Category Archives: Chicken

Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dip and avocado salsa

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At the moment there are barbecue restaurants wherever you look in London, but some dishes are just as easily prepared at home as in restaurants, like these scrummy buffalo chicken wings.

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As much as I like a certain twist on some classics, some things are just left alone. Like these wings. The combination of crispy skin, tender chicken meat, hot buttery sauce and cooling blue cheese dip is invincible. It is just the celery I am not that keen on, so I substituted it with something else green; an avocado salsa with red onion and coriander. It fits too, even though it is not a classic combination like cheese and celery.

The most important thing when cooking chicken wings is the crispy skin. And it is far easier achieved than you think. All you need is some boiling water and a colander. The hot water makes the skin cells contract and tighten resulting in crispy skin when cooked. Second most important thing when cooking wings is the sauce. It should be Frank’s Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, which I picked up in my local London supermarket. But failing finding it, the likes of Tabasco works too.

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Buffalo chicken wings, serves 1

With chicken wings I refer to the de-jointed pieces. Six is a small portion, so just double, quadruple and so on, but then fry the wings in batches.

6 chicken wings

500 ml neutral oil for deep-frying

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp hot sauce

Place the chicken wings in a colander and pour boiling water oven them. Leave to drain. Heat up the oil in a large saucepan. Once it is really hot (try with a piece a bread – if it turn golden it is hot enough) add the chicken wings and fry for about 7 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Drain on kitchen towel.

While the chicken is frying, melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the hot sauce and keep warm.

Place the fried chicken wings and spicy butter in a large tupperware box with a secure lid. Toss to coat evenly. 

Serve with crusty french bread, avocado salsa and blue cheese dip. 

Blue cheese dip, serves 4

200 ml sourcream

2 tbsp mayonnaise, preferably Hellman’s

2 tbsp crumbled Stilton

salt, white pepper

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Season. 

Avocado salsa, serves 2

1 avocado

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 lime, the juice

1 handful coriander, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt, black pepper

Dice the avocado and place in a bowl. Mix with red onion and coriander. Squeeze in the juice of the lime, add a glug of oil and season. Eat immediately or cover with cling film to keep the avocado from browning. 

Smooth chicken liver mousse with red wine and thyme

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I had a little gathering on the first Sunday of Advent treating my friends to some traditional Swedish Christmas treats as well as some other things. We started off with this heavenly smooth chicken liver mousse served with crispy crostinis. It went down really well and I am very pleased with the flavour combination of liver, red wine and thyme.

Even if you are not a serious charcuterie or offal fan, a chicken liver mousse is always a good place to start. Chicken liver is very mild in flavour compared to calf’s or lamb’s liver. And the other ingredients in this mousse don’t really enhance the liver flavour; it mere complements it.

To make the crostinis, all you need is a day-old baguette and some oil. Slice the baguette in 5 mm thick slices slightly on the diagonal and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with a nice olive or rapeseed oil, place in 200C oven until crisp and golden brown; it takes about 15 minutes.

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Chicken liver mousse with red wine and thyme, 1 batch

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tbsp oil for frying

450 g chicken livers (about 350 g once tubes/tendons removed), roughly chopped

1tbsp butter + 1 tbsp butter

50 ml red wine

1 anchovy

1/2 tsk dried thyme

salt and pepper

65 ml double cream

Fry the onions in the oil on low heat until translucent, add the garlic and fry for another minute.

Turn the heat up and add 1 tbsp butter and the liver. Fry until the liver pieces are cooked all the way around but pink in the middle. Add the anchovy (whole), more butter, red wine and thyme. Fry while stirring until half the liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper. 

Remove from heat and pour into a food processor. Add the cream and mix until as smooth as possible. Season to taste with salt, pepper and maybe a pinch of sugar. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve, into the serving container. The mixture is a  bit liquid at this stage but it will set in the fridge. Refridgerate for several hours (about 4-5) for the mousse to set and the flavours to develop. 

Turkey mince lemongrass scewers

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I confess – I am a cookbook junkie. There are piles of cookbooks to read at home, and it usually takes me some time to go through them, yet I buy more cookbooks.

