Spanish Chicken

This is my absolute favorite go-to chicken dinner. It's quick and easy to make and looks fabulous when you bring it to the table. What would I do without Nigella? She's the best!

4 Tbsp olive oil
8 chicken thighs (with skin)
6 full-sized chorizo, cut into small chunks
3 large potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
2 red onions, peeled, and chopped roughly
1 to 2 tsp oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Sprinkle the bottom of two large Pyrex casserole dishes with some olive oil. Put four chicken thighs into each casserole and drizzle with olive oil. Divide the cubed potatoes, chopped onion and chopped chorizo between the dishes. Season with sea salt, pepper and oregano. 
Bake for 30 minutes and then switch the casseroles so that the bottom one is now on the top rack. Spoon the juices over the chicken and cook for another 30 minutes. 
This dish is lovely served with a green salad or a nice big bowl of green beans. 

Chicken Paprika

9 oz penne/shells

1 onion, chopped

4 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips 

1 Tbsp paprika

3 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and paper to taste 

Sauce:

2oz butter

2 oz flour (1/3 C?)

750 ml hot milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard 

4 oz Parmesan cheese

Topping:

3 large tomatoes, 

cubed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cook the pasta with the chopped onion, then drain and set aside. 

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and paprika. Fry in the olive oil for a few minutes until golden and lightly cooked. Spoon them out and set aside to drain on some kitchen paper. 

Make the roux by melting the butter and whisking in the flour. Cook for a few minutes, stirring to smooth out any lumps. Slowly add the hot milk and cook for about 5 minutes. Take care to whisk until the roux has thickened. 

Add the mustard and half of the cheese. Stir well and check the seasoning. 

Add the drained pasta and the onion to the roux. Stir well, and then pour half into a casserole dish. Then add the chicken, and top with the remaining pasta and sauce. 

Top with the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. 

Bake for about 25 minutes. 

Serve with steamed broccoli or green beans. 

Cowboy Pie

This is one of those old fashioned recipes, very reminiscent of the Betty Crocker recipes from the 1970s. It is just perfect on a frosty evening! 

1 roasted chicken (store-bought), with the meat flaked into chunks

3/4 lb spaghetti, snapped into bite size pieces

1 C chicken stock

2 C Cheddar, extra sharp, grated (divided)

2 onions, chopped

1 C green peppers, chopped

1 small jar (5 1/2 oz) roasted red peppers or pimientos, drained and chopped coarsely

1 tsp seasoned salt

generous pinch of cayenne

2 small cans mushroom soup

1 C mozzarella, shredded

black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Cook the spaghetti as directed. Drain, and pour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the chicken stock, one cup of the Cheddar cheese, the onion, green pepper, roasted red peppers, seasoned salt and mushroom soup. Stir well.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish, sprinkle the remaining Cheddar cheese and mozzarella over the top. Bake for about 40 minutes until nice and hot and the top begins to bubble.

This supper is just perfect served with a big helping of green beans and a side salad.

Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lemons

This is one of my mother's favorite dishes. How can you beat a meal like this. Just heavenly!

8 organic chickens thighs (2 per person)

1 lb new potatoes, washed and cut into quarters

1 lemon (unwaxed), cut into quarters

6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into strips

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

6 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb mushrooms

fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a frying pan gently cook the mushrooms in some olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Keep the heat low to medium and cover with a lid. Set aside while you prepare the chicken.

Place the chicken thighs in a lightly greased baking dish. Put a little butter under each chicken thigh, and tuck 3 or 4 slivers of garlic under the skin. Dot the tops of the thighs with some more butter.

Add the mushrooms and the cooking juice.

Divide the potatoes and lemon quarters between the chicken, and season with salt and pepper and some fresh thyme to taste.

Cook for about 45 minutes, and then gently stir the chicken before returning to the oven for another 30 minutes or so until it has cooked through.

As there is quite a lot of liquid the chicken and potatoes will not roast, but they will turn golden brown and be assured they will be totally scrumptious!

This is a super tasty meal and is particularly delicious served with broccoli and some butternut squash.

Thai Chicken

This is adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe. I love the sharpness of the limes and the crunch of the peanut butter. Almost heaven on a plate!

