QUICK CHICKS
CHILLI CHICKEN WINGS with pineapple
Chicken wings make good finger food. Doused in a sweet ‘n sour pineapple sauce they are delicious served with rice to soak up the syrup.
8–12 chicken wings
1/2 cup (125 ml) cake flour seasoned with salt, pepper and ground ginger
4 Tbsp (60 ml) oil
1 large red onion, cut into thin wedges
1–2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 × 450 g can pineapple pieces in syrup
5 tsp (25 ml) sweet chilli sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
Toss the chicken wings thoroughly in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a saucepan and brown the chicken. Remove and drain on paper towel.
In the same pan, fry the onion and garlic (adding a little extra oil if too dry) for 3–5 minutes. Add the pineapple with juice and all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a rapid boil. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer until the wings are cooked and the sauce has thickened. Serves 4
This is great fuss-free food when catering for a crowd. For the younger set, reduce the amount of red curry paste, but if you enjoy a spicier dish, increase the quantity. You could prepare the drumsticks over a braai as well; just remember to turn frequently otherwise the chicken will burn. If you can’t find pak choi, replace it with baby spinach leaves.
2–3 Tbsp (30–45 ml) red curry paste
1 × 400 g can coconut milk
3 Tbsp (45 ml) lime (or lemon) juice
1 bunch of coriander, very finely chopped
12 chicken drumsticks
500–700 g pak choi, washed and trimmed
5 tsp (25 ml) soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cm-piece fresh ginger, grated
1–2 tsp (5–10 ml) fish sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sesame or sunflower oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
For the marinade, mix together the curry paste, coconut milk, lime (or lemon) juice and coriander in a large, rectangular dish.
With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal slits in the thickest part of the flesh of each drumstick. Place the drumsticks in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but longer if time permits.
Remove the drumsticks from the marinade and place in an ovenproof dish. Roast for 45–50 minutes, turning once. Bring the remaining marinade to the boil, lower the heat to a simmer and allow the marinade to reduce until thickened. Set aside to serve with the chicken.
Combine the bok choy with the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and oil. Preheat a wok or large frying pan until steaming hot. Add the bok choy mixture and stir-fry for 3–5 minutes. Serve the chicken over a bed of pak choi and spoon over the sauce. Serves 6
SPICY CHICKEN STIR-FRY
If you don’t have a wok, use a large frying pan. Be very careful not to burn the cumin as it will impart a bitter flavour and spoil the dish. The peppers add lovely colour.
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sunflower oil
1 tsp (5 ml) cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
4 chicken breast fillets, sliced
2–3 Tbsp (30–45 ml) curry paste (not a Thai paste but an Indian curry paste, e.g. Pataks™ or Pakco™)
1 × 400 g can chopped tomatoes
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
1 each red and green pepper, seeded and cubed
Heat a wok (or frying pan) until it’s almost smoking. Add the oil and cumin seeds, then stir-fry for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the onion and fry until a pale, golden colour. Add the chicken and curry paste, then fry for another 7 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and chicken stock, together with the peppers. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
Serve with rice and naan bread. Serves 4
QUICK CHICKEN CURRY
I discovered this dish many years ago while on a cookery course in Hong Kong, and it has become one of my favourite recipes. The time cheat here is to use a ready-made curry paste instead of making your own – as I did on the course. I have made the dish with chicken breast fillets and chicken thigh fillets, but have found chicken thighs on the bone to be the tastiest by far. For a larger crowd, double or treble the quantity.
For those who dislike chopping onions, invest in an Alligator™, a kitchen gadget that chops onions perfectly, in a flash. Use ready-prepared ginger, garlic and chilli to speed things up as well.
1 kg skinless chicken thighs on the bone
2 tsp (10 ml) salt
4–6 Tbsp (60–90 ml) red curry paste
2 tsp (10 ml) paprika
4 Tbsp (60 ml) sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 cm-stalk lemon grass
1 × 400 g can chopped tomatoes
a few curry leaves
1 piece stick cinnamon
1 green chilli, seeded and sliced
1 × 400 g coconut milk
Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and sprinkle the salt over them. Add the curry paste and paprika, and mix through, ensuring the thighs are covered with the paste. Set aside for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Preheat the oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the ginger, garlic, lemon grass, tomatoes, curry leaves and cinnamon, then sauté for a few minutes. Add the chilli, followed by the chicken and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk, cover and simmer over a low heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning. Serve with basmati rice. Serves 6
If you’re looking for a really quick meal, this is it! There are numerous ready-made curry sauces on the market; those produced by Tastic™, Ina Paarman™ and Nando’s™ are all good.
