Chicken and Chorizo Warm Winter Salad

This is such a delicious midweek meal, really easy too as everything is roasted together in the same tin. The chorizo releases a wonderfully flavourful oil which eliminates the need for a dressing, all it needs is a swirl of balsamic glaze over the top of the salad once assembled and you're ready to go. I like to use cooking chorizo which is found in supermarket fridges with the meat, this needs to be cooked and tends to be a little softer than the dryer, cured chorizo that doesn't need to be cooked.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts or 2-3 Chicken thighs, cut into 3-4 pieces

Approx. 200g Cooking chorizo, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large Red onion, thinly sliced

Approx. 300g Baby new potatoes (large ones cut in half)

Head of broccoli, broken into florets

1-2 Cloves of garlic, minced

Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Salt and black pepper

Glug of olive oil

Bag of mixed salad leaves

few handfuls of baby plum tomatoes, halved

Balsamic glaze to finish

• Boil the baby potatoes for 8-10 minutes until tender, throwing the broccoli in for the last 2 minutes for a quick blanch (this stops it from burning when roasted). Drain and leave to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 200C fan.
• Tip the chorizo, chicken pieces and the sliced onions into a large roasting tin. Add a good glug of olive oil along with the garlic, chilli (if using) and a seasoning of salt and black pepper. 
• Add the potatoes and broccoli to the roasting tin and toss everything together thoroughly.
• Roast in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, then take the tin out of the oven and toss everything around again so it all cooks evenly but also to distribute the chorizo oil.
• Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes, check that the chicken is cooked through (pop it back into the oven for 5 more minutes if not), then toss it all together for a final time.
• Divide your salad leaves between two bowls, add the baby plum tomatoes and season with a little salt and pepper.
• Top the salad leaves with the roasted chicken, chorizo and veg with all the lovely juices and oil.
• Swirl or zigzag some balsamic glaze over the top and tuck in.

Homemade Fajitas

Love fajitas?  Always buy the trusty sachet of spice mix in the yellow and red Mexicana themed packet?  Try my recipe below next time you have fajitas and you'll never go back to that little packet again.  We're talking juicy, tender meat with zingy garlic and lime juice, smoky, earthy depth from the paprika and cumin all finishing in a tingling heat...flavours that really wake up your taste buds.

This marinade works brilliantly for chicken or beef, allow about 500g of meat.  Chicken breast or rump steak cut into strips would be my choice.  I used it once on fillets of salmon then grilled them until sizzling and cooked through, pretty amazing served with avocado and plenty of lime juice in a tortilla wrap.

Just a quick note on ingredients, if you haven't used smoked paprika before it's well worth adding to your spice cupboard, I use Pimenton de la Vera Dulce, it's used in lots of Spanish and Mexican recipes and it's great in barbecue marinades too.  If you can't get the chipotle chilli flakes you could use chipotle paste instead or just use ordinary chilli flakes, it depends how hot you like your fajitas, I do like the depth of flavour that you get from combining the smoked paprika and the smoked chipotle.

Ingredients

Juice of 2 limes (or 1 if your lime is particularly large and juicy)

2 tablespoons olive oil

generous pinch of salt (about half a teaspoon)

good grinding of black pepper

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

half a teaspoon of chipotle dried chilli flakes

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

half a fresh chilli (more or less according to your liking)

large pinch of dried oregano

• Mix all the marinade together and throw in your strips of either chicken or beef.
• If you have the time let this marinate for around two hours or more, otherwise an hour will be fine.
• Heat some oil in a large frying pan until hot then tip your marinated meat into the hot pan.
• Spread it out into a single layer and let it cook on high for a few minutes then toss the pieces over and let them cook for another few minutes.
• After this time the steak will be ready however if you are using chicken it will need a few minutes more.
• When the meat is cooked through transfer it to a pre-heated oven dish and serve.

Everyone has their favourite accompaniments, for me it's strips of red pepper and onion that have been quickly fried until the edges are browning, then I keep it old school with sour cream, tomato salsa and avocado that has been mashed with lots of salt and lime juice.

Jerk Chicken

Jerk is arguably the very best marinade for chicken; spicy, sweet, earthy, tangy, hot...it covers all bases.  
The most authentic jerk chicken uses the whole bird, jointed, however I often make it to serve in wraps so in this case use boneless and skinless thighs.  If you want to be authentic but don't want to go down the whole chicken route you can use one or two packs of legs and thighs that most supermarkets sell.

