Baken Chicken Drumsticks in a Spicy Cornflake Crumb

 

So now, in the quest to find crumbed chicken that is more on the healthy side, and after many, many attempts......I have found this recipe to be tasty, not greasy and fabulous to pick up and eat with your fingers.  Great for snacking on while watching the rugby on the telly.

 

Ingredients

 

8 drumsticks
2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
1t chilli powder
1t paprika
2t ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.

2. Mix the cornflakes with the spices.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Put the cornflake spice in a plastic bag.

5. Dip drumsticks to coat in the beaten egg.

 

 

6. Doing one at a time, place the drumsticks in the bag with he cornflake spice. Shake to coat.

7. Line a baking dish with baking paper and spray with cooking spray. Lay the drumsticks on the paper.

 

 

8. Bake for 25 minutes then turn and bake a further 25 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken meatballs served with a salad and drizzled with a honey,mustard yoghurt dressing

Now that our weather has settled down and we are experiencing a normal Autumn season, with beautiful warm days and cool nights, lunch needs to be simple and tasty over the weekends.  We always need more time to enjoy the outdoors while we try not to think of winter which is on the way.  Today was a perfect day to try out chicken meatballs. Now the recipe I have uses chicken mince, and its really not easy to find.  So not wanting to drive around looking for it, I sliced chicken breasts up into thin strips and then cut them with my herb scissors! Worked like a charm!

 

Ingredients

 

Meatballs

2T olive oil

4 chicken breasts (minced or finely chopped)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

zest and juice of 1 lemon

2T chopped chives

1T dried oregano

1T plain yoghurt

1t dried mushroom powder (optional)

salt and pepper

 

Salad

1/4 cucumber, peeled, take the seeds out and cut into chunks

150g baby tomatoes, sliced in half

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

100g goats feta

salt and pepper

 

Dressing

50ml plain yoghurt

1T honey

1t wholegrain mustard

 

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Combine the chicken, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice, chopped chives, oregano, yoghurt and mushroom powder together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

 

 

4. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat.

5. Shape the small meatballs and fry for a few minutes until brown.

6. Transfer meatballs to the oven for 10 - 15 minutes.

7. Mix together the salad ingredients and season to taste.

8. Prepare the dressing by combining all the honey, mustard and yoghurt in a bowl.

9. Serve the meatballs and salad, drizzled with the dressing.

 

 

 

Peri-Peri Chicken

There is nothing quite like getting stuck into a plate of Peri-Peri Chicken.  Forget the knife and fork, make sure you have lots of serviettes and use your hands, it's messy but oh so wonderful!  

Pili pili (Peri-Peri) was introduced to the Portuguese settlers to Mozambique by the locals and they in turn brought it to South Africa.  Pili pili means pepper pepper in Swahili.  Growing up down the road from the very first Nando's was a treat.  Who can resist their flame grilled Peri-Peri chicken!! 

Like all good things there comes a time to try making it yourself,  so here we go.....

 

Prepare the day before as it needs to marinate overnight.

 

Chicken thighs 8 to 16 (the marinade is enough to coat 16)

1 - 2 lemons, sliced in quarters

 

Marinade

 

300ml olive oil

30g tomato puree

1 large red onion, peeled and diced

5 cloves garlic, peeled

25g fresh ginger, peeled and grated

100g chillies (red and green), sliced, no need to take the seeds out

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons cumin, ground

20g coriander, ground

30g fresh coriander

salt and pepper

 

Method

 

1. Place all the marinade ingredients into a blender and blend until combined.

2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Marinate the chicken well and cover. Place in the fridge overnight.

4. Braai over hot coals until cooked through. Alternatively you could grill them in the oven.

5. Squeeze lemon juice over and enjoy.

 

Marinated Chicken with Watercress Salad, Grape and Pine Nut Dressing

I simply love pine nuts.  What are they?  They're the edible seeds from the pine tree, from the pine cones.  They are expensive as it take years for the trees to start producing the seeds and they are harvested by hand.  All these factors add to the price tag.  I can't always find them at my local shops, but when I do I buy out the lot.  They are fabulous when lightly toasted and a bit crunchy.   They are most well known for being one of the ingredients in pesto.  Some years ago I made this chicken dish and came across the recipe the other day.  As it is also grape season and the weather is hot, it was perfect to make on the braai.  Prepare it the day before as it is best marinated overnight. I had typed that the dish was "Simply to die for", so I just had to try it again, and yes......it is simply to die for. 

 

Ingredients

 

1 whole chicken

salt and pepper

1 heaped teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lemon

DRESSING

2 tablespoons roughly chopped white seedless grapes

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

dash of white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

4 large handfuls watercress, washed

 

Method

 

1. Turn the chicken so that they are breast-side down and with kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone.

2. Discard the backbone, rinse the chicken under cold water, pat dry with paper towels and press flat.

3. Insert a skewer horizontally through the thighs of the chicken to keep it flat, then transfer to a bowl.

4. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over the rosemary, chopped garlic, olive oil and the lemon zest and juice.

5. Coat chicken well, then refrigerate overnight to marinate.

 

6. Remove chicken from marinade and arrange on a wire rack over the braai (BBQ). Grill, breast-side down for 5 minutes, then turn and grill until the skin is golden brown and the flesh is cooked.

7. To make the dressing: combine the grapes and pine nuts with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

8. Just before serving, mix up well and toss with the watercress. the chicken can be served warm or cold - slightly warm is best.

Wraps

So every now and again I find myself home alone, just me and the woof.  And seriously who feels like cooking just for one.  Not me!!

But on the other hand, if I ordered in a takeaway delivery, I usually wait about half an hour and eventually by the time it arrives I am starving and the food is not very hot. Or if I hop into the car and drive up for takeaways, it means a wait while the food is prepared and by the time I get home the food is once again not very hot. Ugh!! 

So now, to look for something that is tasty and takes just about as long as the takeaway does.  Hum.....whats in the fridge? 

Chicken wraps with red pepper, served with a mild

sweet chilli sauce.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 wrap

1 chicken fillet, sliced thinly

1 red pepper

olive oil

2 peppadews, sliced

handful baby spinach leaves, washed and dried

Spur seasoning salt

1/2 round feta cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons plain yoghurt

2 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

 

1. Blacken the skin of the red pepper on the gas burner. If you don't have gas, grill the pepper until the skin blackens, turning all the time.

 

 



 

2. Place the blackened pepper in a bowl and cover with cling wrap for a few minutes.

 

 

3. In the meantime, season the chicken with the Spur seasoning salt, cook in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil until nicely browned and cooked through.

 

 

 

 4. Scrape off the blackened skin on the pepper, don't wash it as this is where all that flavour is.

 

 

5. Take out the pips and slice the pepper into thin strips.

6. Make the sweet chilli sauce by combining the yoghurt, mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce and put to one side.

7. Heat the wrap for 30 seconds in the microwave and place on a plate.

8. Start layering with the baby spinach leaves, followed by about half of the red pepper,feta cheese and peppadews.

 

9. Top with the chicken and pour the sweet chilli sauce over.

10. Season with the salt and pepper

11.  Roll up the wrap and slice in half.

 

 

You can easily double up on the ingredients if serving two. Remembering that you would probably only need to use one red pepper.