Category: Chicken

Posted in Chicken, Comfort Food, Fakeaways

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Posted on by FoodMakesKatieHappy

So Mike’s favourite takeaway is Chinese, but mine’s Indian so obviously we usually compromise and get an Indian…..

So I thought I’d be nice and make him one of his favs at home – and even though I’m not usually a fan of it from the takeaway, this was YUM….and super speedy! 45 minutes (less if you want to be healthier and skip the fried chicken) so even quicker than ordering a takeaway! 

What do you need? 

(For 2 greedy pigs) 

2 large chicken breasts chopped 

1 red pepper chopped into large chunks 

1 large onion chopped into large chunks 

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 inch fresh ginger, chopped 

1 red chilli diced 

100g plain flour 

100g cornflour 

2 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tsp onion salt 

1/2 tsk celery salt 

150-200g ketchup*

2 tbsp malt vinegar*

2 tbsp brown sugar*

1 small tin of pineapple chunks plus juice 

2 eggs 

*ratio depending on your preference of sweet to sour! 

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and in a separate bowl whisk the eggs together 
  2. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour mix, then in the egg and then back into the flour mix – shallow fry in batches for around 6 minutes until cooked through 
  3. Whilst the chicken is cooking fry your onions, chilli, garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes before adding in the peppers. Leave for a couple of minutes before adding in the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and pineapple (and juice!) and leave to reduce 
  4. Once the chicken is all cooked, place on a piece of kitchen roll to absorb the oil and then stir through your sauce to ensure it’s fully coated 
  5. Serve with rice, fresh spring onions and sesame seeds! 

YUM YUM YUM

What’s your favourite fakeaway? Comment below!

Posted in Chicken, Comfort Food, Sunday roasts

Chicken, Leek & Bacon Pie

Posted on by FoodMakesKatieHappy

I LOVE summer, but I’m also always very excited when Autumn comes around the corner and we can get back to cooking big warming plates of food! Nothing beats a plate of food including mash and gravy / sauce, for me that’s a bowl of comfort right there.

Chicken pie was one of the first things I ever learnt to cook at university and was actually the first thing I ever cooked for Mike – this is still my go-to recipe and I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve cooked it. Honestly, nothing beats it. Well, maybe chicken, leek, bacon AND mushroom pie, but Mike hates mushrooms so they don’t get to make an appearance very often!

This is a great dish to use up any left-over roast chicken on a Monday, or equally – it makes a great Sunday lunch when you just can’t be bothered for a full roast!

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts

1 pack of bacon lardons

300ml double cream

Half a glass of white wine

1 cup of chicken stock

Knob of butter

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp of milk

few springs of thyme and rosemary

2 tsp mixed herbs

3 leeks

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp whole grain mustard

1 sheet of puff pastry

Method:

1. Start by roasting your chicken breasts in some oil, s&p and a little sprinkle of mixed herbs – roast until cooked through and then shred (you might want to cook it covered in tin foil to keep in juicy!)
2. Whilst the chicken is roasting finely dice your onion and garlic and sweat for a few minutes. Add in the rosemary, thyme and mixed herbs and then the bacon.
3. In a separate pan, make a rue by melting the butter and the flour, take off the heat and add the milk, cream and chicken stock and set aside
4. Add the leeks to the onion and bacon mix and fry for a few minutes before adding in the white wine
5. Once the wine has reduced, add in the shredded chicken along with the sauce and leave to reduce. Season well and add the mustard
6. Transfer into a pie dish and cover with pastry (you can give it a quick egg wash too to help the colour the pastry!) and bake until pastry is golden brown! (25-30mins) Serve with creamy mash & veg!

Posted in Chicken, Comfort Food, Fakeaways, Quick Eats

Egg Fried Rice

Posted on by FoodMakesKatieHappy

There’s something about a big bowl of egg fried rice – it’s like a bowl of pure comfort. Something so simple, but so tasty. I’d happily order it from the Chinese and nothing else!

It might sound strange (especially considering how faithful I am to the weekly Sunday roast), but I LOVE this as a quick Sunday treat and it’s great to clear out the veg drawer before the weekly shop. I’ve popped below the recipe I use, but in all honesty it really depends what we have left that needs using up – pretty much any veg is great it in and I love chucking in some prawns if we have some (they’re a freezer staple for us). Take the ingredients with a pinch of salt and feel free to substitute where needed!

The secret to the best egg fried rice is pre-cooking the rice first and leaving it to cool & dry (none of this pre-cooked microwave rice nonsense). Using cold rice will allow it crisp up more when stir fried! That being said – you need to be careful reheating rice and I love having this as leftovers the next day so if that’s the plan I’ll cook the rice and use it straight away instead of letting it cool, that way I can reheat it. And don’t forget to always make sure the rice is steaming hot!

