I feel like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight

Chicken breast, while being cheap and very versatile, can sometimes be very bland and somewhat dry. But I picked up a little tip from Nigella a while back which helped deal with this problem - marinate it in natural yoghurt (or buttermilk). It really makes even the driest meat succulent and tasty.

You can just marinate the meat then fry or bake it, but I think it's nice to coat it with breadcrumbs to make an easy chicken schnitzel. This is a great way to bypass the mess and hassle of the traditional flour/egg/breadcrumbs route but still get a great result. Here's what I did:

First, I took a large chicken breast and sliced it through the middle lengthwise to make two thin pieces of chicken. To thin them out a little more, I put them between two pieces of cling wrap (or you could use a freezer bag) and bashed them with a potato masher (you could also use a rolling pin, mallet or any bashing tool of your choice).

Then, I let them sit in some yoghurt in a ceramic bowl for about an hour.

Next, after shaking off the excess yoghurt, I dipped them in some crunchy breadcrumbs, pressing them in well to make sure they were properly coated.

Finally, I fried them in some oil for a few minutes on each side, until crispy and browned on the outside and just cooked on the inside. I served with mashed potatoes, peas and gravy. Very delish!

Quick, budget AND low-fat. Who could want more?

This is not even a recipe; it's too simple to call it that. It's just an idea to get some cheap food onto a plate then into a hungry mouth.

One large chicken breast feeds two people. Add some salad and a few basic pantry items, and you've got yourself a cheap, low-fat meal, baby!

I take a chicken breast and slice it in half lengthways, so that I end up with what looks like two thin chicken breasts.

I fry these in a teensy bit of olive oil until golden and cooked through, then transfer to an oven tray. I top the chicken with some bottled tomato pasta sauce and a little cheese. Sometimes I add a little chopped ham, too. Then, I simply pop it in the toaster oven (or a normal grill or oven could be used) until the cheese is melted and golden.

I serve this on pasta with salad. When I'm really being cruel to myself, I cut out the pasta. This dinner seriously takes less than 15 minutes! Hooray!

Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry

Take a look at that yummy Szechuan stir-fry. It looks pretty appealing, huh? I love the mix of bright colours, and the lure of sweat-inducing chillis.

Well, if you are like me, and you've indulged a little too much over the Christmas and New Year period, perhaps it's time to introduce some new, healthy recipes to your repertoire. Stir-fry is always a winner in the health stakes, and this is an idea that is simple, easy and a bit different.

For this recipe, I employ the use of a packet spice mix. I often turn my nose up at such things, but this one is actually pretty good and I wouldn't know how to make it from scratch. So, get your hands on this little baby and you're only a few easy steps away from chowing down some Szechuan goodness.

All you have to do is chop up some chicken breast and put it into a plastic zip-lock bag or freezer bag. Then, add the spice paste, about a teaspoon of cornstarch and a little oil, and seal the bag shut. Then, make sure everything is evenly coated in leave it to marinate for about 20 minutes or so.

Then, just stir fry the chicken along with your choice of vegies, add a splash of dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine, and perhaps a bit of water or chicken stock if you want it a bit more saucy. Also, you might like to add some extra chilli because the spice mix isn't all that hot. I don't mind a few nuts thrown in, too.

Serve it on some rice and dig in to some guilt-free deliciousness!

Italian Chicken - The Hunters' Way

This is one-pot-wonder I cooked up, loosely based on Nigella's recipe for Pollo alla Cacciatora from her wonderful book, Nigella Express.




I made a few changes, and here they are:

1. I used regular olive oil instead of garlic oil, and added a clove of crushed garlic.

2. I used smoked bacon instead of pancetta.

3. I ommitted the rosemary and added a little dried basil instead.

4. I used chicken breast instead of thigh.

5. I used regular salt instead of celery salt.

6. I used soy beans instead of cannellini beans, and doubled the quantity.

Many changes! But when you get right down to it, it's the same basic idea. That's the beauty of home cooking, you can just do your own thing!

