Lay The Table » chicken

Bexy Bexy kebabs (chicken mustard honey and soy kebabs)

Becs — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:55:31 +0000

So nice I had to name them twice. (Sorry Levi Roots!) These have long been a BBQ staple in my house. I remember the long lazy weekends after I graduated, sitting on Southsea Common with my friends eating these. They’re so easy to make, but they key to the flavour is the overnight marination.

This recipe calls for overnight marination, to maximise the flavours absorbed by the chicken. If you only do it for an hour or so the taste tends to get overpowered by the flavours of the BBQ.

{Makes at least 10 kebabs, depending on how much you put on each stick}

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
1tbsp english mustard
4tbsp dark soy sauce
3tbsp honey
1tbsp oil
Small handful fresh coriander
Kebabs skewers

Instructions

Slice the chicken into strips in the direction of the grain.
Crush the garlic clove and chop the coriander finely.
Combine all the marination ingredients into a large bowl and mix well, then add the chicken. Leave to marinate at least overnight, I try to make it 24 hours.
If using wooden kebab skewers, soak them in water before use to prevent them burning on the BBQ.
Carefully thread the chicken onto the skewers. I spread out the meat so that it cooks quite quickly and ensures even cooking.
Depending on how hot your BBQ is and how much meat is on each st, the chicken should take 5-10 minutes to cook. Always check they are cooked through before serving!

Chicken, cabbage and spring onion gyoza

Becs — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:22:17 +0000

I’ve been completely inspired this week to make my own gyoza dumplings after spending the weekend with my Can-asian friend Kim, who taught me how to put them together. She told me how her mum likes to make chicken dumplings but it’s hard to find chicken mince over here. I decided I’d have a go at chopping up a couple of chicken breasts really finely, it seems the results paid off!

{Makes about 20 gyoza}

Ingredients

A pack of gyoza wrappers
2 free range chicken breasts
3 spring onions
2 savoy cabbage leaves
1/2tsp mirin
1/2tsp oyster sauce
1tsp dark soy sauce
Pinch of pepper

Instructions

Using a large knife, chop the chicken finely, so it becomes mince-like.
Top and tail the spring onions, then remove the outer layers. Chop finely.
Rinse the cabbage leaves well, then remove hard stalky bits. Also chop finely.
Mix the chicken, spring onions, cabbage, mirin, soy sauce and pepper together in a bowl, making sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Make the gyoza, I used this tutorial to show me how to do it: How to make gyoza
In a wok, heat 2tsp oil on a medium heat, and put about half of the gyoza in the pan to fry gently on each side for a couple of minutes. Watch they don’t burn!
Add boiling water up to about halfway up the gyoza, and put a lid on the wok. Leave until the water has just about evaporated.
Serve with soy sauce, sweet chilli dipping sauce, or more traditionally ponzu sauce. You can store these in the freezer for up to a month once you’ve made them – perfect for emergency asian snacking!

Chicken satay

Becs — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:55:15 +0000

These make a great party snack or even a tasty supper when served with rice! Good quality chicken is a must, and don’t forget, the longer you marinate these the better they’ll taste! So if you have time to prepare these the day before, even better.

Tip: Add 1tbsp curry powder when adding the peanut butter and brown sugar to the pan for a spiced up version

{Serves 3 people when served with rice as a dinner}

Ingredients

For the marinade

3 chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh coriander
2 tbsp oil

For the satay sauce

200ml coconut milk
2 heaped tbsp peanut butter (I find smooth works better but if you prefer crunchy, go ahead)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oil
Dash of pepper

Instructions

Crush the garlic, roughly chop and coriander and mix with the oil in a large bowl/tray.
Using a meat tenderiser, gently bash the chicken between cling film. This stops it moving about and ensures even tenderising! Then cut into small 2cm wide slices.
Mix the chicken with the marinade, cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably overnight.
Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes in a bowl of water, this stops them burning. Then gently push the chicken onto the skewers. We used approximately 10 skewers, using about ⅔ of each skewer.
Cook the chicken for around 12-15 minutes, turning halfway to ensure even cooking.
To make the sauce: Put the oil in the pan and warm slightly over a medium heat before adding the peanut butter and brown sugar. Allow the sugar to dissolve and the peanut butter to become runnier before mixing in the coconut milk bit my bit. Bring to the boil then leave to simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Chicken Rice

Becs — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:46:33 +0000

A recipe that sure does what it says on the tin. Yes, it looks like the world’s dullest meal, but I’ve been brought up on this traditional Malaysian food and the recipe I’m telling you has been passed down through 3 generations of my family (my Grandma was Singaporian and my mother spent some of her childhood there too). If there was one food I had to live on for the rest of my life (apart from Dim Sum), it’d be this. It’s a reasonably cheap eat, I ate a lot of this whilst I was in my final year of university, because it was quick and nutritious.

{Serves 1 person}

Ingredients

1 chicken breast
200g rice (I use Basmati)
3 spring onions
A couple of slices of cucumber
2 chicken stock cubes (I always use Knorr)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

Wash the rice in a sieve, under a warm tap, allowing the starch to run out. Wait until the water becomes reasonably clear (it’s never 100% clear), then remove from sieve and allow to dry naturally on a plate.
Top and tail the spring onions and add into a pan with the cucumber, chicken breast, 1 1/2 stock cubes and enough water to cover the chicken comfortably. Don’t use too big a pan as the stock you create will be too weak.
Boil the chicken for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave for 25 minutes allowing the chicken to poach.
Measure 1/2 pint of the stock into a jug and add the other 1/2 stock cube in and dissolve.
In a clean pan over a medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt and gently fry the rice, turning continuous for a couple of minutes. Add the stock from the jug and bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, or until all the stock has evaporated.
Whilst the rice is cooking, take two forks and gently pull the chicken apart on a plate and then cover with sesame oil.
Serve with beansprouts and baby sweetcorn and lashings of soy sauce!

Wholesome chicken & vegetable soup

Becs — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:30:29 +0000

On Sundays we’re usually recovering and can’t be bothered to do much except mooch around on the sofas and drink a lot of cups of tea. But we always want something to eat that’s healthy and doesn’t require a lot of effort. Enter: soup. This recipe is an adaptation of my family’s “Grandad soup”.

30mins – Prep time: 10mins – Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 leek
2 carrots
1 large white potato
1 medium onion
2 chicken breasts
1 chicken stock cube
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp single cream
Boiling Water
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel and roughly chop all the vegetables.
In a large saucepan heat the butter until melted and add the onions.
Sweat the onions for 2 minutes and then add the leeks. Cook for a futher 1 minute.
Add the carrots and potatoes and stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the boiling water until it just covers the vegetables and stir in the stock cubes.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the chicken breasts and ensure they are pushed down into the mixture.
Cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken breasts and shred into small pieces using two forks.
Using a blender, blend all the vegetables until smooth.
Add the chicken back into the soup and mix well. Add salt and pepper to season.
Serve with fresh crusty roll and a tablespoon of cream dribbled onto the top of the soup.