Although fairly extravagant, if you’re really pressed for time, purchase the convenient doy packs of ready-cooked basmati rice. It’s a good idea to keep a few of them in the store cupboard. One pack is sufficient for 2–3 servings.
Chicken and Spinach Curry (front), Potato and Cauliflower Curry (back – page 66)
1 cup (250 ml) raw basmati rice
4 tsp (20 ml) sunflower oil
6 skinless chicken breasts fillets, cubed
1 × 400 g jar or 2 × 200 g sachets (or 1 × 375 g Tastic™ sachet) ready-made cook-in curry sauce
250 g fresh baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packaging.
In the meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan. Add the chicken pieces and brown for 2–3 minutes. Pour in the sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted. Season, then spoon the rice into bowls. Top with the chicken and pour over the sauce. Serve with naan bread. Serves 4
CHICKEN BREASTS with tamarind-orange glaze
Tamarind, highly favoured in Indian cuisine, has a lovely sweet-sour flavour. Over the past few years it has made inroads onto supermarket shelves and is available in blocks, not unlike dates. It should be soaked in boiling water and strained before being added to dishes. For the quantity required in this recipe, soak a generous lump in 100 ml boiling water, leave for 15 minutes and strain.
To save time, make a double quantity of the tamarind-orange sauce and store in the refrigerator. For a special dinner party, replace the chicken with deboned duck breasts and score the skin before frying.
Chicken Breasts with Tamarind-Orange Glaze (front), Courgettes with Tahini (back – page 142)
2 cups (500 ml) orange juice
4 Tbsp (60 ml) brown sugar
4 Tbsp (60 ml) soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) tamarind paste
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp (3 ml) Chinese five-spice powder
6 chicken breasts on the bone with skin (or 1 whole chicken, cut into portions)
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
orange zest to garnish
Combine the orange juice and sugar in a heavy-based pan. Cook over high heat until reduced to half, stirring from time to time. Add the soy sauce, tamarind, garlic, chilli and five-spice powder. Simmer until syrupy and thickened.
Cut slits into the flesh on the skin side of the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the chicken skin side down and fry until the skin is crisp (approximately 5–6 minutes). Turn and fry for a further 5 minutes. Pour over the tamarind-orange glaze and bring to the boil.
Serve with the glaze spooned over the chicken and garnish with orange zest. Serves 6
QUICK MAYO-CURRIED CHICKEN
If you prefer, you may replace the wine with chicken stock. For health reasons, you may remove the skin from the chicken, but it does add wonderful flavour. If you’re in a hurry, buy a ready-roasted chicken.
1 large roasted chicken
2 Tbsp (30 ml) runny honey or golden syrup
1 Tbsp (15 ml) mild fruit chutney
2–3 tsp (10–15 ml) Indian curry paste (not a Thai curry), e.g. Pataks™ or Pakco™
1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine
2 cups (500 ml) good quality mayonnaise (not salad cream)
a handful flaked almonds, toasted
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cut the chicken into portions. Mix together the honey, chutney and curry paste in a medium-sized pan, then bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from the stove top, add the wine and slowly stir though the mayonnaise. Pour the mixture over the chicken pieces and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with the almonds and serve with rice and salad. Serves 6
NO-COOK CHICKEN COUSCOUS
This is perfect for one of those meals that calls for home cooking without any cooking! Purchase ready-roasted chicken breasts, but if those aren’t available, a ready-roasted whole chicken will be fine.
Couscous is a great store cupboard standby, as is Indian curry paste and cans of whole-kernel corn.
2 tsp (10 ml) Indian curry paste
400 ml boiling hot chicken stock
200 g couscous
200 g frozen or fresh peas
4 ready-cooked chicken breasts, skin and bones removed
1 small punnet cocktail tomatoes, halved
1 × 400 g can whole-kernel corn, well drained
a handful parsley or basil, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste
Stir the curry paste into the chicken stock. Place the couscous and peas in a large bowl, then pour the stock over, cover with clingfilm and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Cut the chicken into pieces and toss into the couscous with the tomatoes, corn and parsley.
Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning, Pour over the couscous and chicken and serve. Serves 6
Packs of ready-peeled and cubed sweet potato will minimise much of your preparation time, while crushed garlic and ready-grated ginger are also excellent time-savers.
