Not KFC Chicken

Tags

Chicken, fast food, food, healthy

The last time I had KFC was a long, long time ago and I remember being so unwell after it. Needless to say, I’ve not had it since.

I’ve made this dish before but without specific measurements and I’ve also tweaked it a little. So here is my version of a NOT KFC Chicken pieces to share with at least 4 people. Unless you’re really hungry!😋

Ingredients
• 8 pieces of Chicken thighs & drumsticks
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp garlic granules
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp mixed herbs (or you can use Oregano)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt

Method
1. Soak the chicken pieces in the milk for 20 minutes.
2. Combine the flour, garlic granules, paprika, dried parsley, mixed herbs, black pepper & the sea salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
3. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C.
4. Heat a little oil in a pan.
5. Coat the chicken pieces thoroughly in the seasoned flour mixture and sear both sides in the hot pan before transferring them onto a baking tray and into the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 180 degrees C.
6. Cook for about 45 minutes or until golden and crispy.
7. Remove the chicken pieces from the oven and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a side of salad and oven baked fries sprinkled with dried parsley, sea salt & black pepper.

Happy cooking! 💛

*I came across this and it made me laugh, had to share it!

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Tags

asian, asianfood, Chicken, food, healthy, noodles, soup

What could be better than a good bowl of hot noodle soup with a kick of chopped chillies on a cold and rainy day? For me, nothing.

The soup is packed with garlic & ginger, all the goodness to help prevent colds and flu especially very common this time of year. The recipe is super simple and it’s just a case of simmering everything in a pot.

Ingredients
• 3 Chicken thighs
• 6 cloves of garlic (whole)
• 4 chunky slices of ginger
• cracked black pepper
• Spring onions (chopped)
• 3 to 4 carrots (chopped)
• 2 stalks of Chinese celery (chopped)
• Red chilli for garnish
• Light soy sauce (salt substitute)
• Thin flat Korean Noodles or any other noodles of your choice.

Method
1. In a pot, place the chicken thighs, garlic & ginger. Add water to cover the chicken, simmer on a medium low heat till the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
2. Fish the chicken out of the pot, set aside and add the carrots, chopped celery & spring onions into the broth.
3. Shred the chicken and place back into the pot. Season with the cracked black pepper and simmer till the carrots are soft.
4. In a separate pot, cook the Thin flat Korean noodles. Once ready, rinse with cold water so they don’t stick togther.

Place the noodles in a bowl, ladle your hot soup, garnish with spring onions & chopped chillies. Add a little soy sauce and serve. A healthy no oil, no salt dish.

Enjoy!💛

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken

Tags

Chicken, comfort, crispy, food, simple

The craving for comfort food has hit me hard. I’m struggling to adjust to the cold this time and even made a hot water bottle to warm my toes yesterday! I can’t believe this, I used to live in Scotland. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it there and Scotland will always, always have a very special place in my heart as it was where I spent most of my early 20’s right up to my early 30’s, it was where I met my husband and it was also where we got married. But oh my goodness how did I survive the winters for almost 13 years? I don’t think I craved comfort food all the time there.

Anyway, yet again to entertain my cravings, I made a very simple Crispy Chicken dish…

Ingredients
• Chicken thighs or drumsticks
• Milk
• Flour
• Dried parsley
• Paprika
• Oregano
• Cracked black peppercorns
• Salt to tast

Method
1. Soak the chicken thighs in milk between 20 to 30 mins.
2. Combine flour, garlic granules, paprika, dried parsley, oregano, cracked black peppercorns & salt in a large bowl.
3. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C.
4. Heat a little oil in a pan.
5. Coat the chicken thighs thoroughly in the seasoned flour mixture and sear both sides in the hot pan before transferring them onto a baking tray and into the oven.
6. Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and let them rest for a few mins.

I served it with garlic & parsley mashed potatoes along with a very simple salad. Craving satisfied!😊

What is your favourite comfort food?