One wonderful cookbook I got sometime last year and have been neglecting since is Om jag var din hemmafru (If I was your housewife) by Lotta Lundgren.  It has great recipes, amazing layout and pictures and still I haven’t had the time to try many recipes. But last week I actually managed to try one more.

I tried chicken mince scewers on lemongrass, but I actually used turkey mince as I can not find chicken mince anywhere in this country and I still had my food processor in a moving box, otherwise I could have minced the chicken meat myself. It worked very well with turkey mince however, you just need to be more careful with the oven cooking time as turkey is so lean it easily can get dry.

Lotta’s chicken (turkey) lemongras scewers, serves 4

Adapted and translated from Lotta Lundgren’s recipe.

4 chicken fillets / 500 g turkey mince

2 thumbs of ginger

4 tbsp plain flour

12 lemongrass (I divided three lemongrass in four instead)

½ tsp salt

100 ml toasted peanuts

(50 ml sesame seeds – I omitted these)

Trim the meat and mince. Peel and grate the ginger, squeeze out the juice and mix with the mince, flour and salt.

Coat your hands with oil or water and divide the mixture into 12 portions. Place a lemongrass in the middle of each mince portion and shape into an oval. Repeat with the remaining mince and lemongrass scewers.

Crush the peanuts. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan. Mix with the peanuts.

Fry the scewers on all sides until golden brown. Then place on a baking tray and let it cook until done in the oven, about 15 minutes in 175C. Sprinkle with the nut mixture when finished and either serve with a salad or with rice and a cold sweet chilli sauce (creme fraiche + sweet chilli sauce + salt).

Lavender chicken

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Here’s another recipe with inspiration from The Little Paris Kitchen. Unfortunately the recipe is not to be found on the BBC website, only in Rachel Khoo’s cookbook, but after seeing the program it was quite easy to make my own version. It worked really well, my dinner guests can certainly guarantee that.

I served it with simple sides so the chicken took centre stage. Green beans and new potatoes also work with the French theme. For the sauce I just reduced the juices from the pan and added some butter to it. Truly delicious!

Lavendel chicken, serves 4

With inspiration from Rachel Khoo.
 

1 whole organic cornfed chicken, 1.5 kg approx

Marinade:

3 tsp dried lavender

2-3 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 lemon, the zest and juice

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp mild olive oil

salt

black pepper

For the sauce:

2 tbsp butter

Cut the chicken into any pieces you like. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a big mixing bowl and cover the chicken with it. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200C and remove the chicken from the fridge. Place the chicken pieces in a roasting tray and cook in the oven until the meat juices are clear, approx 40 minutes. Let the meat rest under tin foil while making the sauce. Pour all the juices from the roasting dish into a saucepan and reduce till about half. Whisk in the butter and serve with green beans and new potatoes.

Chicken drumsticks with za’atar marinade

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I discovered the lovely herb blend za’atar on my trip to Syria about a year ago. It consists of sesame seeds and dried thyme, but depending on the blend it can taste quite different. I bought a large bag of my favourite blend, a special blend a Damascus spice wholesaler made so it is probably one of the best you can get.

I love to cook with this blend and have used it in a few different dishes. Last week I marinaded drumsticks in a mixture of za’atar, lemon juice, Japanese soy, olive oil and garlic for about 48 hours and the cooked chicken was lovely and moist and coated of a golden layer or the marinade.

I used dried limes (also purchased in Syria) and whole cardamom pods to flavour the rice, which is popular in the Middle East. Once drained and the spices removed I sprinkled some sumac on it for extra flavour. The sauce is a simple mix of creme fraiche/soured cream, sambal oelek and fresh lime juice.

If you don’t want to eat the chicken with rice for supper the drumsticks work well on a picnic as well.

Chicken drumsticks with za’atar marinade

6 chicken drumsticks

4 tbsp za’atar

1/2 lemon, the juice

2 tbsp Japanese soy

2 whole garlic cloves

1/2 olive oil

salt, black pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a large ziplock bag and shake to combine. Leave in the fridge to marinade for at least 24 hours, but preferrably 48. Cook in a 200C oven on a rack with a tin foil covered roasting tray below for about 20 minutes.