This recipe has been slightly adapted from the one given to me by my lovely cousin-in-law, Nadia Mahabir who regularly cooks Trinidadian food for the good people of West Sussex.  I feel the need to confess, she would not approve of using boneless thighs as in Trinidad they always use meat on the bone...and while I'm in the confessional mood I may as well admit that I don't always use scotch bonnet chillies (those days that I fancy a gentle hum of heat rather than a searing fire!).

For 1 whole jointed chicken or around 2kg of legs and thighs.  It's also fantastic with pork and works amazingly well with salmon.

Ingredients

100ml Malt Vinegar

2 Scotch Bonnet Chillies, finely sliced with seeds

1 Red Onion, roughly diced

100ml Dark Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

6 Garlic cloves, minced

50g Dark Muscovado Sugar

100ml Orange Juice

1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme
Generous grinding of Black Pepper

2 teaspoons All Spice

2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg (best grated directly from the whole nutmeg but use ready ground if you don't have a suitable grater)

1 thumb size piece of Fresh Ginger, peeled and finely sliced (use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger if you can't get fresh, still great, a bit more earthy)

Juice of 2 Lemons
Juice of 2 Limes

• Measure and tip all of the ingredients into a large bowl including the squeezed pieces of lemons and limes.
• Give it all a big thorough stir.
• Place the chicken (or pork, salmon, anything else you fancy jerking) into the marinade and squish it all around to cover all surfaces of the meat.
• Ideally let the meat marinate for 24 hours or, if not, at least 8 hours, giving it a stir occasionally to make sure the marinade is permeating as much of the meat as possible.
• This really is best barbecued, however if the weather doesn't allow it, cooking on a high heat in a ridged griddle pan also works well.  If you are using large pieces of jointed chicken oven-cook them at 200C for 20 minutes then finish them off on the barbecue.  Make sure that it is thoroughly cooked by cutting right into the middle of the chicken piece to check there is no pink.



Creamy Chicken Soup

There are those days when nothing will soothe your soul quite like a steaming bowl of thick, creamy chicken soup.  Today, for me, is one of those days.

This is one of my staples to make when I've got leftover roast chicken.  I pick all the meat I can off the carcass then make stock by boiling up all the bones and bits for a good few hours.  Sometimes I will add bay leaves, carrots, celery, onion and maybe some other fresh herbs to the stock for extra flavour but most often I just go for pure chicken goodness.  Top tip - make the stock the day before you want to use it, strain and chill it overnight, then in the morning you can scrape the solidified fat off the top.

This soup is completely open to variations with the addition of other vegetables or herbs, I have suggested a few below.  On this occasion however, I'm going old-school, no messing around, I'm feeling traditional...

 

Ingredients

2 Large Brown Onions, roughly chopped

3-4 Sticks of Celery (if you have it in, it's not essential)), roughly chopped

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

50g Butter

4 tablespoons Plain Flour

100ml White Wine

2 pints (approx. 1 litre) Good Flavourful Chicken Stock

150-200g Cooked Chicken (breast, thigh or leg meat), cut into chunky pieces

150ml Double Cream

Lemon Juice

Salt and Black Pepper 

• Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat then tip in the onions and celery (if using), cook slowly for a few minutes then add the garlic and a good seasoning of salt and black pepper.  Continue to cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat up slightly then add the flour to the pan, stir vigorously for about 20 seconds to incorporate it and cook the flour slightly, then pour in the white wine.  Let this bubble for a minute or two then pour in the chicken stock and stir well.
• Bring to the boil then cook on a medium heat for around 15 minutes until the vegetables are completely tender and the stock has reduced a little.
• Let the soup cool a little then blend until smooth with either a hand (stick) blender or a jug blender, if you have neither you can push it through a sieve.
• Pour the cream into the soup and add the chicken, then slowly bring back up to the boil.
• At this point if the soup is not as thick as you would like, mix a few tablespoons of plain flour with some double cream, milk or water into a smooth paste then stir it into the soup.
• When the thickness of the soup is to your liking stir in the juice of half a lemon then taste.  It will probably need more salt and pepper and maybe another squeeze of lemon.
• Bring back to the boil then serve steaming hot...and relax.

 

Variations

-Chicken and Leek - Use 2-3 leeks as well as the onions then only blend half the soup for a chunkier texture.
-Chicken and Mushroom - Add loads of mushrooms to the onions and cook down until all the liquid evaporates before adding the flour and continuing as above.  Also lovely with the addition of some chopped fresh sage or thyme.
-Chicken and Tarragon - Add a handful of chopped fresh tarragon leaves to the onions and add a dollop of Dijon mustard to the soup.  This is also very good with crème fraiche instead of double cream.