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sunflower oil
1.5 kg chicken portions
1 large red onion, chopped
1–2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cm-piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 each red and yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
500 g sweet potatoes, cubed
2 cups (500 ml) ginger ale
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a large ovenproof saucepan, preheat the oil and brown the chicken portions on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside.
In the same pan, fry the onion, garlic and ginger together. Add the red and yellow peppers, and sweet potatoes, then fry for a further 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, pour over the ginger ale and season. Bake, uncovered, in the pan for 60 minutes, turning the chicken once to end with the skin side up. Serves 4–6
This is an unusual yet simple dinner party idea. Allow 2–3 cakes per person. Some stores sell ready-made chicken mince in their meat section. Use the mince on the day of purchase as freezing makes chicken mince very watery. Fresh is always best.
The raw mixture may be prepared 3–5 hours beforehand, then stored, covered, in the refrigerator.
Chilli-Plum Chicken Cakes (front), Spicy Pork Patties (back – page 113)
500 g chicken mince
1 small red chilli, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
a handful fresh coriander, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce
1/2 cup (125 ml) coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 spring onions, finely sliced
GARNISH
chives
red chilli, sliced
DIPPING SAUCE
100 ml sweet chilli sauce
100 ml plum sauce
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
In a bowl, combine the chicken, chilli, garlic, coriander, oyster sauce, fish sauce, coconut milk, salt, pepper and spring onions well together. Divide the mixture equally into the cups of a well-greased 12-cup muffin pan. Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the pan. Decorate the cakes with chives and slivers of red chilli.
For the dipping sauce, mix together the chilli and plum sauces then serve with the chicken cakes. Makes 12
CHICKEN BREASTS with raisins and verjuice
Verjuice is a light green juice from unripened grapes, similar to lemon juice but without the harshness. It can be used as a replacement for wine in dishes as a non-alcoholic alternative.
1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins
1/2 cup (125 ml) verjuice
a few sprigs fresh rosemary, destalked
a generous splash olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 chicken breasts, skin on and bone in
extra olive oil and butter for frying
Soak the raisins in the verjuice for 15 minutes until they plump up.
Mix together the rosemary, olive oil, pepper and chicken breasts, then set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Heat some olive oil and a lump of butter in a large frying pan. Fry the breasts skin side down for 8–10 minutes, turn and fry until done. Remove from the pan.
Pour the raisins and verjuice into the same pan, deglaze and allow to reduce and thicken slightly. Pour over the breasts and serve immediately with mash. Serves 4
CHICKEN BREASTS IN FOUR VARIATIONS
Chicken breasts are one of the most versatile ingredients to have on standby. I always keep a large pack in my freezer. They defrost quickly but cook well from frozen too. Buy the skinless ones packaged in individual plastic sleeves so that you can take out as many as you need at a time, straight from the freezer without defrosting the whole pack.
MUSTARD AND ORANGE CHICKEN
juice of 1 orange
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) wholegrain mustard
salt and black pepper to taste
4–6 chicken breast fillets
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sunflower oil
Mix together the orange juice, garlic, mustard and seasoning in a bowl. Add the breasts and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
Preheat a non-stick griddle pan (with ridges to create grill lines), then add the oil. Using tongs, carefully place the breasts in the pan. (It will splatter so stand back.) Fry the breasts for 3–5 minutes on each side, basting frequently with the remaining marinade.
Serve with baked or boiled potatoes and a salad. Serves 4
FAT-FREE, HONEY-GLAZED CHICKEN
1 large grapefruit, peeled and pith removed
1 large orange, peeled and pith removed
4 chicken breast fillets
100 ml runny honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven grill.
Using a sharp vegetable knife, carefully cut between the membranes of the citrus fruit, in order to release each segment.
With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal slits in each chicken breast, on one side only. Brush each breast all over with the honey, season and place cut-side down on a grill tray. Place under the grill for 5 minutes. Turn the breasts over and place the grapefruit and orange segments in the slits alternately, so that you have a mix of grapefruit and orange. Brush again with the honey, season and grill for a further 3 minutes. Serve immediately with a salad. Serves 4
4–6 chicken breast fillets
100 ml cake flour seasoned with salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) tomato paste
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
a handful black olives, pitted
2 tsp (10 ml) capers
a handful fresh basil leaves
Dip the chicken breasts into the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chicken on both sides for 3 minutes until golden in colour. Remove from the pan.
Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stir in the tomato paste and stock. Add the sugar. Return the chicken to the pan, followed by the olives, capers and basil. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes until heated through and the sauce is slightly thickened. Serves 4
CHICKEN WITH RED WINE AND GRAPES
The red wine may be replaced with red grape juice.