A Warm Autumn Salad🍂

Tags

autumn, Chicken, colourful, food, salads, warm

It’s still fairly warm here with temperatures up to 27 degrees C yesterday. I used to live in Edinburgh and usually by this time of year I would have to crank up the heating. Not here though. Not yet anyway.

Even with the balmy weather, I really fancied a warm “autumny” salad full of gorgeous bright colours and flavours. So for dinner last night, I entertained my craving and prepared this…

Ingredients
• Chicken breast fillets (marinade overnight with garlic granules, paprika, oregano, salt, cracked black pepper & a little olive oil)
• Mixed salad leaves
• Mini Kumato tomatoes (they have a sweeter flavour and that stunning dark colour)
• 1 sweet potato (diced & roasted in olive oil, seasoning and honey)
• Sunflower seeds
• Pomegranate seeds
• Juice of half a lemon, honey & olive oil to dress the salad

Method
1. Pre heat oven to 150 degrees C and roast the diced sweet potato till cooked. Mine took less than 20 mins to cook so do keep an eye on them.
2. Pan grill the chicken breast fillets till golden and set aside but make sure it stays warm.
3. Assemble your salad ~ place your mixed salad in a big bowl, throw in the tomatoes, add the warm sweet potatoes, the dressing, pomegranate seeds, sunflower seeds, seasoning and mix well.
4. Plate the salad and top it with the pan grilled chicken fillet.

Serve with warm crusty bread…

Colourful, filling, full of flavours and so simple to prepare! I hope you will give it a go.

“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” ~ William Cullen Bryant

Roasted Chicken Thighs

Tags

Chicken, dinner, food, mushrooms, roast

It has been a while since my last post and it’s not because I have not been cooking, I have, but mostly nothing exciting worth blogging about. At one point I even revisted my blog for inspiration and made my I Think I’ll Call it a Biryani again. Have you ever felt like you have no idea whatsoever to cook?

So last night, inspiration finally struck me to make a simple, yet delicious dinner for us…Roasted Chicken Thighs topped with a cream of garlic and oyster mushroom sauce!

Ingredients
• Chicken thighs
• Oyster mushrooms (chopped)
• Garlic (diced)
• Double cream
• Dried parsley
• Garlic granules
• Cracked black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil

Method
1. In a large bowl, marinade the chicken thighs in lots of cracked black pepper, salt, dried parsley, a sprinkle of garlic granules and olive oil to bind it. Leave this to marinade for a few hours or overnight.
2. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and roast till golden and crispy.
3. When the chicken is almost ready, start preparing the cream sauce.
4. In a skillet, add a little olive oil and throw in the garlic & mushrooms. Sauté till the mushrooms are soft.
5. Add the dried parsley, cracked black pepper and a little salt to taste before adding the cream into the skillet. Lower the heat and let it simmer slightly for 2 mins.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven, place on a dish and top it with the cream sauce.

Garnish with dried parsley and serve with roast potatoes…

I just roasted 1 potato with its skin on, which I cut into quarters, seasoned it with salt, pepper and coated it with a little olive oil and placed it in the oven together with the chicken. Easy.

The meal was a hit with my husband and I’m sure I’ll be making it again when ideas and inspirations run dry! The good thing is, you don’t need many ingredients either! Bonus!😊

Enjoy! 💕

I Think I’ll Call It A Biryani

Tags

biryani, Chicken, food, rice, spices

I definitely cooked with great abandon last night as the menu kept changing in my head! I had said to my husband that I was going to make a Chicken Tagine but quarter of the way through cooking, I changed my mind and it sort of became something COMPLETELY different…so yes, I think I’ll call it a Biryani!