Hot and Fragrant Chicken Curry

This wonderfully tasty and versatile curry is a midweek staple in my house.  It really is very easy and can be tweaked to suit your mood; hot and spicy, mild and creamy, sweet and nutty...whatever you feel like.

I do not apologise for using curry powder, I don't have the time nor the inclination during a busy week to start dry roasting and grinding whole spices.  I believe that if you find a good quality curry powder that you like then boost the aromatic spices with a touch of garam masala, you're onto a winner.  I use Bolst's Mild Curry Powder that I buy from my local specialist food shop (The Wild Food Company in Malmesbury), it's got very rounded spices and I like to control the heat myself.  For the heat I usually use generic red chillies, they are not normally particularly hot so I will use one for the flavour then up the heat with dried chilli flakes if I want to.  If I'm feeling like a hot, hot, hot curry I use scotch bonnet chilli peppers...these are seriously hot though, so beware!

I always remove the skin from the red pepper by putting pieces of pepper under the grill until the skin blisters and blackens.  It is not essential to do this but I feel it concentrates the sweetness and makes a smoother sauce.
This is great made with either breast or thigh meat.

 

Ingredients

500g Chicken Breast or Boneless, Skinless Thigh, cut into chunky pieces

1 Large Red Onion

1 inch cube Fresh Ginger

3-4 Garlic Cloves

1 Fresh Chilli, to taste (see notes above)

1 Red Pepper (with the skin removed by blackening it under the grill)
Sunflower Oil

2 teaspoons Curry Powder

1 teaspoons Garam Masala

Salt and Black Pepper
Water or Stock

Lemon Juice to taste

Sugar to taste
Fresh Coriander

Optional Additions : Cream, Coconut Cream, Ground Almonds, Tomatoes
 

• Start by making a paste with the onion, ginger, garlic, fresh chilli and red pepper.  I do this in my mini-chopper but you can use a blender (using a glug of sunflower oil to help it along) or just chop it all together as finely as possible on a board.
• Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan or wok then add the onion paste with a generous seasoning of salt and black pepper.
• Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring it around on a high heat then add the curry powder and garam masala.  This now needs to be cooked for another few minutes until the spice aroma is rising from the pan and the oil is separating slightly.
• Tip in the chunks of chicken and stir them around to coat with the spicy paste.  Do this until the meat is sealed then pour in enough water or stock to cover the meat (you can use coconut milk instead at this point if you like).
• This now needs to be cooked for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the chicken is cooked.
• At this point you can tailor it to how you like it, possibly by adding a few tablespoons of double cream or coconut cream, maybe sprinkling in a handful of ground almonds to thicken and enrich the sauce.  At the very least you will need to taste your curry and adjust the seasoning as needed, I always add a few squeezes of lemon juice, a sprinkling of sugar to balance and possibly a touch more salt.
• Finish with a stir-through of fresh coriander (if liked) and serve.



Lemon, Rosemary and Garlic Chicken

So it is spring at last!  As Brits we instinctively feel the need to get the barbeque out as soon as the warm sun appears...and why not?  We are accustomed to such changeable conditions that have learnt to act quickly when the sun shines, discarding our boots for flip-flops and glugging down Pimm's with abandonment because, let's face it, we never know how long it's going to last...
So I'm all for celebrating each sunny day enthusiastically and barbequing as often as is feasibly possible!
This is a very simple, Italian-inspired marinade which is full of Mediterranean flavours and makes for very tasty, juicy chicken.  Try to get ready-boned chicken thighs for this, it's a long, messy job to do it yourself.  You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but you will need to flatten them out a bit by bashing them between two pieces of cling film with a rolling pin before marinating. 
As we always need a Plan B, this is also great griddled or fried on the hob if the weather is not barbeque friendly.

 

Ingredients

4-5 Chicken Thigh Fillets

3-4 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

3 cloves Garlic, sliced

4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Lemon

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

• Put the rosemary sprigs into a bowl with the sliced garlic, sea salt and pepper, bash them with the blunt end of a knife a few times to release the flavours, or use a pestle and mortar.  
• Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl with the rosemary, tear the lemon halves in half and pop them in too.  Pour in the olive oil and give it all a good stir.
• Trim the chicken thighs by opening them out and cutting off any fatty bits then put them into the marinade.  Squish the chicken around to get it thoroughly covered in all the lemony juices. Leave to marinate for at least an hour in the fridge until ready to cook.
• To cook the chicken thighs, take them out of the marinade and place, as flat as you can, onto a hot barbeque, griddle pan or frying pan, cook for approx. 5-7 minutes each side until cooked all the way through.  If you are using flattened chicken breast it will probably not need as long.
• Serve immediately with salad, in a pitta or just eat with your fingers, yum!!

