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!

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!