Serves 3 ( generous portions!)

Ingredients:

1/2 shallot / onion diced

Greens of your preference sliced (I love a big handful of spring greens / kale and some sliced broccoli )

3 eggs whisked + 3 extra if you want a fried egg on top (I’ll judge anyone who doesn’t!)

1/2 cup of peas

250g basmati rice (cooked and left to cool – unless planning to reheat leftovers don’t leave to cool, read above!)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 tsp five spice

1/2 tsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste (you can use fresh garlic and ginger but this is always a quick meal for us!)

Protein of your choice – I love adding in a diced chicken breast & handful of prawns!

To serve:

Cucumber, spring onion, chilli, coriander, sliced ginger, sesame seeds and generous serving of sriracha!

Method:

  1. Heat 1tbsp of vegetable oil a LARGE wok and add the garlic, ginger and shallot and cook through for one minute before adding the protein – keep stirring to stop burning
  2. Once the meat / fish has cooked through, remove from the wok and set aside and add the veg
  3. Whilst the veg is cooking through, mix the sesame oil, fish sauce, five spice, oyster sauce and soy sauce in a separate bowl until combined
  4. Once the veg is almost cooked, add back in the protein and stir through the rice. Give this a few minutes without stirring too much to allow the bottom layer of rice to crisp slightly!
  5. Heat the remaining tbsp of oil in a frying pan and crack in the eggs
  6. Whilst the eggs are cooking take you bowl of sauce and mix into the rice before adding in the whisked egg – keep stirring the eggs to make sure its fully mixed in and cooks through
  7. Serve the fried rice with the the fried egg on top with a generous handful of garnishes and enjoy!!

On the table in less than 15 minutes and absolutely DELISH!!!

Don’t forget to tag me! @foodmakeskatiehappy

Posted in Chicken, Comfort Food, Fakeaways

Chicken Satay

Posted on by FoodMakesKatieHappy

Looking for a weekend treat without reaching for the takeout menus? This will hit the spot! Whenever we get a Thai or Chinese takeaway, Mike ALWAYS insists on getting the sharing platter as a starter – just for the satay. And being truthful, I’ve never been big fan – don’t kill me for admitting this, but I actually HATE peanut butter. I’m pretty strange, right?

So it’s strange that this has become on of my favourite dishes! If that’s not proof that it’s bloody tasty, then I don’t know what is!

The best bit? It’s super easy! The marinade takes 5 minutes and then it’s in the fridge overnight to suck up all those flavours, then when you’re ready, it’s under the grill for 20mins whilst you whip up the sauce and that’s it! So why not give it a go instead of reaching for that takeaway menu?

Serves 2 (3 if you’re not greedy like us!)

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

1/2 tin of coconut milk

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ginger paste

1 1.2 tsp garlic

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

500g mini chicken fillets / sliced chicken breasts

For the dipping sauce:

3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 clove of garlic

1 inch chunk of ginger (peeled)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

Juice of a lime

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp ground coriander

1 small red chilli

1 tsp honey

1 tsp sesame oil

1/3 – 1/2 tin coconut milk depending on preference

To serve:

Sliced red chilli, cucumber, crushed peanuts, fresh coriander

Method:

  1. Start by making the marinade – mix together all the ingredients in one bowl before adding the chicken and covering well. Clingfilm and pop in the fridge to marinade. (Ideally overnight for maximum flavour, but for as long as you can spare!)
  2. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, get your skewers at the ready (if you’re using wooden skewers you’ll need to soak them in water for 20ish minutes to stop them burning!), pre-heat the grill to 200C and get your grill try at the ready; I’m a sucker for anything that minimises the clearing up time so always cover mine in tin foil. Then, pop the chicken on the skewers. I go for two on each and thread them through, trying to keep the skewer centred in the middle of the fillet to help them cook evenly.
  3. Then, pop them under the grill for 20-25mins – turning occasionally. Make sure they’re fully cooked through, and juices run clear! (My favourite cooking utensil is my meat thermometer!)
  4. Whilst they’re cooking you can put together the sauce – start by making a paste with the chilli, garlic & ginger – I use a pestle and mortar but you can use a blender or chop finely!
  5. Then mix in the remaining ingredients & you’re done! I usually start with 1/3 tin of coconut milk and then add more depending on flavour – it really depends how strong you like the peanut flavour!
  6. Pop the sauce in a bowl, take the chicken off the grill and top with fresh coriander, chilli and crushed peanuts and a side of cucumber!

This is great as a side or starter – but also great with stir fried noodles or egg fried rice!

We always have lots of sauce left over and tend to use it for Crispy Chicken Satay Burgers – YUM!! Recipe coming soon!!

ENJOY!! xoxox