Spanish style chicken

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
450gm skinless chicken breast, cut in chunks
3 tsp paprika

1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 x 410gm tin chopped tomatoes
140gm sweet pepper dews, sliced
12 pitless black olives, sliced
±16 large spinach leaves and stalks, chopped

Method
Spray a large pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Fry the onion and garlic until the onion starts to soften.
Add the chicken and paprika and stir fry until sealed.

Tip in the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the pepper dews and olives and stir well.
Put the chopped spinach on top, cover with a lid and simmer another 5 minutes.

Remove the lid.
Turn everything gently to incorporate the spinach.

Serve with warm crusty bread.

I found crushed pepper dews at the deli counter of my local Pick and Pay, sold loose. They combine really well with the paprika to give a mildly spicy sweet flavour to this dish. You can also buy whole pepper dews in a bottle and shred them yourself.

Pecan honeyed chicken

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 spring onions
125ml white wine
125ml chicken stock
30ml honey
10ml Dijon mustard
65gm pecan nuts, coarsely chopped

100gm mixed lettuce leaves
1 Tblsp lemon juice
2 pears, thinly slice
10ml olive oil

Method
Dip the pear slices in the lemon juice to prevent them browning.
Put the mixed lettuce in a bowl with the remaining lemon juice and the oil. Toss to combine.

Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the chicken breasts about 10 minutes each side, or until cooked to your liking.
Remove from the pan and slice in half diagonally.
Keep warm.

Cook the spring onions in the same pan, until they begin to soften slightly.
Add the wine and bring to the boil.
Allow the wine to reduce by about half.
Add the honey, stock and mustard.
Continue cooking, stirring continuously until the liquid is again reduced by about half – about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir through the nuts.

Divide the lettuce and pear slices between four dinner plates.
Serve two halves of chicken breast per person, and drizzle over the honey-nut sauce.

Honey and mustard make such a wonderful combination. They go really well with chicken, fish and red meat. I served this with sour dough potato bread.

Apricot chicken

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into chunks
1 Tblsp plain flour
1 onion, sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
500ml chicken stock
12 soft dried apricots, quartered

240gm rice
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tblsp chopped coriander

Method
Put the rice on to cook in lightly salted boiling water.
Add the frozen peas for the last 5 minutes.
Drain. Stir through the chopped coriander.
Keep warm.

Put the flour, cumin, coriander and paprika in a zip-seal plastic bag and shake.
Drop the chicken pieces into the bag and shake well.

Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray
Dry fry the onion until it starts to soften.
Add the chicken pieces and fry to seal.
Slowly pour in the chicken stock stirring all the time.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the apricots.
Stir and simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Serve the chicken with the rice and a crispy salad.

Stuffed chicken breast

Serves 4 : Very easy : Quick

Ingredients
8 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 Tblsp pine nuts
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tblsp raisins
3 tsp Moroccan spice

4 large lettuce leaves
400gm grated carrot
Grated rind and segments of 2 oranges
1 Tblsp chopped coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Handful baby rocket

Method
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Spray an ovenproof dish and a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray.

For the stuffing:
Dry fry the onion until soft.
Add the pine nuts and allow to brown slightly.
Add ½ the spice, raisins and ½ the lemon juice.
Remove from heat.

Butterfly the chicken breasts, and open out like a book.
Pile the stuffing onto one side of each breast and close the book.
Place the stuffed chicken pieces in the oven proof dish.
Brush with the remaining lemon juice, and sprinkle over the remaining spice.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

For the salad:
Grate the carrots into a large bowl.
Add the orange rind and segments.
Add the cinnamon and chopped coriander.
Give everything a good stir to combine.
Place a lettuce leaf on each plate.
Pile the carrot salad onto each lettuce leaf.
Top with baby rocket.

Serve 2 stuffed breasts per person alongside the salad.

Chicken Ukraine

Serves 4 : Easy : Quick

Ingredients
4 skinless chicken breast fillets

2 Tblsp chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp olive oil

1 slice whole wheat bread, crumbed
Chicken spice

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºc.
Spray a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray.

Slit the chicken breasts three-quarters of the way through horizontally, so that they open like a book.
Mix the parsley, garlic and oil together.
Spread the parsley mix over one ‘page’ of each chicken breast, and close each ‘book’.
Place the chicken on the baking tray.
Press the fresh breadcrumbs on the top of each fillet.
Sprinkle with chicken spice.

Bake the chicken at 180ºc for twenty five minutes.

Cut each fillet in half diagonally.
Serve with a fresh mixed salad.

Morocco chicken

Serves 4 : Easy : Quick

Ingredients
450gm skinless chicken breasts
1 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 large aubergine, peeled and cubed
1 brown onion, sliced
½ head broccoli, broken into florets
4 large carrots, scrubbed and sliced
1 Tblsp Moroccan spice mix
400ml hot chicken stock
2 Tblsp orange marmalade

160gm dried couscous
325ml boiling veg stock
8 soft dried apricot halves
2 Tblsp chopped fresh coriander

Method
If you can’t find Moroccan spice mix, you can make your own by combining:
1 tsp each of: ground cumin, ground ginger and salt, plus
½ teaspoon each of: black pepper, ground cinnamon, ground coriander, cayenne pepper
ground allspice and ground cloves.
Mix all together and store in a screw top bottle. Remember to label it.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Spray a large pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Dry fry the onion until it is soft, but not brown.
Add the chicken and seal.
Add the spice, vegetables and chicken stock
Simmer for about 25 minutes.
Stir through the marmalade.

While that is bubbling away, snip the apricots into tiny pieces.
Mix the couscous, coriander and apricots together in a bowl.
Pour the vegetable stock over the couscous..
Cover with clingfilm or a plate and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Fluff up the couscous grains with a fork.

Serve the chicken with the couscous.