Honey and Mustard Chicken and Bacon Salad

This is such a tasty salad...sweet, sticky chicken, salty bacon, crisp lettuce and spinach in a creamy mustard dressing, mmmmm!

If you share my love for and slight addiction to truffle oil, you may want to try trickling a few drops over the finished salad just before eating, that's all I'm saying...

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

For the marinade

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Runny Honey

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Juice of Half a Lemon

Approx. 500g Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into thin strips

For the Dressing

1 heaped teaspoon Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons Double Cream

Salt and Black Pepper

1 clove of Garlic, minced

2 teaspoons White Wine Vinegar

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Approx. 4 thick rashers of Bacon, smoked or unsmoked as you prefer,cut into strips

a few handfuls of Spinach Leaves

a few handfuls of crunchy lettuce like Romaine, Little Gem or Iceberg

• Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl then add the strips of chicken and turn them over to coat each piece in the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.
• Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients except for the oil together in a small bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking until it is all incorporated, check for seasoning then chill until needed.
• To prepare the salad, heat a few drops of oil in a frying pan then fry the bacon pieces until crispy, put them into a bowl to cool slightly.
• Tip the chicken and marinade into the hot frying pan and cook on a high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is golden brown and marinade thick and syrupy.  While this is cooking, toss the spinach and lettuce with the dressing in a bowl then divide it between two plates, sprinkle over the crispy bacon.
• Top the salad with the hot chicken and syrupy juices, serve immediately.

Moroccan-Inspired Roast Chicken and Couscous

A spicy, sweet, tangy dish which is a tasty, healthier alternative to a traditional roast.  Lots of ingredients but it is so worth it!
The full-flavoured spiced couscous is served with chunky pieces of juicy, harissa-scented roast chicken then topped with a rich tomato sauce made with the chicken juices.

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients

1 Whole Chicken

2 teaspoons Harissa Paste

1 clove of Garlic, minced

Salt and Black Pepper

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Orange, cut into quarters

1 400g tin of Chopped Tomatoes

1 tablespoon Tomato Puree

For the Couscous

Olive Oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

half a teaspoon Cumin

half a teaspoon Cinnamon

half a teaspoon Turmeric

1 teaspoon Sweet Smoked Paprika (Pimenton)

3 cloves of Garlic, minced

Juice of an Orange

1 teaspoon Harissa

2 Red Peppers, skinned and sliced into strips *

a big handful of Sultanas

1 tablespoon Honey

200g Couscous

50g Pine Nuts

Fresh Lemon Juice

* I skin peppers by cutting them into quarters then putting them skin-side up under a hot grill until the skin is papery and black, the skin comes off easily once cooled.  If you don't want to be bothered, just leave the skin on or buy a jar of flame-grilled peppers!

• Preheat the oven to 190C.
• Sit the chicken in a roasting tin then, with a sharp knife, cut grooves into the chicken breasts and legs.  In a small bowl mix the harissa paste with the garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Spoon this over the chicken and rub it all over, working it into the grooves and underneath.  Squeeze the quarters of orange into the cavity of the chicken then put them in too.
• Put the chicken into the oven for the time specified according to the weight on the packaging.  Baste it a couple of times during the cooking time.
• Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until golden brown, set aside.
• To prepare the base for the couscous, pour a generous glug of olive oil into a large frying pan and tip in the onions.  On a low-medium heat gently heat the onions until softly sizzling then add the spices, cook slowly for five minutes then add the garlic, orange juice and harissa.  After another few minutes cooking, add the peppers, sultanas and honey to the pan then cook on the lowest hob setting for 10-15 minutes until thick, gooey and aromatic.  The heat can then be turned off and the onion base set aside until you are ready to make the couscous.
• When the chicken is cooked take it out of the roasting tin and put it onto a plate, cover with foil and leave it to rest.  Put the roasting tin onto a low hob and tip in the tin of chopped tomatoes, add the tomato puree then cook on a low heat, stirring to get all the unctuous chicken bits off the bottom of the tin (you can add a teaspoon of harissa at this point if you want a spicy sauce).  Continue to bubble it slowly until thick and reduced, mashing up the pieces of tomato as you go.
• To finish the couscous, reheat the onion and pepper mixture until sizzling then tip in the couscous, stir thoroughly then pour in enough boiling water to cover the couscous with about a centimetre of water above it.  Turn the heat off, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
• After this time the couscous will have absorbed all the liquid, squeeze over half a lemon then fluff it gently with a fork (you can now transfer it to a serving dish if you prefer).  Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper if you need to.
• Take the meat off the chicken in big, chunky pieces and lay these over the couscous.  Spoon the thick tomato sauce over the top then sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve.
• The leftover chicken bones make a fantastically tasty stock!