3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
1.5 kg mixed chicken portions
1 red onion, sliced
300 ml red wine
1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large bunch seedless red grapes, washed
Preheat the oil in a large pan and brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the pan, if needed, then fry the onion until soft. Pour in the wine and chicken stock. Return the chicken portions to the pan and season. Simmer for 30–40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced.
Add the grapes to the chicken and heat through. Serve with mashed potato. Serves 4–6
Spicy Thai Chicken Twisters with Sticky Sweet Pototo Wedges (page 141)
100 ml sweet chilli sauce
1–2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
1 stalk lemon grass, finely sliced
4–6 skinless chicken breast fillets
toothpicks
3 Tbsp (45 ml) sunflower oil
Mix together the sweet chilli sauce, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce and lemon grass in a bowl.
Place the chicken breasts on a chopping board and make a diagonal slit in each breast (but without cutting in half). For each breast, pick up one end and fold it through the cut, creating a knot. Secure the knot with a toothpick. Marinate the breasts in the marinade for at least 10 minutes.
Preheat a non-stick grill pan with the oil and grill the chicken twisters for 3–5 minutes on one side. Turn over, baste with the marinade and grill for a further 3–5 minutes.
Serve immediately with rice or potato wedges or baked potatoes and a salad. Serves 4–6
CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD CRUST
This dish can be prepared ahead of time as you may keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Don’t be tempted to use dried breadcrumbs as the texture of fresh bread is required for a crisp topping. To make the breadcrumbs, remove the crusts from white bread and either grate the slices by hand or process in a food processor or blender. If you are using a blender to make breadcrumbs, add all the other ingredients, except the chicken, to the breadcrumbs and process to make a paste.
125 g butter, softened
2 Tbsp (30 ml) wholegrain mustard
2 slices white bread, crusts removed and crumbed
salt and black pepper to taste
1.5 kg mixed chicken portions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the butter, mustard and breadcrumbs to make a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture over the skin side of the chicken portions. Refrigerate for 30 minutes then bake for 45–60 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Serves 4–6
My late mother, Nora Squires, hated chicken but she loved this dish because the skin becomes quite crispy, almost Oriental in flavour.
1.5 kg mixed chicken portions
salt and pepper to taste
4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) runny honey
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Arrange the chicken portions, skin side up, in a baking dish, season and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the honey over the portions. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Return to the oven for 15 minutes, basting halfway through. Don’t overcook as honey burns easily.
Serve with egg noodles. Serves 4–6
CHICKEN AND PESTO ROLL-UPS
2 × 200 ml sachets cheese sauce
50 g fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and black pepper to taste
6 Tbsp (90 ml) basil pesto
8 ready-made fresh pancakes or roti
3 boned and skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the cheese sauce and the Parmesan cheese. Season. Pour a third of the sauce into a bowl, then stir in the pesto. For each pancake spoon a dollop of the pesto mixture into the centre. Top with some chicken, fold in the sides and roll up the pancakes.
Arrange the pancakes in a buttered, oven-proof dish. Pour over the remaining cheese sauce. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes and serve with a green salad. Serves 4
LEMON-MARINATED CHICKEN with avocado topping
For a real cheat meal, replace the avocado topping with a jar of ready-made guacamole. It’s not serious if you have insufficient time to marinate for a full hour, but do marinate for at least 15 minutes.
4–6 skinless chicken breast fillets
MARINADE
4 Tbsp (60 ml) lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sweet chilli sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) runny honey
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
4 Tbsp (60 ml) chopped fresh coriander
salt and black pepper to taste
AVOCADO TOPPING
1 large avocado, stoned, peeled and mashed
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream
salt and black pepper to taste
Combine all the marinade ingredients, pour over the chicken and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook in a preheated griddle pan over medium heat for 5–7 minutes per side. Do not overcook.
Mix together all the topping ingredients, spoon over the breast fillets and serve. Alternatively, omit the avocado from the mixture and use it, finely sliced, as a garnish over the top of the chicken. Serves 4
When microwave ovens first arrived in South Africa, microwave mania was the order of the day. Food writers bombarded us with cookbooks on how to cook everything, well almost everything, in the microwave oven. Nowadays, the mania has settled and the microwave has found its rightful place in the kitchen – as a superb aid but no replacement for the stove. This recipe did the rounds way back, but is still relevant when a meal for four is required in less than 30 minutes.
And guess what, no dishes – except the plates of course!