This is quite a nice meal, very fast and easy. I thought it was quite nice served on rice. I think it would also be nice to eat it with some good crusty bread. Another winner from Nigella!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Hi folks!

This next culinary creation is a from a favourite recipe of mine, titled "Asian Chicken Noodle Soup." Which particular "Asian" country this is supposed to be based on, I couldn't tell you! Anyway, you can find the recipe here.

I pretty much stuck to this recipe entirely (for a change!), except I used dried chillis instead of fresh ones, and I halved the recipe so that it only served the two of us.

Oh, also, I sprinkled over a little Japanese seven spice powder (Shichimi in Japanese). It's a very popular condiment here, and is basically a red, spicy powder which adds a little heat and flavour, without being too over the top.

I love this dish! It is low fat, cheap, easy and totally delicious. The weather is becoming quite frosty over here in Japan these days, so I'm enjoying experimenting with a few soup recipes.

It's quite nice to serve a few steamed dumplings on the side, too.

Tandoori chicken with coconut rice and salad

Continuing on my Indian theme, here is another meal which I like to cook using Indian flavours: tandoori chicken served with coconut rice and salad.

To make the chicken, I marinate some mini drumsticks in some tandoori paste which has been mixed with equal parts yoghurt. I put it in a little plastic bag and leave it in the fridge all day. I fry it in a frying pan until cooked, and it turns out so tender and delicious. If you have an oven, you could just pop the drumsticks in the oven for about half an hour.

To make the rice, I cook basmati rice in water with about half a can of coconut milk mixed in. Then, after it's cooked, I mix in a little shredded coconut.

I like to have some vegies with every meal, so I served a simple baby tomato salad which was flavoured with parsely, salt and cracked black pepper, and drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil.

On the side, I served some puppodums and naan bread with raita. I made the raita by mixing yoghurt with a grated cucumber, a clove of crushed garlic and a squeeze of lemon. The leftovers make a lovely dip with some chips or crackers!

Curry in a hurry

Here's one of my original creations. I like to call it "the mother of all curries."

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, diced into large chunks

1T garam masala curry paste

half an onion, diced

1 carrot, chopped

a few potatoes, chopped in big chunks

half an apple, grated

half a cup of frozen peas

dried corriander

a couple of bay leaves

half a can of coconut milk

about half a cup to one cup of chicken stock

2 tsp cornflour (optional)

Method:

In a little oil, fry the curry paste for one minute. Then, add the onions and cook for a few minutes.

Add the chicken. Keep cooking until the chicken is sealed.

Add the carrot, potato, coconut milk, apple, bay leaves and corriander. Also, add the chicken stock, but only enough so that all the ingredients are just covered.

Cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes. Then, remove the lid. Throw in the peas. Simmer for another five minutes with the lid off.

Check that the potatoes and carrots are tender. Once they are good to go, your curry is ready! Sometimes it's a bit runny, so if that's the case, I would add some cornflour made into a paste with a little cold water.

This serves 4-6 generously. Since there is only two of us, I always freeze half. It freezes and re-heats really well!

I recommend serving the curry with basmati rice and naan bread. It goes very well with a full bodied white wine, such as chardonnay, or a fruity medium bodied red wine.

I feel like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight!

I was looking for a change from the usual burgers I make, and stumbled across this recipe from taste.com.au - which is, by the way, a great website!


Of course, once again, I couldn't get all the ingredients I need; damn you Japan! So I made many adaptions. Here they are:


First of all, I replaced the fresh basil and mint with a good sprinkling of dried basil and mint.


Second, I don't have a food processor in which to make breadcrumbs, so I just used some bought ones.


Furthermore, I don't like the idea of putting yoghurt all over my burger, so I made my own sauce - mayonnaise mixed with sweet chilli sauce. Very yummy!


Finally, I halved the recipe so that it just serves two, not four.


All in all, it worked out ok, but the hubby and I found it a bit too lemony. Next time, I won't use all that lemon rind.


Anyway, this is a good idea for something different, and quite filling served with a few chips and some extra mayo/sweet chilli sauce.