Chicken and Chorizo One-Pot Gnocchi

This is a great mid-week meal to have up your sleeve, quick to prepare and, most importantly, very tasty!  Chorizo works so well in this sort of recipe as it flavours everything around it with its piquant garlicky, smoky paprika juices.

I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as they are so easy but if you can only get hold of boned thighs just use them.   

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g pack of boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs

1 Chorizo Sausage (approx. 200g)

1 Red Onion

1 400g tin of Chopped Tomatoes

2 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

500g pack of Fresh Gnocchi (in the chiller with the fresh pasta)

Salt and Black Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 220C (fan).
• Thinly slice the red onion and put it into a shallow oven dish.
• Take the skin off the chorizo (this is not essential but it can sometimes be a little chewy so I always remove it) then slice it into chunky pieces, add these to the dish.
• Check the chicken thighs and trim off any skin or fat if you need to, cut them in half lengthways then pop these in with the onion and chorizo.
• Tip the chopped tomatoes in, add the garlic and a light seasoning of salt and pepper then toss it all together, nestling the chicken thigh pieces into the bottom of the dish.
• Put it into the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.
• Take the dish out of the oven, pour in 200ml of boiling water then tip in the gnocchi, straight from the pack.  Mix together then put it back in the oven and time for another 20 minutes.
• After this time the chicken should be cooked and tender surrounded by thick, bubbling sauce and plump gnocchi.  
• Check the sauce for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper if you need to.
• Serve and enjoy!

Coronation Chicken Tartlets

These little ‘deconstructed’ coronation chicken tartlets make delicious, stylish and ever-so-slightly kitsch canapés for a drinks party.

Admittedly they are a little bit of a faff, but the two main elements of the dish, the tartlet cases and the chicken, can be prepared ahead of time...and believe me, they are worth the effort!

Makes 24 tartlets

Ingredients

For the Pastry Cases

200g Plain Flour

100g Cold Butter

Pinch of Salt

1 tbsp Poppy Seeds

4-5 tbsp Milk

1 Egg, beaten

For the Chicken

2 large or 3 small Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Garlic Clove, sliced

Fresh Juice from half a Lime

2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Runny Honey

1 tbsp Sunflower Oil

For the Sauce

4 tbsp Mayonnaise

4 tbsp Natural Greek Yoghurt

1-2 teaspoons Mild Curry Powder

1 tbsp Mango Chutney

A bunch or two of Red Seedless Grapes

Fresh Coriander, chopped

• Thoroughly butter the cups of two bun tins (this makes 24 pastry cases).
• Tip the flour and salt into a bowl and, using a coarse grater, grate in the butter.  Cut through it a few times with a table knife to combine (there is no need to rub the butter in) then add the poppy seeds and stir.  Add the milk, a spoonful at a time while stirring with the knife until it all easily comes together into a ball.  Take it out of the bowl and wrap in cling film, put it in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C (fan).  Sprinkle the work surface with flour and put the ball of pastry dough onto it.  Sprinkle flour over your rolling pin and roll out the pastry, moving it around every couple of rolls so that it doesn’t stick.  Try to roll it out as thinly as you can, it should ideally be about 2mm thick.  
• Take a round pastry cutter (you can use a glass tumbler or plastic cup if you don’t have one) and dip the edges into some flour.  Cut out circles of pastry and place each one directly into the buttered cups of your bun tin, pushing it gently into the edges.  When you have cut as many circles as you can, squash the dough back together and roll it out again, keep going until you have 24 pastry circles in your bun tins.
• These pastry circles now need to be weighed down as they bake.  To do that, cut out squares of baking paper and place one onto each pastry cup, then weigh them down with a small handful of ceramic baking beans or any dried beans (I use dried lentils).
• Blind bake the pastry cases in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Take them out and remove the beans and baking paper.  Brush them with beaten egg and put them back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Leave them in the tins until they have gone cold and crisped up, then carefully remove them.  They can then be stored in an airtight container until you are ready to assemble the tartlets.
• For the chicken, mix the soy sauce, honey, oil, lime juice and garlic in a bowl.  Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthways and put the wide strips into the bowl with the marinade.  Cover and put in the fridge to marinate for 1-2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 200C (fan).  Take the chicken out of the marinade, place it on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes until cooked through and glossily browned.  Put it aside to cool.
• To make the sauce simply mix together the mayonnaise, yoghurt and mango chutney then add the curry powder to taste.
• To assemble the tartlets, put a generous teaspoon of the sauce at the bottom of each pastry case.  Slice the cold chicken into centimetre thick pieces and put 2-3 small slices in each case.  Top with a few pieces of grape and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.  Serve within an hour or two of assembling the tartlets. 

