mex flavour, but you can use whatever flavour of potato chips you wish! They're all decadently gorgeous!
1 large free range eggs, beaten with 2 TBS milk
150g bag of potato chips, crushed (about 2 cups crumbs)
8 pieces of chicken thighs/drumsticks
salt and black pepper to taste
cooking spray/mister
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
Place the beaten egg and milk into a bowl and the potato chip crumbs into a bag for shaking. Roll the chicken pieces in the egg/milk and then shake them in the bag of potato chips to coat. Place presentation side down on the baking tray. Spritz with some cooking spray. Discard any beaten egg mixture and leftover crisp crumbs. (Alternately, save the remaining crumbs and sprinkle them over the chicken when you flip it over halfway through the baking time. You must still discard the egg.)
Bake for 20 minutes. Flip them over and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Note: I did drumsticks and thighs. Breasts would not require the same amount of cooking time. I would cut it in approximately half the time. Chicken is done, once again, when the juices run clear.
*Salsa and Mesquite Oven Fried Chicken*
Serves 4 to 6salt and black pepper to taste
Note: I did drumsticks and thighs. Breasts would not require the same amount of cooking time. I would cut it in approximately half the time. Chicken is done, once again, when the juices run clear.
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