Chicken drumsticks with sweet chilli marinade

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I always tend to by chicken drumsticks when they’re on offer, as I like the darker chicken meat and these are perfect to snack on, bring to a picnic etc.

The recipe for this fabulous marinade is from a great Swedish food blog called Smaskens. Annika who runs it is one of my role models in cooking and all the recipes I have tried from her have been wonderful. This was no exception.

I ate the drumsticks in two ways. First served with couscous with lemon and spinach and a simple cold sauce with creme fraiche and sweet chilli. Second just lukewarm with corn on the cob. Both were delicious, and if you marinade the chicken for as long as I did, 48 hours, the meat is so tender and succulent you don’t need a sauce with it.

Chicken drumsticks with sweet chilli marinade

After Annika’s recipe.

1,8 kg chicken drumsticks

50 ml Chinese soy sauce

100 ml sweet chilli sauce

100 ml olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, grated/pressed

2 tsp sambal oelek

1 tsp salt

black pepper

Mix the ingredients for the marinade and pour it into a large ziplock bag (double-bag if needed) and add the chicken. Marinade for at least an hour, preferably longer. I kept mine in the fridge for 48 hours, turning it around a few times to the marinade to distribute evenly.

Place the chicken on a wire rack with a roasting tray underneath. Cook in 200C oven for about 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes so the cook evenly.

Weekday wonders: Egg-fried rice with chicken

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If one, like me, never ever seem to get the quantities right when making rice, then you will probably end up with a lot of left over rice. And as I really dislike to throw away food, I want to use it up. The quickest (and tastiest) way to achieve that is to make egg-fried rice. It is a speedy supper that tastes wonderful.

You can vary it in any way you want; I used what I had at hand; green pepper, romano pepper, chicken thighs and salad onions. I enjoyed this with a dollop of a sauce made with creme fraiche and sweet chilli sauce because I had some left in the fridge. It is a nice addition, but it is nice without it too.

Egg-fried rice with chicken, serves 2

3 chicken thighs

1/2 green bell pepper

1 romano pepper

3 salad onions

neutral oil for frying

500 ml cold cooked rice

1 garlic clove

1 egg

a few drops sesame oil

soy sauce

sweet chilli sauce

salt, white pepper

Skin and de-bone the chicken and cut the meat into strips. Fry in oil on high heat until just cooked through, won’t take long. Add salt and pepper. Remove from the frying pan. Cut the peppers and salad onions into strips and fry in the same oan for about 5 minutes. Remove as well. Add more oil to the pan and lower the heat. Fry the rice for a few minutes until it is warm. Beat the egg with the sesame oil. Make some space in the frying pan by pushing the rice to one side. Pour in the egg onto the empty surface and let it set a little before mixing it with the rice. Fry for a few minutes. Add the vegetables and chicken. Add the garlic, soy sauce and sweet chilli after taste. Fry for another few minutes and adjust the seasoning. Serve and enjoy.

Warming chicken soup with beans and mushrooms

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I like to eat soup at least once a week when it is cold outside, but mostly I stick to smooth soups, but it is about time I venture into different soups as well.

This chicken soup is perfect to use up leftover chicken and very tasty, warming and filling. I added some sambal oelek for heat and flavour, and although I made this with homemade chicken stock it works just as well with a stock cube or concentrate.

Chicken soup with beans and mushrooms, serves 3

1 carrot

1/2 onion

2 celery sticks

1 tbsp mild olive oil

500 ml chicken stock, homemade if possible

400 g tinned plum tomatoes or tomato chunks

400 g tinned borlotti beans

2 tsp sambal oelek

1 garlic clove

3 tbsp cream

1 tbsp maizena

7 sliced, fried button mushrooms

1/4 chicken, cooked and the meat shredded

salt, white pepper

To serve: grated parmesan

Peel the carot, rince the celery and peel the onion. Place it all into a food processor and mix. Heat up the olive oil in a 3 litre sacue pan. Add the minced vegetables and fry for a minute or so. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Stir occassionally. Rinse the beans and add them to the pot. Bring to the boil again and cook for a few minutes. Add sambal oelek and garlic, then cream and maizena. Then add the fried mushrooms and the chicken meat. Let it all heat up. Serve with grated parmesan.

