Mains - Chicken

Roast Chicken aka Chicken Surprise!

1 whole free range, organic chicken

1 head garlic, halved horizontally

1 lemon, halved

3-4 tablespoons butter olive oil freshly ground white pepper salt flakes

Method

Open the cavity of the chicken and remove excess fat from around the opening and rinse the cavity with cold water and drain well.

Tuck the wings under.

Using your fingertips, separate the skin around the two breast areas from the breast flesh.

I buy 500g butter and cut off an end approx 5-8mm thick, twice. Insert the two slices of butter between the skin & the breast meat on either side.

Season the inside of the bird and squeeze in some of the lemon juice from the halves. Push 1 half of the lemon into the cavity, then insert the two halves of the whole head of garlic (around 15 or so cloves) cut side facing upwards towards the breast. Insert the final half of the lemon.

Use kitchen twine to secure the legs so the garlic & lemon don’t fall out during cooking.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the surface of the chicken and massage into the skin. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Place the chicken onto a greased trivet and place it into a heavy based baking tray. Pour about 2.5cm water into the bottom of the baking tray, which will help keep the chicken moist during cooking.

Cook at 180˚C for around 1-1½ hours depending on the sied of the chicken. Insert a metal skewer into the thigh of the chicken, if the juices run clear (no blood!) the chicken is cooked through.

Alternatively, use a thermometer to check that the chicken has achieved 82-85˚C. Remove from pan and cover with foil. Rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Low Fat Version

Prepare the cavity as above, including the seasoning, lemon and garlic. But instead of placing butter under the skin near the breast, simply place the chicken breast side down into the roasting trivet and cook breast down for the first hour of cooking. Rotate the chicken to being breast side up for the remaining 20-30 minutes to get a browned crispy skin.

Cooking the bird in this way ensures the breasts are moist & tender & do not dry out.

Chicken and Yoghurt Cream Curry

Prue Leith - Roald Dah’s Cookbook

1½kg chicken - or 1½ kg chicken thighs

To dredge the chicken pieces: mixplain flour salt freshly cracked white pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp ground coriander

2 Tblsp oil - sunflower, rice bran, vegetable or ground nut

2 medium brown onions, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp turmeric

300ml chicken consommé

1 bay leaf

2 tsp tomato paste juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp chopped fresh mint salt & freshly ground white pepper

1 Tblsp pure cream

2 Tblsp plain yoghurt

30g blanched almond slivers

Method

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

Joint the chicken into eight pieces and dredge them, or the thighs, in: plain flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, mustard powder, ground coriander.

Heat the oil in a heavy based pan/casserole and fry the chicken pieces to seal them.

Reserve the chicken onto a separate plate/dish.

In the same cooking pan/casserole, fry the onions and garlic until brown.

Add the cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the stock, bay leaf, tomato paste, lemon juice and mint and cook for further minute or two.

Taste and add salt & pepper as required.

Bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly.

Return the chicken to the sauce and mix well.

Cook in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

Lift the chicken pieces out and keep warm.

Add the cream, yoghurt and almonds to the sauce.

Return the chicken pieces to the sauce and mix through.

Serve with steamed rice and green salad.

Chicken Kiev

2 Chicken breasts, skin off, boned, tenderloin removed & excess fat removed.

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or more if you really are into garlic and they are large breasts) refrigerated butter - allow approx 30g/3tblsp per breast

(I cut off a 1cm slice from a 500g block of butter and cut it into 5 sticks

5 Tblsp cornflour

2 whole eggs

3 cups breadcrumbs or, preferably, Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs, which are coarser in texture and absorb less oil during frying, but yield an incredibly crunchy coating. If using Panko, allow 4 cups just to be surereally, just judge by eye how much breadcrumbs you’ll need to coat each breast) extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper

Method

Place the chicken breast on a board with the thickest edge to your right (or left, if you’re left handed) and the thinest end closest to you.

Using a sharp filleting knife, cut into the topmost (thickest) section and cut the breast - as though ‘butterflying’ it - being careful NOT to cut through to the back, or cut holes/ punctures into the upper or lower breast fillet. Slicing carefully in a downward motion to the thinest point (closest to you).

Once you get the hang of it, you can actually cut a ‘pocket’ in the breast, without creating a butterflied breast.

At first it’s easier just to butterfly the breast. Using the back of a heavy knife, pound one edge without breaking the meat fibres.

Smear the inside of the pocket/butterfly with finely chopped garlic, sprinkle on some salt & pepper, then add the baton of butter and freshly chopped parsley, optional. Roll thickest edge in, to envelope the butter/garlic, then wrap the ‘pounded edge’ over to create a fully enclosedbreast parcel.

