Category: Chicken

Cider chicken with creamy sauce and gratinated butternut squash

Published on by Hanna3 Comments

Last Monday the supper was a proper bull’s eye. I love when everything comes together like it was meant to be. We had a bottle of cider open from the night before and needed to use it up. I had defrosted some chicken thighs and had to do something with the butternut squash in the fridge, it needed to be eaten.

Chicken thighs are very tender as it is the darker meat on the chicken, but cooked like this it became even more tender. Lovely. The sauce which I used the cider for as well was just the perfect balance of creamy and comforting, sweet from the chilli sauce, sour from the cider and with a punch from the dijon. And the butternut squash. I could not have predicted how nice this would be. If I could, then I would have made this sooner, that’s for sure. The squash becomes very sweet and mushy when baked in the oven I wanted something fresh to contrast that, and it seemed like garlic, parsley, spring onions and parmesan was just the perfect combo. I will make this again and again and could eat half a butternut squash like this with some bread for lunch. Yu-um is all I can say. 🙂 Try this, ok??

I just served the pumpkin cut into large pieces. Very rustic. 🙂

Start with the butternut squash and then put some potato wedges in the oven, continue with the chicken and lastly the sauce. Most of it will take care of it self in the oven, so even though it seems like lots of ingredients and a few steps, it is very simple.

Cider chicken with creamy sauce and gratinated butternut squash, serves 2

The chicken:

2 chicken thighs with the skin on

olive oil

salt

white pepper

Persillade

dry cider

The sauce:

dry cider

the juice from the chicken

a splash of concentrated stock (vegetable or chicken)

2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp Heinz chilli sauce, or similar

300 ml single cream

persillade

white pepper

salt

The butternut squash:

1/2 butternut squash

olive oil

salt

white pepper

1 clove of garlic, pressed

chopped fresh parsley

2 spring onions, chopped

grated parmesan

The squash: Wash the squash and cut it lengthways in half.  Take away the seeds and membranes. Put in a dish, pour over some oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes or until soft in 200C. Chop spring onion and parsley and mix with the garlic. Sprnkle this on top of the butternut squash and add plenty of grated parmesan. Bake for another 10 minutes. 

The chicken: Heat up olive oil in a frying pan that you can use in the oven later (no plastic handles that could melt) and sear the chicken all around until nice and golden. Season with salt, pepper and persillade. Pour in 2 cm of the cider and put the frying pan in the oven, 200C for 25-30 minutes. Check that the meat is cooked through. When done, wrap the meat in tin foil and let it rest while you make the sauce.

The sauce: Pour the juices from the frying pan into a sauce pan (or use the same frying pan if the cider hasn’t burned), add some more cider (about 100 ml) and let it reduce a little. Add cream, mustard and chilli sauce, and season add stock, perisllade, salt and pepper after taste. Bring to a boil and let it cook for a few minutes to thicken and for the flavours to develop.

Serve with potato wedges and maybe some steamed broccoli.

Chicken in stilton sauce with fennel gratin

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This dish might look beige, but I promise there is nothing beige about the taste. The Stilton flavour is a bit subtle, but definitely there, well balanced by sweetness in the chilli sauce. The fennel is soft and fresh and you can definitely taste the lemon. Try this if you want a different side dish.  

I used chicken thighs for this dish, because they are more moist and taste more than chicken breasts. But if chicken fillet is your preference, go for it!

The fennel is bubbling away.
Nice and creamy sauce!

Chicken in Stilton sauce with fennel gratin, serves 2

olive oil

3 chicken thighs

10 cm leek, sliced

250 ml single cream

1 icecube homemade chicken stock (or a splash of concentrated chicken stock)

70 g Stilton

1 tsp mild chilli sauce (for sweetness)

salt

white pepper

1,5 fennel

2 cloves garlic, sliced

olive oil

salt

white pepper

1/2 lemon, juice from

500 ml vegetable stock

grated cheese

Take the skin off the chicken thighs and cut the meat into chunks. Fry them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove from skillet and add the leeks. Put the chicken back into the pan and add the cream and stock. Crumble in the Stilton, add the seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with rice and the fennel gratin (below).

For the gratin, wash the fennel and cut into wedges. Slice the garlic. Fry these in some olive oil in a pan on low heat so they don’t brown. Add salt, pepper, stock and lemon juice. Bring to boil and cook for about 20 minutes until soft. Drain and place in an oven dish. Spinkle grated cheese on top. Bake in 200C for about 15 minutes.

Roast chicken with thyme

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Using the same method as with the poussins, I roasted a chicken the other day. To me, a roast chicken is a very hearty meal, probably because it reminds me of childhood dinners when my dear mother roasted the chicken. It is so easy to make but so rewarding with its juicy meat and the aromas that fill the house, and usually there is enough for leftovers too.

Something I dislike with roast chicken is when the breast is too dry. Dry chicken breast is so unsexy, and so easy to prevent. The cure is butter. Lovely softened butter, mixed up with herbs, some lemon zest, salt and pepper, and is smeared all over the breasts (this sounds a bit pervy, I know!) underneath the skin (ok, maybe not this part).

It is easy, I promise! So why note invite some friends over for a Sunday roast? Are there better ways to spend an rainy autumn evening?