Ingredients
• Chicken breast pieces
• Basmati rice or long grain rice
• Red onion (diced)
• Garlic (diced)
• Carrot (grated)
• Chickpeas
• Raisins
• Cashew nuts
• Chickpeas
• Cumin
• Dried parsley
• Paprika
• Za’atar spice
• Fresh cilantro
• Olive oil & butter

Method
1. Boil the rice and once cooked, leave to cool completely.
2. Marinade the chicken breast pieces in dried parsley, cumin, paprika, za’atar spice, salt & cracked black pepper in a little olive oil for 30 mins or 1 hour.
3. On a medium high heat, heat up a big saucepan and add olive oil & some butter. Place the chicken breast pieces and brown them till thoroughly cooked.
4. Throw in the onions & garlic, dried parsley, za’atar spice, salt & pepper and sauté together with the chicken. Once the onions are soft, add the raisins, cashew nuts, chickpeas and grated carrots.

5. Add the fresh chopped cilantro, sauté for 2 minutes, then add the cooled rice into the pot, making sure the rice is coated with all the spices.

Garnish with cilantro and more cashew nuts if you wish and serve…

I made a simple side salad of chopped green apples, baby plum tomatoes, diced red onion, chopped cilantro and drizzled it with a little honey, lemon juice, olive oil, salt & cracked black pepper…

It was a lovely burst of flavours and went fantastically with the dish!

Despite how many times I changed my mind, the “I think I’ll call it a Biryani” was a success and was really enjoyed by us both at iftar!😊

Have a fabulous Monday!💞

Sweet Chilli Chicken with Pineapples

Tags

asian, Chicken, food, pineapple, spicy, sweet chiilli

After a few days of not having any rice while my friend was over for a visit, I decided to make this colourful dish so full of fresh flavours to have over some rice for dinner last night.

Ingredients
For the chicken…
• 6 pieces of chicken thighs & drumsticks
• 1tsp ground turmeric
• 2tsp cracked black pepper
• 2tbsp sesame oil
• salt to taste
(Rub the chicken with the above ingredients and marinade for at least 3 hours)

For the sauce
• 150ml sweet chilli sauce (you can get this in any Chinese supermarket)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 thick chunks of ginger
• 1 small red onion (cut in rings)
• half sweet red pepper (cut in chunks)
• half sweet green pepper (cut in chunks)
• Pineapples (quantity as desired!)
• Chopped cilantro & spring onions (scallions)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and place the chicken to roast for 1 hour or until skin is crunchy.
2. In a heated wok, add 1 tbsp of sunflower oil and 1 tbsp of sesame oil and sauté the onions, garlic, ginger and peppers for 2 mins.
3. Throw in the pineapples and cook for a further 5 mins or until the pineapples are slightly soft.

4. Place the roast chicken thighs & drumsticks on a serving dish and pour the sauce over them.

Garnish with chopped cilantro & spring onions…

Serve immediately.

Sweet, a little bit spicy, SO simple and plenty leftovers if you’re just cooking for 2!

Have a happy Thursday! 😊

Chicken in Oyster Sauce

Tags

asian, Chicken, fast food, food

For the first time last night, I did not fancy a spicy asian dish. I wanted something tasty and I wanted rice with it. It must be an asian thing that you HAVE to have rice if not everyday, every few days…or perhaps it’s just me! So, dinner was a quick stir fry of chicken, oyster mushrooms, tofu and oyster sauce.

Ingredients
• 1 piece of chicken breast (sliced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• a thick slice of ginger (minced)
• 1 white onion (quartered)
• Oyster mushrooms
• Ready fried tofu
• half a sweet Italian red pepper (sliced length wise)
• 2tbsp oyster sauce
• 1tbsp sunflower oil
• 1tbsp sesame oil
• 1tsp cracked black pepper
• Plain flour (seeing as I did not have cornflour to hand)

Method
1. In a wok, heat both the oils and add the onions. Sauté for 2 mins before adding the chicken and the cracked black pepper.
2. Once the chicken is cooked or even slightly brown, add the minced garlic and ginger. Fry this for another 2 mins before adding the tofu, oyster mushrooms and oyster sauce.
3. In a glass, mix 1 tsp of plain flour to 100ml of water. Add this slowly into the wok while stirring. If you see that the mixture is getting too thick, don’t panic, just add more water. You may need to adjust the taste by adding salt if need be.
4. Add the sliced red peppers just before serving so you get a crunchy texture.

