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I took some chicken breast and between two sheets of cling film and flattened it with a rolling pin.
I then brushed the chicken with olive oil and seasoning.
This was then placed onto a hot griddle and cooked for a few minutes on each side.
Delicious.
I have enjoyed many dishes from Marks and Spencer’s The Cook Menu range. The Chicken Roulade with pork, caramelised shallot and sage stuffing with herb butter was something that sounded very tasty.
The end result was in fact quite tasty.
However at five pounds I am less sure about the value for money.
I do like to roast chicken portions in the oven with vegetables. In this recipe I also use lemons to impart a delicious citrus flavour to the chicken.
To make this dish, I took some chicken legs and thigh portions. These I slashed with knife and then placed in a bowl with the juice, peel and the rest of two lemons. I added a splash of white wine. I then added small plum tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and basil.
This was then roasted in the oven for thirty minutes, or until the chicken was golden brown as in the top photograph.
Place the chicken on a plate and add the roasted vegetables.
You can also use the juice from the pan as a basis for a sauce if required.
There is something about grilled chicken that has me thinking about my childhood, summer and outdoor eating. As my oven doesn’t have a proper grill I have never managed to capture that grilled taste and freshness.
One tool in my kitchen I do have is a griddle and that I can use that in some way captures the essence of grilled chicken. Yes it is not a perfect replacement.
I took some chicken breast and between two sheets of cling film and flattened it with a rolling pin.
I then brushed the chicken with olive oil and seasoning.
This was then placed onto a hot griddle and cooked for a few minutes on each side.
Perfect.
Jamie Oliver makes a cracking BBQ chicken.
This is my simple and quick way of cooking a wonderful French peasant style dish of chicken, pork, sausage and lentils.
Place some chicken thighs and drumsticks in a roasting pan, add some chunks of pork belly. You could use a jointed chicken if you wanted. Drizzle with olive oil and place in a hot oven and roast for about 25-30 minutes.
Cook some large pork sausages in the oven, as these take less time, put them in a little later.
In a large pan, soften some pancetta, diced onions and peppers. Once soft, add a knob of butter and some flour, stir well. Now add herbs, wine and stock. Cook for about ten minutes.
In a hot frying pan, cook some chopped mushrooms.
Prepare the dish.
Take the cooked liquid, add the roast chicken and pork. Slice the sauages and add them and the mushrooms to the pan. I used tinned Puy Lentils, but you could use cooked lentils or a tin of another kind. Mix well and heat through.
Serve with crusty bread.
Cooked and had some chicken olives from Waitrose. These are boneless chicken thighs stuffed with a pork, apple, walnut and sultana stuffing.
Already prepared, all you need to do is cook them in the oven for about thirty minutes.
They were quite nice, but think I prefer the bacon-wrapped chicken legs stuffed with pork and pistachio that I have made before.
I saw recently at a supermarket a Shwartz Spice Blend in a small metal container (not the usual Schwarts glass jars) a Coriander, Ginger and Mango Spice Blend. I thought that looks interesting, so I bought it.
Taking some fresh chicken breast, I diced it and then in a bowl added some sunflower oil (a more neutral flavour than olive oil) and mixed in some of the spice blend with the chicken.
I then put the chicken on skewers and grilled them.
Very nice.
Well the Four Bird Roast was a great success.
Three and half hours in the oven and resting for forty minutes did the trick. Beautifully moist and very tasty.
Not sure if I would get it again, there was too much turkey in comparison to the other meats stuffed in there, but still very nice to have a mix of meats. Stuffings were nice as well.
As the big day approaches, I am starting to make the final preparations for the festive meal.
We are going to have the four bird roast from Marks and Spencers with Parmentier Potatoes and a spread of vegetables.
Hopefully it should all go to plan.