Chicken and Leek Potato Topped Pie

I always make this on a Monday or Tuesday with leftovers from a Sunday roast, it's great as it uses not only the meat, but any vegetables and gravy too.
This can be topped with creamy mashed potato or the slices which I've done here, either works well.  There is also no reason why you can't top it with pastry, particularly easy with bought puff pastry!

Ingredients

Approx. 1 kg Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pint of Chicken Stock

3 Large Leeks, sliced and washed thoroughly
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped or minced
 Knob of Butter + Drizzle of Olive Oil
Splash of White Wine
1 tspn Dried Sage (optional - fresh thyme is also good)
2 ladles of chicken stock (out of the pint above)
Any left over gravy (if none put in 3 ladles of stock)
Any left over veg (I always have lots of carrots which go well)
1 heaped tspn Dijon Mustard
A tablespoon or two of Cream (optional)
Plain flour mixed to a paste with butter to thicken (if needed)
Salt and Pepper
Cooked chicken from about half a roast chicken, chopped or torn into chunky pieces
Oil to brush on the top

• Bring the stock to the boil, add the potato slices and simmer for 4 minutes.  Carefully take the potato slices out of the stock and set aside.  This stock can be then used again in the filling.
• In a large pan melt the knob of butter with the oil, add the leeks, garlic and splash of white wine then sprinkle in the sage (or other herb you like).  Give it a good stir then turn the heat down to minimum, cover and cook slowly for 20 minutes.  After this time the leeks should be soft, silky and sweet.  Pre-heat the oven to 175C.
• Add to the leeks the gravy (if you have it), 2 ladles of stock, the leftover veg (if you don't have any just boil or steam some chunky cut carrots until tender and add them) and the mustard.  Turn the heat up, add the cream (if using) and give it all a stir to combine, check the seasoning at this point and add salt and pepper to your taste.
• If it needs thickening, add the flour/butter mixture a teaspoon at a time stirring well until the sauce is as thick as you want it, give it a few minutes bubbling to cook the flour.
• When you are happy with the seasoning and the thickness of the sauce, turn off the heat and gently stir in the cooked chicken.
• Transfer the filling to an oven proof dish and layer the top with the half-cooked potato slices, brushing them with oil and seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Put uncovered into the oven for about an hour or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the potatoes are browned and tender when poked with a sharp knife.  

Maple and Pecan Chicken Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash

This is a simple, tasty way of cooking chicken and makes a delicious warm salad.  I also use this marinade a lot in the summer for chicken skewers on the barbecue, in a pita bread with lots of salad it makes a healthy alternative to burgers and sausages.

Honey also works well in this if you don't have any maple syrup.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

3 tbsp Maple Syrup

1 heaped tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Juice of half a Lemon

Black Pepper

4 Large Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Butternut Squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
 Splash of Olive Oil, Salt and Black Pepper

4 Little Gem Lettuces

100g Pecan Nuts

For the Dressing

Juice of half a Lemon
Juice of half an Orange

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp Cider Vinegar

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

5 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and Black Pepper

• To make the marinade mix the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil and maple syrup together and add a few twists of black pepper.  Cut the chicken breasts up into bite size pieces, put into a bowl and pour over the marinade.  Cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour, longer if possible.
• Preheat the oven to 200C (fan).  Put the cubes of butternut squash into a roasting tin, add a splash of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast them in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking.
• Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together, add a pinch of salt and a few twists of black pepper.
• Separate all the leaves from the little gems, wash and dry them thoroughly then put them into a large bowl.  Spoon over about 3 tablespoons of the dressing and toss the leaves to coat.
• Put a large frying pan onto a high heat, when it's very hot tip in the chicken with the marinade and let it bubble furiously.  Continue to cook the chicken on the high heat, turning it occasionally, while gradually reducing the liquid.  When the chicken is almost cooked tip in the pecan nuts and continue to fry, moving it all around until the juices are thick and syrupy and the chicken and pecans are browning.
• Divide the little gem leaves between four plates and top with the hot chicken and pecans then dot around the warm pieces of roasted squash.  Sprinkle with a little more dressing and serve.

Hot, Sweet and Tangy Chicken Rice Noodle Salad

Spring definitely seems to have sprung and it's always a welcome relief to start thinking about salads and healthier fare!