Place cornflour on a board or shallow bowl or plate (or use a disposable large freezer bag, makes for easy clean up!) and dredge the kievs in the flour. Smear a little cornflour along the seam where the chicken is joined.

Crack eggs into a shallow bowl & beat eggs lightly, then coat each breast parcel liberally.

Put breadcrumbs (or Panko) onto a board/plate/plastic bag and carefully dredge the kievs until they are completely covered, patting well to ensure crumbs adhere.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 180˚C

Heat an ovenproof frypan to medium heat, add a generous drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter. When hot, but not smoking, add the kievs 2 at a time. Reduce heat to low and allow to cook each side, without disturbing for 4-5 minutes, check regularly to make sure they aren’t burning.

Gently turn, and cook further 3-4 minutes on opposite side (depending on the size of the breast fillets!). Turn the kievs and continue cooking on low heat until both of the thinner, side edges have cooked for a minute or two and are browned and the entire kiev is sealed.

Turn kievs so they are lying on a flat side - not on an edge in the frypan then place in preheated oven and bake for a further 10-12 minutes.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Tetrazine

Bechamel Sauce:-

3Tbls butter

1/3 cup plain flour

3 cups milk

1 cup pure cream

1 cup chicken stock grated fresh nutmeg salt & pepper

4 chicken breasts (or allow 1 chicken breast per person) of 1 roasted chicken olive oil

1 Tbls butter

500g brown mushrooms

3 brown onions

4 cloves garlic

1 Tbls fresh thyme

1/2 cup white wine

250g pasta - linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti

1 cup frozen peas

2 Tbls fresh Italian parsley, shredded.

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup grated parmesan butter to ‘dot’ crust with

Method

Make the bechamel sauce: Melt on low heat butter and add the flour. Mix to a stiff paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Once milk is incorporated, add cream and stock and continue to stir until mixture thickens. Once thickened add finely grated nutmeg (sprinkle) and season with salt & pepper.

In a frying pan, heat oil and butter. Season chicken breasts on one side with salt & pepper & place into hot pan (be sure not to over heat the oil/butter or it will burn!) Once in the pan, season other side. Cook each side for 4 minutes, until nicely browned. Cool and then shred the chicken.

In same frying pan, add a little olive oil and butter and saute the mushrooms. When half cooked, add finely sliced onion and minced garlic. When cooked add thyme and wine to deglaze the pan. Allow to cool.

Cook linguine or pasta of your choice in large pot of boiling, salted water until half cooked - NOT al denté!! Drain well, do not rinse.

In large bowl (or saucepan used to cook linguine/pasta) place chicken, mushrooms/onions/garlic and mix well. Add hot linguine and mix through. Pour in bechamel sauce and mix. Add peas and parsley and mix again. Pour into a greased deep baking dish.

Mix breadcrumbs with parmesan and sprinkle generously over top of chicken/ linguine/mushroom mixture. Dot with small dobs of butter and bake at 450˚F / 230˚C for 25 mins or until the crust is golden brown and crunchy.

Moroccan Chicken

from Heather Haynes’ friend Gladys

200g butter

3/4 cup honey

1 Tblsp 'Clive of India' Curry powder juice of 1 lemon

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 container/jar Masterfoods American Mustard

1kg chicken breasts or thighs

Moroccan Couscous

1Tblsp Masterfoods Moroccan spice

200g packet of couscous

500ml chicken stock/consommé currants or golden sultanas

1 diced red (Spanish) onion olive oil

Baked Seasonal Veg

Potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato, parsnips, capsicum, asparagus, red onion pinenuts zest of 1 lemon liberal sprinkling of brown sugar dash of balsamic vinegar chopped parsley and coriander

Method

In a small saucepan melt butter and honey.

Add curry powder and the lemon juice.

Add garlic and American mustard.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the warm curry sauce.

Place chicken onto a lightly greased baking pan, together with curry sauce, and bake at 180-190˚C for approximately 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Peel, wash and chop the seasonal vegetables to roughly the same size.

Put into a deep baking dish and toss with lemon juice, oil.

Drizzle the balsamic and sprinkle the sugar over the top and bake alongside the chicken until browned and cooked through.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and chopped coriander.

Prepare couscous according to packet directions and add the other ingredients.

Serve with Moroccan couscous and assorted baked veg, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley and coriander.

Beer Battered Fish

2 cups plain flour - plus additional for dredging fish

1 cup of stout or stong beer

1 cup cold water pinch of salt

1 tsp dried yeast