Roast chicken with smoked salt and garlic, white wine sauce and butternut squash with feta and pine nuts

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Last week we had the Sunday roast on the Saturday, which worked really well actually. I served it with a creamy sauce instead of gravy to make it worthy of a Saturday night supper, and it worked!

I also tried some smoked salt I bought a while ago from Halen Môn. I have been dying to try it and thought chicken was the perfect place to start. To make it adhere better to the chicken I crushed the salt flakes in my pestle and mortar first.

Apart from the smoked salt I only used butter, garlic and white pepper to season the chicken. It tasted lovely and came out very moist, but if you want a more distinct smoked taste you need to add more salt.

I also put some potato chunks and red onion in the roasting tray with the chicken so they could soak up the meat juices and taste all lovely. Roasted butternut squash with feta cheese and pine nuts as well as green beans was the perfect addition.

And then the sauce. It was a creamy concoction with white wine and a dash of balsamic vinegar and it was excellent with chicken. I will definitely make it again. Soon even.

Roast chicken with smoked salt and garlic, serves 4

1 medium chicken

3 tbsp butter

3 tsp smoked salt, crushed

white pepper

3 jacket potato sized potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 red onion, cut into wedges

Rinse the chicken and trim it if needed. Make a cut in the skin above each breasts. Stick your finger into the whole and create a pocket between the skin and the meat. Make two slashes on each thigh with a knife. Mix the butter with garlic and fill the breast pockets with this mixture. Smear it onto the thighs and rub what is left onto the whole chicken. Season with smoked salt and white pepper all around the bird. Place in a roasting tray with the potatoes and onions. Roast for 45-60 minutes in 200C or until the chicken is cooked through (clear meat juices by the thigh joint) and the potatoes are done. Leave to rest for 10 mins covered in foil before serving. Sprinkle on some more smoked salt when carved.

Roasted butternut squash with feta and pine nuts, serves 4

1/2 butternut squash

3 tbsp crumbled feta

1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted if you prefer

Remove the pips and cut off the ends of the squash. Cut into chunks and place in a small roasting tray. Sprinkle with feta and pine nuts, salt and pepper. Roast in 200C for 20-25 mins.

White wine sauce with chicken, serves 2

100 ml white wine

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp concentrated chicken stock

100 ml cream

1 tsl mild chilisås

salt and pepper

Pour all the ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to the boil and heat up. Adjust the stock and seasoning.

Tray bake with chicken, chorizo, potatoes & parsnips

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I love a good tray bake when I’m feeling lazy or am exhausted after a work day. It needs little preparation, and all you need to think about is each ingredient’s cooking time.

When I made this particular tray bake I wanted something comforting but with lots of flavour, and good chorizo does add all that. The fat from the smoky chorizo and the chicken melts nicely into the tray and get absorbed by the root vegetables, making the whole dish moist and crispy at the same time. There is no need to add a sauce, although creme fraiche with sweet chilli sauce, salt and white pepper would be a fab addition, but if you’re lazy a (big) dollop or good quality mayonnaise will do nicely too.I took my plate and curled up under the duvet, a ‘la Nigella and watched an episode of Rizzoli & Isles. That’s allowed when home alone on a gloomy and dark autumn evening.

Tray bake with chicken, chorizo, potatoes and parsnips, serves 2-3

3 baking potato sized potatoes, I used Maris Piper

1 parsnip

1 green bell pepper

1/2 chorizo ring, sliced

1 garlic solo, sliced

4 chicken thighs

1/2 lemon, the juice

mild olive oil

salt & pepper

Pour some oil onto a roasting tray. Dice the potato into large chunks (with the skin on). Peel and cut the parsnip into chunks as well as the pepper. Place it all in the roasting tray. Add salt and pepper and place it in the oven for 20 minutes on 200C.

In the meantime, brown the chicken thighs on medium-high heat in a frying pan. Remove the roasting tray from the oven after 20 minutes and add the sliced chorizo and garlic. Squeeze the lemon juice on top and place the chicken thighs in the tray. Put it back into the oven for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.