This salad really hits the spot with lots of punchy flavours and very little fat.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Large Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bitesize pieces
For the Marinade

2 tbsp Sweet Hoisin Sauce

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

Juice of one Lime

1 tbsp Sunflower or Groundnut Oil

1 Large Garlic Clove, minced
For the dressing
Juice of one Orange
Juice of one Lime
1 Red Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 Small Clove of Garlic, minced (I use a microplane)
1 tspn Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Sunflower or Groundnut Oil

Crispy Lettuce, shredded (you need a handful per person)
2 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
2 Oranges, peeled and segmented
150g Dry Rice Vermicelli Noodles

• Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together and pour over the chicken pieces.  Cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour to marinate, longer if you have time.
• Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl, set aside.
• Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 4-5 minutes until soft, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.
• Tip the cool noodles into a large bowl, add the shredded lettuce, most of the spring onion (reserving a bit for sprinkling at the end) and the orange segments then pour over the dressing and toss it all together.
• Put a large frying pan onto a high heat until hot then tip in all the chicken pieces with the marinade.  Turn the heat down to medium and sizzle the chicken, turning occasionally until brown all over.  After about 5 minutes the chicken will be almost done and the marinade will be starting to stick to the pan.  At this point add a slosh of water from the kettle to deglaze the pan, turn the heat back up to high and shake the pan around to amalgamate the water with the sticky juices.  When this has reduced to a dark syrup remove the pan from the heat.
• Divide the rice noodle salad between two large bowls and top with the hot chicken and any syrupy glaze.  Sprinkle with the remaining spring onion and serve.

Trinidad-Style Soy Chicken

My cousin-in-law's partner is from Trinidad and whenever we all get together I always manage to wangle a cookery lesson and I love every minute of it.       

This is such a tasty dish which uses a surprising amount of soy sauce...it works so well though!  Except for the marinating time, it's so quick and easy to make, served simply with basmati rice (although you can make it a bit more luxurious by serving it with rice and peas - basmati rice and red kidney beans cooked in coconut milk).

In Trinidad they always use meat on the bone so this is a slightly Anglicised version.

Ingredients

Approx. 1kg Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs

3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Oil, for the marinade

1 tspn Ground Coriander

2 Cloves Garlic, sliced
2 tbsp Oil, for frying
1 Onion
1 tspn Dried Thyme (or fresh if you have it)
1 tspn All Spice
3 more tbsp Soy Sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
3 Ripe Tomatoes, cut into sixths

• Cut the chicken thighs into large pieces and put them into a bowl.  Add the soy sauce, garlic, ground coriander and the (1 tbsp) oil and mix thoroughly.  Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for a few hours, or longer if you have the time.
• When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and add the chopped onion.  Add the thyme and allspice and fry the onion until soft.
• Tip the chicken with it's marinade into the frying pan with the onion and fry on a high heat for 5 minutes, turning the chicken to seal it.  Pour in the rest of the soy sauce and turn the heat down.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is syrupy.  Add pepper to taste.
• Add the tomatoes and bubble for a few minutes then turn off the heat (the tomatoes should retain their shape).
• Serve with rice...fantastic!

Chicken and Vegetable Parcel

This is a great, speedy way of using up your leftovers if you have lots.  It's worth making extra gravy and doing a few too many vegetables for your Sunday roast so you can have this easy meal on Monday...

Ingredients (more of a vague guide!)

I sheet of Ready-Rolled Puff Pastry

I Onion, chopped

A few rashers of Smoked Bacon

Any leftover cooked vegetables

Any leftover cooked chicken

Olive Oil

Milk for brushing

• Unroll the pastry onto an oiled baking sheet.
• In a big frying pan (I use my wok) fry the chopped up onion and smoked bacon in a little olive oil until crisping up.
• Add all your leftover veg and chicken and heat through.
• Add any leftover gravy, stir through then put all the filling down the middle of the pastry.
• Snip into both sides of the pastry to make strips, brush with milk then fold them over the filling, squashing and folding them together a bit in the middle.
• Brush the whole thing with more milk then pop in the oven (about 200C) for approx. 25 mins.

Thai-Inspired Chicken Noodle Broth

This is a flavour-packed, healthy noodle soup which is easy to cook and great for using up any leftover cooked chicken you may have.  Saying that, the smallest amount of chicken is fine here and quite often I make it without any at all.  

It's worth mentioning that I make this slightly differently every time, which is part of the appeal, using what I happen to have in.  You can dress it up for guests by adding pak choi, fine beans and tiger prawns or have a cheap family meal by using a pack of stir fry veg as I normally do.  

