Chicken Meals

Not only do chickens give us chicken soup and the most wonderful white meat, they also give us the universe s greatest packaging feat, eggs. When you are sensitive, chicken is a miracle food packed with protein and taste and yet relatively easy to digest. So much chicken is treated with water and other additives that much of the chicken available is probably actively harmful. So don’t forget: always buy free-range, or even better, organic, better for the chickens, better for the environment, and much better for you.

Brian’s Spicy Chicken Curry with Organic Brown Pice

THIS is the perfect medicinal chicken curry! Although this may seem rather bizarre, it’s an entirely reasonable suggestion. All the ingredients in chicken curry are in some way supportive to the immune system, which is especially important if you’re feeling delicate. This is also a very tasty meal, one of those fabulous recipes that can be cooked on autopilot. This recipe has been designed and perfected by Chupi’s boyfriend, Brian, and our many tasting sessions have paid off!

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

4 good-sized chicken breasts, sliced into ½-inch strips

1 tablespoon each fresh rosemary and parsley, finely chopped

4 teaspoons each ground cumin and coriander

2 teaspoons turmeric

2-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper or other chili powder

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups Veggie Stock (page 77) or Chicken Stock (page 84) or water

2 cups organic short-grain brown rice

4 cups water

Chapati (page 160)

bio-live natural yogurt

• Heat a large saucepan over a medium flame. Heat the olive oil, then add the onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes with the saucepan lid on.
• When the onions are soft, push them to one side and add the garlic and chicken. Cook the chicken until it has lost its pink color, say 5 minutes.
• Then mix everything in the saucepan together and add the herbs and spices. Season generously with pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes more to bring out the flavor of the spices, then add the stock. Bring slowly to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
• As soon as the curry is cooking independently, put the rice and water into a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat.
• While the rice and curry are cooking, make the Chapati, as they’ll take a few minutes to prepare and cook.
• The curry sauce will have reduced by half, with gorgeous smells emitting from the pot, when the time to eat has arrived. So serve the curry beside, not on top of, the rice—you will want to be able to taste the plain rice too, with a dollop of yogurt and a Chapati.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Bridget Jones Chicken

THIS is the most wonderful—and incredibly simple—dish imaginable. All the ingredients are just roughly chopped, packed into a casserole, drizzled with olive oil, and tossed into the oven. We called it Bridget Jones Chicken because the night we first made it was the night the film came out on video. It was “Chop! Hurl! Grind! Drizzle!” and into the oven you go! And then we all dashed for the sofa and the video.

4 chicken breasts, or thighs, chopped into good-sized chunks

5 potatoes, scrubbed and quartered

a few slices prosciutto or smoky bacon torn into shreds

4 cloves garlic, peeled and whole

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 onions, peeled and quartered

1 bulb fennel, chopped into chunks

1 handful fresh rosemary sprigs

juice of half a lemon

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 400°F
• Pack all the ingredients tightly in a good-sized casserole or ovenproof dish, giving everything a good mix to ensure all the ingredients are well coated in oil and herbs.
• Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt and drizzle with oil.
• Put on the lid or cover with foil and place in the oven. Roast for 1 to 1½ hours, or until the potato chunks are soft through and through.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Chicken Provençal

WE love Chicken Provengal—it’s one of those dishes that can be eaten at any time of the year and on any occasion whether fancy or simple. It is so easy to make, you just toss everything in to cook and when you can’t wait any longer, eat! This dish can be prepared ahead, as the flavor improves wonderfully. It is also delicious in a sandwich.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, peeled and chopped

12 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

4 chicken fillets, cut into strips

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips

4 very ripe tomatoes, chopped

3-4 sprigs rosemary

sea salt freshly ground black pepper

1½ cups short grain brown rice

• Put the olive oil into a large pan with a tight-fitting lid and place pan over medium heat.
• Sauté the onions in the olive oil. After 5 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients and cook, stirring frequently; until the chicken has turned white, about 4-5 minutes. Season very generously.
• Put the lid onto the saucepan, and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the stew cooks, put the rice on to cook with 3 cups of water over medium heat. Both the stew and rice will be done at the same time.
• Serve together, with a chunk of bread.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Roast Chicken with Homemade Gravy

THEY say you can judge a restaurant by its roast chicken. It’s definitely one of those things you think you know how to cook, but when you do it, it’s hard to get it really scrumptious. Always try to get a really good free-range bird from a reputable farmer or butcher. Here’s our simple and tasty version; original and best.