85 ml butter, melted
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp (10 ml) soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) brown onion soup powder
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 0.5 cm-slices
4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 onion, quartered
100 ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 kg whole chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1 oven-roasting bag
To calculate cooking time, allow 10–12 minutes per 500 g of chicken.
Combine the butter, garlic, soy sauce and onion soup powder. Toss the carrots, potatoes, celery and onion in half the butter mixture. Place all the ingredients, except the chicken and the balance of the butter mixture, in the roasting bag and set in a glass dish that will fit into the microwave oven.
Brush the underside of the chicken with half the butter mixture, saving the other half for the breast side of the chicken later. Season (be careful with the salt because the soy sauce and brown onion soup are salty). Place the chicken in the bag, breast-side down. Tie the bag loosely with an elastic band (don’t use a metal tag). Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
Open the bag carefully as hot steam will escape. Turn the chicken over, then brush with the remaining butter and reseal the bag. Microwave for a further 10 minutes, then leave to stand for another 10 minutes before serving.
If desired, pour the liquid from the bag into a jug. Make a paste of 2 teaspoons (10 ml) cornflour mixed with a little water. Add it to the liquid and cook on high for 2–3 minutes until thickened. Serve the gravy with the chicken and vegetables. Serves 4
This recipe is Chef Richard Rust’s idea. I roast the chicken in the oven, but it’s equally good done on the braai or in a kettle braai.
1 large fresh chicken
2 Tbsp (30 ml) basil pesto
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sun-dried tomato pesto
2 Tbsp (30 ml) tapenade
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Flatten the chicken by placing it breast-side down on a board. Using kitchen scissors, cut along the backbone on both sides. Remove the backbone and discard. Turn the chicken breast-side up, and flatten the bird with the palm of your hand. Use a sharp knife to make incisions into the breast and thighs.
Combine the pestos and tapenade. Roast the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread generously with half of the pesto mixture. Return to the oven and roast for a further 15 minutes. Spread with more pesto mixture and roast for yet a further 15 minutes. Leave the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serves 4–6
CHEAT’S CHICKEN ELIZABETH
The Cordon Bleu School of London devised this dish for the Coronation celebrations in1953. Using convenience items I have speeded up the original idea.
1 whole cooked chicken
4 Tbsp (60 ml) Indian curry paste or 1/2 cup (125 ml) curry sauce
1 cup (250 ml) thick mayonnaise (e.g. Hellmann’s™)
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp (15 ml) smooth apricot jam
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup (125 ml) cream
1 bag mixed salad leaves
50 g flaked almonds, toasted
Cut the chicken into portions. Remove the skin and discard. Remove the flesh from the bones and break into smaller pieces.
Mix together the curry paste, mayonnaise, lemon juice, jam, seasoning and cream. Combine with the chicken and mix through.
On a serving platter, arrange the leaves around the edge. Spoon the chicken into the centre and garnish with the almonds. Serve with savoury rice. Serves 4–6
CHICKEN TAGINE with dates and honey
A tagine is a cooking vessel used in Morocco with a round base and a conical lid. Its unique design allows moisture from the cooking to drip back down onto the food, making it deliciously moist. If you have a tagine, you could prepare this dish in it, but take care as many are merely ornamental and cannot withstand intense heat, especially when browning the onions and chicken over a high heat. If you do make it in a tagine, place it in the oven when you switch it on and allow both the dish and oven to heat up together.
This dish is an excellent crowd pleaser – simply double or treble the quantities. Best of all, it’s made in just one pot and served with instant couscous that requires no cooking.
4 Tbsp (60 ml) olive oil
1 kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips
2 large onions, sliced (save time and buy ready-sliced onions)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp (5 ml) each cumin seeds, ground coriander, ground ginger, turmeric and ground cinnamon
1/2–1 tsp (3–5 ml) chilli powder
1/2 tsp (3 ml) grated nutmeg
11/2 cups (375 ml) chicken stock
a pinch saffron strands infused in 1 cup (250 ml) hot water
1 cup (250 ml) fresh dates, seeded and halved
100 ml honey
50 g blanched almonds, toasted
a large handful coriander leaves to garnish
Preheat half the oil in a large pan or tagine until very hot. Brown the chicken in 3 batches. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, fry the onions, garlic and all the spices in the remaining oil. Add the chicken and the remaining ingredients, except the honey, almonds and coriander. Simmer for 1 hour, covered, stirring from time to time, until the chicken is really tender and the sauce has reduced. Add the honey and almonds in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
Sprinkle over the coriander and serve with couscous. Serves 6