Ingredients

1.5 litres/about 3 pints Chicken Stock

1 tin of Coconut Milk

1 Red Chilli, finely chopped 

Dried red chilli flakes (optional)

8-10 Spring Onions, roughly chopped

2 tspn Ground Coriander

2 tbsp Fish Sauce (nam pla)

2 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce

2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

5 Cloves of Garlic, minced

A stalk of fresh lemongrass, chopped as finely as you can (optional) 

about an inch square of fresh ginger, minced

1 pack of mixed fresh stir fry veg

nests of dried noodle (1 nest per person)

Juice of 1-2 limes

Cooked Chicken 

More chopped spring onion for sprinkling at the end (optional)

Fresh Basil or fresh Coriander for stirring through at the end (optional)

• Pour the chicken stock into a large pan and bring to the boil.  Turn the heat down a bit and add the coconut milk, the fresh chilli, lemongrass (if using), ginger, garlic, spring onions and the ground coriander. Give it a stir.
• When the broth is simmering again put in the fish sauce, sweet chilli sauce and light soy sauce.  At this point let it simmer for a few minutes then taste....it may need a splash or two more of any of the above to balance the flavours, bear in mind though that you are going to add the lime juice at the end for that sharp hit.  This is the time to add some dried chilli flakes or more fresh chilli if you have it, it all depends how hot you like it!  
• When you're happy with the salty/sweet/chilli balance put your veg in, bring back to the boil then add the noodles.  Let it bubble away for 4 minutes, with the occasional stir to break up the noodles, then make sure the noodles are cooked through, stir through any cooked chicken and turn off the heat.  By the way, fresh spinach is really good in this but add after the noodles are cooked if using, so as just to wilt the leaves.
• Quickly squeeze in the lime juice, stirring and tasting until it's right for you, then stir through any fresh herbs (if using....basil is great, coriander more authentic but I'm not a fan).
• Pour and dollop into bowls, sprinkle over finely chopped spring onion (if using) and eat/slurp. 

Chicken, Mushroom and Tarragon Pie

A pie is such a fabulous way of using leftover roast chicken, especially if you have quite a lot left.  I always tend to make lots of gravy when we have a roast so that there will be enough for the sauce in a pie the following day, however if you don't have any you can sprinkle a tablespoon of flour over the mushrooms when they are frying then add some chicken stock.
I either make the pastry (as below) or buy ready rolled puff which is certainly quicker.  Also, I feel the need to justify myself here, I know that fresh herbs are preferable and dried are frowned upon, but I normally use dried tarragon for this as fresh tarragon is hard to come by in the little corner of Wiltshire where I live!

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the pastry (if making)

250g Plain Flour

125g Cold hard butter

Pinch of Salt

Cold Water

For the filling

Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

I punnet of Mushrooms, sliced (approx. 250g)

Approx. 2 heaped teaspoons Dried Tarragon

(or a handful of fresh leaves)

A good squeeze of Lemon

3-4 tablespoons of leftover chicken gravy

2 tablespoons Double or Whipping Cream (optional)

Any leftover cooked Chicken, in large chunks

Half a bag of baby spinach (optional)

Salt and Pepper

• Preheat the oven to 175C (fan) and thoroughly grease a round spring form cake tin.
• To make the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl and grate in the cold butter (this makes it so much easier).  Mix it with a metal knife and add enough cold water to bring it together in a workable dough.  Take the ball of pastry out of the bowl (it should really be rested for 20 minutes in the fridge now wrapped in cling film but I don't always have time and it still works).  Put it onto a floured surface and, with a floured rolling pin, roll it out until it is about half a centimetre thick.
• Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and transfer it onto the cake tin, then gently push the pastry down into the tin trying not to stretch it.  Leave the extra pastry hanging over the sides of the tin and set aside.
• To make the filling sizzle the chopped onion in some olive oil in a large frying pan then add the mushrooms, cook on a high heat.  
• When the mushrooms are cooked and not watery turn the heat down and add the gravy (or sprinkle with flour, stir in then add some chicken stock), the cream (if using), the tarragon and the lemon juice.  Bring to a gentle simmer and taste to check the seasoning then add salt and pepper.
• While the sauce is simmering, add the chicken and the spinach and stir gently until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat.
• Spoon the filling into the pastry then fold and bunch together the extra pastry making a big pouch with a hole in the middle.
• Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and crispy and the filling is bubbling in the middle.
• Run a knife around the outside of the pastry crust to loosen it then carefully remove the outer section of the tin.  At this point you can be brave and attempt to transfer the pie onto a plate or you can play it safe like me and serve it directly from the tin base.