With the above quantity, we got 2 meals, including seconds!!! AND enough for my lunch today!

I washed it down with some refreshing coconut water!

Yet another dish without salt and only 15 mins from wok to table!

Enjoy! 😊

It’s Tagliatelle Time

Tags

Chicken, food, Italian, pasta, tagliatelle

When I was in my early 20’s, I went on a 3 week break with a couple of girlfriends to the coast of northern Tuscany in Italy. We stayed with friends up in the mountains in Pietrasanta where fire flies glowed at night and we cycled down to the beach in the mornings. We took day trips to Pisa, Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi, Florence & last but definitely not least…we walked through Cinque Terre where the coastal scenery was just breathtaking!

Since then, I have always loved Italian food. So for dinner last night I prepared a very simple pasta dish.

Ingredients

• Tagliatelle
• 2 pieces of chicken breast (sliced)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• a handful of cherry tomatoes (halved)
• Fresh basil (according to your taste)
• 50ml single cream
• 1tsp tomato purée
• salt & cracked black pepper
• half tsp sugar (to break the acidity of the tomatoes)

Method
1. In a skillet, sauté the chopped garlic together with the sliced chicken. After about 5 mins, throw in the tomatoes. Cook this till the chicken is cooked and the tomatoes are very soft/broken.
2. Add the cream, tomato purée, basil, salt & cracked black pepper, sugar and simmer on a low heat.
3. Meanwhile in a saucepan, bring water to boil and drop the tagliatelle in. I bought the packet tagliatelle so it was ready in 4 mins.
4. Now, I learnt this from Jamie Oliver…add some of the boiling pasta water to the simmering sauce to loosen it up a little.

5. Drain the pasta and stir in the sauce in the saucepan. Add a few more fresh basil and it’s ready to serve.

Fresh, simple and does not take long to prepare at all! It made me want to travel to Italy again!

But perhaps next time I should plan on going to Sicily as that was where my late great-great grandfather was from. 😊🇮🇹

Happy cooking!

Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice

Tags

asia, asian, Chicken, food, hainanese chicken rice, rice, singapore

Having lived in Scotland, England and Australia throughout my teenage and adult life, I have never ever NOT missed food from my homeland. From time to time, I hanker for food that’s so easy to access in Singapore where you can just head to any hawker centre and have anything you crave for.

Sadly, I can’t do that here in Bilbao and I only go back home once a year. So two nights ago, I made a very popular Chicken Rice dish from my country.

Ingredients
• 5 cloves of garlic
• Ginger (3 chunky slices)
• 1 shallot
• 450g chicken thighs (cut slits through the skin into the meat)
• 550ml water
• 250g rice
• Light soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Sunflower oil
• Tomatoes & salad or cucumber to garnish
• Salt & cracked black pepper to taste

Method
1. In a pestle & mortar, mince garlic, ginger and shallot along with the black pepper & salt.
2. Add 3 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 tbsp sesame oil to the minced ingredients.

3. Put the washed rice, water and minced ingredients into a non-stick pot and mix well.
4. Place the chicken on top of the rice, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until you see that both the rice and chicken are properly cooked. I usually leave it to simmer slowly on a medium heat.

5. Turn off the heat and leave to stand for 10 mins.
6. Remove the chicken and season with pepper, sesame oil and light soy sauce on a bed of salad & tomatoes.

Serve with the fragrant rice and a side of chilli sauce & soy sauce. I just used Sriracha sauce.

This dish is fragrant, filling and the recipe serves four… Which means, plenty leftovers to keep my hankering at bay for a while! It may not be as authentic as what you would get in Singapore, but it did the job!

Enjoy! 😋