1 good-sized free-range chicken

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 onions, unpeeled

4-5 carrots, scrubbed

3-4 bulbs garlic, unpeeled and whole

several sprigs rosemary, bayleaf, and sage

1 potato, scrubbed

3 slices of bacon

2 teaspoons organic butter (for the gravy)

4 cups Veggie or Chicken Stock (for the gravy) (pages 50 and 84)

Baked Potatoes (page 49)

green beans

Green Salad (page 70)

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Remove any uncookable parts (rubber bands, etc!) from the chicken. Rub the bird all over with the olive oil, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and place it, breast down, in a large roasting tin.
• Place the onions, carrots, and 1 bulb of garlic around the bird and strew half of the fresh herbs over the bird and veggies. Jam the scrubbed potato into the larger of the chicken’s cavities, season again with salt and pepper, and pop into the oven.
• After about 30-35 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and carefully turn over so the breast is now facing up. Cover the breast with the bacon, making sure the vegetables are all cooking evenly and pop everything back into the oven.
• Cook for another 40-45 minutes. To check if the chicken is properly cooked through, slide a skewer or a slim knife into the thigh meat, slide out, and then press down with the flat of your knife against the incision; if the juices run clear and yellow, it’s cooked, if there’s still a taint of pink, pop back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Once you’re sure the chicken is cooked, lift it carefully out of the roasting pan and onto a serving plate, along with the bulb of garlic and most of the veggies. Keep 1 onion, a few cloves of garlic, 1 carrot, and the potato for the gravy.
• Let your chicken sit, or “rest"—a warming oven is perfect for this, for 10-15 minutes, allowing the juices and delicious tastes to run back into the meat, while you get to work on the gravy.
• With your roasting pan now on top of the stove on a gentle heat, first remove any scorched herbs, etc., then mash down the onion, garlic, carrot, and potato with the back of a wooden spoon. Put in the rest of the fresh herbs and the butter and cook for several minutes.
• Now add the stock. Taste, adjust seasoning, and allow to cook for another few minutes—you’re aiming to reduce the stock by about a quarter, and the longer you can bear to leave it, the more scrumptious it will be.
• When you’re ready, put the chicken on the table with a fragrant and steaming bowl of gravy alongside. Serve with lots of Baked Potatoes, green beans, and a Green Salad.

MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS

Chicken Sandwiches

THESE scrumptious sandwiches are perfect for picnics and fussy families who like fast food. Ideally these should be cooked as a family, or at least as a two-person affair, to cut down on the work involved. As always, if you’ve found a bread that’s acceptable, use it. We love Farls, they take so little effort and they are impossible to beat, both health- and taste-wise. And don’t worry about making the Mayonnaise, it’s so easy.

The Chicken

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 scallions, chopped

4 good-sized chicken breasts, sliced into ½-inch strips

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary and parsley, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Farls

3 cups white spelt or organic wheat flour

1 teaspoon wheat-free baking powder

¾ cup water or rice, oat, soy, or cow’s milk

The Mayonnaise

2 yolks of free-range eggs

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup sunflower oil

a good squeeze fresh lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 handfuls salad leaves/lettuce or

Green Salad (page 70)

• Put the first five prepared chicken ingredients into a large frying pan over medium heat and season well with salt and pepper. The chicken will take about 12 minutes, with occasional stirring to prevent sticking, but if you keep an eye on it, you can let it do its own thing while you prepare the Farls and Mayo.
• The Farls recipe is on page 156, but here are the elements of it. Combine the flour and baking powder. Add the liquid and mix until you have a soft dough. Split the dough into 4 balls and flatten each into a round ¼ an inch thick. Put another pan over medium heat and sprinkle with flour. When the flour starts to brown, place a Farl onto the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Flip over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Do the others the same way and keep in a warm place.
• Now for the Mayo: combine the two oils, then get a small bowl and put the egg yolks into it. Start by adding the first drop of oil, gently mixing it into the yolks with a small whisk. Add the second drop and mix in again, always making sure to combine the last drop of oil before adding the next. Slowly increase the amount of oil, with care, so that the mixture doesn’t curdle. When the egg has absorbed all the oil, add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
• The chicken should be just cooked now, so pop it into a serving dish on the table along with the Farls, Mayo, and the Green Salad. Let everyone prepare their own sandwiches at the table—slit open the warm Farls, line with lettuce, pack in the diced chicken pieces, spoon in some Mayo, season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scrumptious!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Spiced Chicken Wraps

A spicy, Latin America-inspired variation of Chicken Sandwiches is easy. Add 2 teaspoons each ground cumin, coriander, and chili powder when you’re cooking the chicken and use Tortillas (page 154) instead of Farls. Prepare the Wraps by taking the cooked Tortilla, spreading with Mayo, then adding the cooked chicken, then the Green Salad. Lastly, season generously. Roll up and scarf!

Chili Chicken Dippers

THEY are best served with Fries for the full hit.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup white spelt or organic wheat flour

1 cup water

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground chili

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Homemade French Fries (page 50)

3 good-sized chicken breasts, sliced into ¼-inch strips

white of 1 free-range egg

a saucepan full of good quality sunflower oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Warm the oil over medium-high heat while you prepare the ingredients.
• Sieve the flour into a bowl, make a well in the center, add the olive oil and water and whisk to prevent lumps. Chuck in the spices, mix again, and set the batter aside.
• Prepare the French Fries and pop in to cook as soon as the oil is ready. Cook for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, prepare the chicken.
• Now back to the batter: whip the egg white until it forms stiff white peaks, then fold the whipped egg white into the batter. Pop the strips of chicken into the bowl of batter. The French Fries should be cooked by now, so put them on a plate covered with paper towels and keep warm while you cook the Dippers.
• Individually pop each dipper into your waiting deep-fat fryer. Cook for roughly 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve the Dippers and Fries with Mayonnaise, Zingy Tomato Salsa (page 170), natural yogurt, or any other dips you like, and season well.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS