Category: chicken

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Poached Chicken

I do quite like poaching chicken, it allows me to cook chicken quickly and keep is tender and moist.

However the downside is that it can look a bit unappetising.

Here is what I did recently when poaching chicken, though it might be worthwhile talking about the poaching itself.

I take a pan of water, add some herbs, some onion, a carrot and if I had other veg I add that.

I bone the chicken and place in the pan and simmer for ten minutes.

Remove allow to dry for a while.

I then place the cooked chicken onto a roasting tray, and drizzle them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

I then roast them in a hot oven for ten minutes to give them some colour.

As a result quickly cooked moist and tender chicken with colour.

I served it with a vegetable risotto.

Done.

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Chicken and Irish Sausages

Well I mentioned I had purchased Paul Rankin’s Irish Pork Sausages again.

This time I roasted them in the oven with chicken, red pepper, mushrooms and pancetta.

Chicken and Irish Sausages

I served it with a lemon risotto.

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Food fight: River Cottage 0-1 Tesco

Following on from my earlier post, found an interesting article in the Guardian about Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s attempts to change Tesco’s chicken policy.

The campaign to improve the welfare of chickens sold in Tesco stores, led by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, hijacked the company’s annual meeting yesterday, drawing groans from the pensioners and standard bearers of middle England there to pose a question about their local store or to take advantage of a spot of free lunch.

Well worth reading.

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Hugh loses Tesco chicken vote

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, he of River Cottage fame, has alas failed in his attempt to get Tesco to change their chicken policy.

The BBC reports on his attempt at the Tesco shareholders meeting.

Tesco shareholders have not backed proposals to improve welfare standards for chickens championed by TV cook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

The chef wanted investors to adopt new standards for rearing birds, but the plan got fewer than 10% of votes at its annual general meeting in Solihull.

Read more.

Though this is a setback for Hugh’s campaign, a lot of consumers are changing their own buying habits. Over the last few years virtually all of the chicken I buy has been organic for me the main reason has been flavour and concerns about chemicals used.

I have noticed recently in both Sainsburys and Morrisons the amount of shelf space they give free range, organic and RSPCA Freedom chicken has really increased.

However with the continuing economic pressures on consumers, will price give way to quality and taste? According to an article I read in the Guardian, the answer is no, as what goes first with an economic downturn is going out to restaurants.

So what kind of chicken do you buy and why?

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Cajun Citrus Chicken

Having really enjoyed the citrus chicken I did the other day, I decided to try a variation.

I first rubbed some cajun spices into some boned chicken thighs, for which I left the skin on.

Fiddes Payne Cajun SeasoningI am currently using and enjoying Fiddes Payne Cajun Seasoning, there are other seasonings available.

I then added the juice and zest of one lime and one lemon and some olive oil.

This I left to marinade for half an hour.

I heated a frying pan, and placed the chicken in skin side down, but didn’t use any oil.

I let the chicken brown, and then finished it off in the oven.

The end result was a beautiful lemon citrus chicken with a really nice cajun spicy kick to it.

I am sure you could do something similar with chilli and lemon.

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Chicken Kebabs

Chicken Kebabs

In order to make these kebabs, take some organic chicken, I used skinless and boneless thighs. I prefer the thigh meat over the breast as I find it has more flavour.

Cut into cubes about the size of cherry tomatoes.

Cut some red pepper and onions to a similar size.

Now thread, the chicken, red pepper, onions, along with some cherry tomatoes.

Pour some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the kebabs, add ground black pepper and marinade for at least an hour.

Place under a hot grill or at the top of a hot oven and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Serve with a salad.

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Citrus Chicken

This is a recipe that I cooked tonight, which is a variation on my lemon chicken recipe.

For this recipe I took some organic chicken thighs and legs and made some cuts in them with a sharp knife, so that they would both asorb more of the marinade and cook quicker. I had seven portions of chicken.

I placed in a bowl the zest and juice of two lemons and one lime. Though I did take a few slices of the lemon and lime before I extracted the juice to use as a garnish.

I added some fresh herbs, parsley and basil, as well as ground black pepper and a good splash of olive oil.

I then placed the chicken in the bowl and mixed well.

I left the chicken for about ten minutes.

The chicken was then placed on a grill pan and put under the grill – I used the top of a very hot oven in order to achieve the same effect.

Turn and baste as and when needed.

Serve.

I served mine with new potatoes, coleslaw, a green salad and fresh bread.

Delicious.

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Southern Fried Chicken Strips

Are you worried about the additives in the fast food you buy?

Are you concerned about the ingredients used in the snacks you eat?

Do you care about the welfare of the animals used for the foods you love?

I really like southern fried chicken, but wherever possible try and avoid buying it from those fast food places as:

a) I am worried about the salt content.

b) I am worried about the additives used.

c) I prefer to use organic free range chicken where possible.

So I now make my own southern fried chicken.

Take some skinless boneless organic chicken thighs, some supermarkets sell them like this, others you will need to skin and bone them. I prefer the thigh meat as it has a lot more flavour than the breast meat (and is cheaper).

Slice into strips.

Coat in flour.

Coat in beaten egg (free range and organic).

Coat again in seasoned flour, I use a mix of cajun spices usually.

Deep fry for a minute or so, until brown.

Drain and put onto kitchen towel on a plate to drain any excess oil.

Serve with dips and stuff.

Quick and easy.

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Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken

Take four organic chicken thighs (now you could use chicken breast, but personally I feel that the thighs have more flavour). Remove the bone, but leave the skin on.

In a bowl add the boned chicken thighs, the zest and juice of two lemons (before adding the juice of the lemons, cut some slices as a garnish). Add some parsley, rosemary and black pepper. I also added onion and olive oil. You could use some garlic if you like.

Marinade the chicken for about an hour, longer if you like your chicken really lemony.

Heat a griddle pan (or you could use the barbecue) and cook the chicken, skin side down (this should lower the amount of fat as well as getting nice and crispy skin).

Once the skin side is golden brown, turn over and cook the flesh side until cooked.

Serve with salad or vegetables.

Lemon Chicken

I served mine with crushed new potatoes and coleslaw.

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Pan Roasted Chicken

One dish I seem to make much more on a regular basis is pan roasted chicken.

Pan Roasted Chicken

This is an easy and quicker dish than a simple roast chicken in many ways.

Start off with some chicken, either joint a whole chicken, or buy some thighs and legs (they have more flavour).

Place them in a pan with onions, pepper, pancetta, mushrooms, cubes of bread, herbs and a good dash of olive oil.

You can add other things as well such as sweet potato, parsnip, partially cooked potato, tomatoes, sausages and courgettes if you so wish.

Roast in a hot oven for about thirty to forty minutes.

The bread is a key as this will soak up the wonderful juices.