Roast chicken with thyme, serves 2-4

1 medium chicken

80 g softened butter

1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed

2-3 sprigs of thyme

1/2 lemon

2 parsnips

1 red onion

olive oil

salt and pepper

5-6 sprigs of thyme

Mix the lemon zest, garlic, and the leaves of 2-3 sprigs of thyme with the butter. Add some salt. Cut a pocket in the skin above each breast (basically make a cut through the skin at one end of the breast and slide the knife along the inside of the skin to make a pocket). Fill these pockets with the butter. Put the lemon and maybe some thyme sprigs in the cavity of the bird. Rub in some salt and pepper all around the chicken and place it in a roasting dish. Peel the parsnip and cut it into chunks, peel the onion and cut it into wedges and place them around the chicken. Add some salt and pepper to the vegetables. Drizzle some olive oil over the bird and vegetables and throw over some of the thyme leaves. Put the tray in a 200 C oven for about 1,5 hours. Make sure the chicken is cooked through by cutting in the flesh (you want white meat and clear juices). Let it rest a few minutes (5-10) before serving. We had potatoes au gratin with it as well as some wilted spinach and creamy gravy.

Poussins with rosemary and lemon

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I was incredibly proud of myself on Sunday! I made poussins for the first time and they were (if I may say so myself) delicious! The meat was tender and very moist and the flavours from the seasoning really came through. Then the roast potatoes (first time as well) were perfect, the parsnips lovely and the creamy gravy the last addition to a perfect meal. Both Chris and I were quiet, concentrating on the food. 🙂 Try this!! Promise!

All prepped!
Don't they look pretty?!

Poussins with rosemary and lemon, serves 2

2 poussins

100 g softened butter

parsley, finely chopped (or Gourmet Garden works here)

1 glove garlic, pressed

1 lemon, the zest

2 rosemary sprigs

1 clove garlic, cut into four

salt and pepper

olive oil

Make a cut in the skin above the breasts on each poussin, along the whole breast, so you have a pocket. Mix the softened butter with lemon zest, pressed garlic, parsley and salt and pepper. Divide it into four and fill the pockets on the birds. Next put a piece of garlic in each pocket and divide the rosemary sprigs and put them into the pockets too. Season with salt and pepper all around. Heat up some olive oil in an oven proof frying pan (no plastic handles) and fry the birds for circa 3 minutes on each side, on medium-high heat, or until the poussins have a lovely colour. Next pop the frying pan in a 200 C oven for 150-20 minutes, depending on the size. Make sure the meat is cooked through by making a cut by the leg, you want cooked meat and clear juices. Enjoy!

I served it with roast potatoes, roast parsnips (parsnips, olive oil, salt and white pepper and some fresh rosemary, 30-40 mins, 200C) and a creamy gravy (creme fraiche and cream, soy, colouring soy, chicken stock, rowanberry jelly to taste) with some of the cooking juices from the poussins. Sooo good!

Chicken cannelloni with bacon

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Cannelloni is great to serve at dinner parties, it is tasty and you can prepare it the day before and have time to greet your guests. Served with garlic bread and a nice salad it can be a feast!

Chicken cannelloni with bacon, 2-3 portions

350-400 g chicken fillet

4 slices of bacon

1 packet ricotta

3-4 tsp italian herb seasoning

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp persillade

a knob of butter

plain flour/sauce flour

chicken or vegetable stock

400-500 ml milk

grated cheese

about 15 cannelloni tubes

Cook the chickem in a pan or in the oven with some olive oil and maybe some barbecue seasoning, salt and pepper, leave to cool a little and cut into small cubes. Fry the bacon cut into pieces, and drain off the excess fat on some kitchen towel. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the herbs and spices, and plenty of salt and pepper. Fold in the chicken and bacon and fill the tubes with the ricotta-mixture. It takes a bit of time, but after a while you get the hang of it. I use a teaspoon. You can also use fresh lasagne sheets that you roll up, but they usually break quite easy. Drizzle some olive oil onto an oven proof dish and place the filled tubes in it. Next make a roux by melting the butter, adding enough flour for the butter to soak up and adding the milk. Whisk the whole time on low heat. It takes a while for the sauce to thicken, season with some stock, throw in some of the grated cheese and some salt and pepper. Some grated nutmeg will be nice too. When the sauce is thick, pour it over the pasta tubes and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake in 180-200 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

 

 

Smoked paprika chicken stroganoff

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When my friend Gaby stayed with us a couple of days ago I made this Gordon Ramsay recipe, and she described it as grown-up comfort food. Definitely a term Nigella would agree with. 😉 This is autumnal, comforting and has a little punch to it.

Even though this is Gordon’s creation I had to change it a little, hope he doesn’t mind. 🙂

Smoked paprika chicken stroganoff, 4 portions

450 g chicken breast, cut into strips

2 tsp smoked paprika

olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 pepper, sliced

button mushrooms, quartered

150 ml chicken stock

splash white wine

50 ml creme fraiche or sour cream

parsley, chopped

a dash soy

a dash chilli sauce

Heat up a pan with olive oil, sprinkle the smoked paprika on the chicken and fry it until 3/4 cooked, put aside. In the same pan, add some fresh olive oil and fry the onion and garlic tender on low heat, next add the pepper and mushrooms and fry for about four minutes until tender. Pour in the wine and chicken stock and the creme fraiche. Bring to boil and season with salt, pepper, more paprika, chilli sauce, soy and stock. Put the chicken back in and cook for a few minutes. Throw in the parsley and stir. Serve with rice and a nice salad.