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips/bite-sized pieces
Marinade: 
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 C soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp flour
2 T honey
Peanut oil (for frying)

Peanut Sauce:
1/2 C crunchy peanut butter
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp hot chili oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
juice of 2 Limes
water, as needed for to get the right consistency

Salad fixings:
Romaine lettuce leaves, roughly chopped
2 carrots, julienned
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
baby spinach leaves
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
4 scallions, chopped
bamboo shoots
cilantro, roughly chopped
peanuts
salt and pepper to taste
Basmati rice or Asian noodles

In a bowl, mix together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, lime juice, ginger, and brown sugar (Bowl 1). 
Pour off half of the marinade into a separate bowl (Bowl 2).
Add the chicken pieces and put them into Bowl 1. Add the squeezed limes and allow to marinade for several hours or overnight.
In Bowl 2, stir the flour and honey, and set aside.

Add a few tablespoons of  peanut oil to a heavy skillet, and when it’s hot, add the chicken strips in a single layer (Bowl 1).
Allow to cook for or few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through for about 4 minutes.
Lower the heat, then add the marinade from Bowl 2. 
Stir until the sauce begins to thicken. Cook over low heat for a few mintes, and then allow to cool.

Peanut Sauce: Mix all the peanut sauce ingredients, adding a little water to get a semi-runny consistency. Check for seasoning.

To serve:
Carefully divide the salad fixings between two plates. Add the chicken pieces and top with the cilantro.
Pour on some peanut sauce, and scatter some peanuts over the top. 
Serve with Asian noodles or a portion of Basmati rice.

Chicken Soup

3 T olive oil

2 T butter, unsalted

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced finely

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, julienned diagonally

3 T flour

5 C good-quality chicken or vegetable stock (or more if needed)

1/3 C white wine

4 sprigs of parsley, chopped finely (reserve some for garnish)

2 sprigs thyme, chopped finely

1/2 tsp oregano

2 bay leaves

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed (or 1 1/2 C cooked shells or macaroni)

3-4 cups roast chicken, shredded

1/2 C cream

salt and pepper to taste

Put the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan, and gently sauté the onions for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, celery and carrots, and cook for about ten minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for another five minutes or so. 

Add the stock and the wine and bring to a boil. Add the fresh herbs and chopped potatoes. Check the seasoning, and lower the heat and cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. 

Add the shredded chicken to the soup and gently stir in the cream. Add the cooked pasta, instead of potatoes at this point, and warm through. Remove the bay leaves, garnish with some chopped parsley and serve promptly.

Chicken with Lemon and Coriander

This is one of those delicious curries that makes your mouth water. 

BBQ Chicken with Peaches and Whisky

This is adapted from one of Ree Drummond's recipes. It sounded super delicious, but a tad sweet for me, so I reduced the amount of jam in the recipe. Also the original recipe calls for cooking it in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours, but I wanted to arrive home to a feast, so I used the slow cooker instead!

2 TBsp olive oil

2 TBsp unsalted butter

2 lbs chicken thighs

1 1/2 yellow onions, chopped into chunks

1 1/4 cups whisky (I used Black Velvet)

1 1/2 C barbecue sauce

1 C water

2 TBsp Lea and Perrin's

5 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 jar of apricot or peach jam

1 lb frozen peaches (or 3 fresh ones)

bunch of spring onions, sliced for garnish

Heat the olive oil and the butter in a large pan, and brown the chicken pieces in batches, then set them aside.

Add the chopped onions and cook for a few minutes until they turn golden. 

Pour in the whisky and deglaze the pan. Add the barbecue sauce, water, Lea and Perrin's, jam and garlic cloves.

Add the chicken back in to the pan, and finally add the peach slices.

Pour the chicken and sauce mixture into a slow cooker and cook on the low setting for 6 to 8 hours.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and a green salad. Garnish the chicken with the spring onions. I think it's a keeper!

Chicken Cacciatore

This is one of those old-fashioned easy peasy recipes, that's super tasty and very quick to put together. It's adapted from the Fanny Farmer cookbook which is one of my favorites!

1 oz dried mushrooms
4 Tsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs chicken, skinned and chopped into 1 1/2" chunks
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3  cloves garlic, chopped and crushed
1 Tsp tomato paste
14 oz can tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
freshly ground black pepper
grated zest of one lemon
chopped parsley

Soak the mushrooms in just enough warm water to cover them, for about half an hour. Saute the chicken in olive oil until lightly browned on all sides.
Add the onion and saute for a few more minutes, and then pour on the wine and let it bubble up.
Lower the heat, add the crushed garlic, paste, tomatoes, the mushrooms and their juice, and the seasonings.
Cover and cook on a low heat for about 45 minutes until done. Remove the bay leaves and check the seasoning. Stir in the lemon zest and garnish with the chopped parsley.