Category Archives: chicken

baking pan chicken (air fryer version)

Posted on by

I felt like making that baking pan chicken recipe again but didn’t want to use the oven (it’s 40º here this week!) and I also didn’t fancy cooking a whole chicken’s worth of pieces. So as I had two free range chicken thighs in the freezer it seemed like the perfect amount for the air fryer, and also for two people. You could use any chicken pieces, of course, but it’s important to have the skin still on. I changed the original recipe a bit, using a 50/50 mix of lemon/lime juices instead of just lemon, and I used cumin in the marinade too (that last change was actually an accident but a happy one as it turned out).  Also, I wilted the spinach before adding it to the garbanzos this time (used the microwave, just a couple of minutes on medium heat does the job).

And wow was it delicious. The chicken was super tender and the garbanzos so full of flavour. In the original recipe the chicken sits in the middle of the tray with the garbanzos around the sides, in this case the chicken was directly on top and so the beans soaked up more of the chicken juices. I don’t remember it being quite this fabulous last time. Anyhow, you’ll notice I didn’t have any red onions, so I used sweet onions instead. And I forgot to sprinkle the fresh cilantro/parsley on top afterwards (oops). Served here with some crispy baked garlic chiabatta, also done in the air fryer.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading →

mushroom stroganoff

Posted on by

Way back in July 2021 while scrolling through Instagram I came across this video by Hotel Los Castaños in Ronda, showing them making a mushroom stroganoff. I immediately thought about my portobellos in the fridge that were probably close to the “use it or lose it” stage, so I decided that I was going to make mushroom stroganoff too. Then I also checked out a few recipes online as I never have cream (used in the video) and saw that sour cream is more usual in a stroganoff. I never have that either, but I have found that straining greek yoghurt for an hour or so using a melitta coffee filter makes a more than acceptable substitute. Los Castaños added chopped spinach to theirs at the end of the vid, which I thought was an excellent idea, though I found out later that fresh parsley is the usual addition. Having neither of those at the time, I tossed in a handful of arugula and it turned out great.

Since then I have made roughly a gazillion different versions of this but somehow have never got round to publishing any of them here (though many have ended up on my azahar Instagram hashtag #thestroganoffvariations. I’ve made it with different meat options (chicken, meatballs, sausage, bacon, beef) and vegetable combos (spinach, arugula, courgette, parsley, cilantro) with portobellos being the one constant ingredient, along with the onions and garlic.

I’ve also served it in various ways, on fat egg noodles, spaghetti, penne or fideos, with roasted or mashed potatoes, and even on crusty toasted bread. As you can tell, it’s quite a versatile dish if you’re not too concerned about making AN ACTUAL STROGANOFF 😉 (in which case it’s probably best to google “authentic beef stroganoff recipe”).

I think what’s happened is that MY stroganoff has turned out to be a bit like a risotto bianco, which you can use as a base and just add whatever the heck you want. Which, as is often my case, whatever happens to be hanging around in the fridge. So yeah, it’s not a classic or even remotely authentic, stroganoff recipe. But damn it’s always good. And so here is the basic mushroom version and hey, just have some tasty fun with it.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading →

creamy cheesy spinach artichoke chicken stew

Posted on by

I think this originated with me seeing an NYT recipe posted on Twitter sometime last year, but it has gone through so many permutations over the months that it bears little resemblance to the original recipe, and anyhow, I’ve lost the link. So here we have… a slow-cooked cream-cheesy chicken stew that, depending on how long you slow-cook it, can also end up as a spread or sauce. Up to you!

I just love the ingredients as most of them are “fridge forage” items, and it’s such a tasty and satisfying and versatile dish. So here we go. It’s not terribly photogenic but it works in many scenarios… I’ve had it over fat pasta noodles, over mash or with roasted potatoes, or even on toast.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading →

baked chicken wings

Posted on by

This recipe is from my friend Lizzie Mabbott (aka @Hollow_Legs). To be honest, I’ve never been much of a wings fan because I usually find them too greasy, so this baked version was a revelation. Lizzie has put up a couple of different versions of these on her Instagram, using either a spicy, sweet and tangy Korean sauce, or a rich sweet Hoisin sauce. I have made them a few times now and really just use whatever sweet-spicy sauce happens to be around. The important part is baking the wings and the great part is that they are super easy to make. Here’s how.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading →

chicken spinach parmesan

Posted on by

I’m really not sure what to call this because it’s a variation of several stuffed chicken breasts I’ve made up over the years (when I’ve been lucky enough to have an oven in my house). This one happened by chance today and then someone on Instagram asked for the recipe. So here it is, such as it is.

I hadn’t planned to put it up so there aren’t so many photos. It’s filled with mozzarella cheese and wilted baby spinach leaves and encrusted with parmesan bread crumbs. Yeah, really good. Also just a full one plate meal as you have protein, veg, carbs all together. Works for me.

Ingredients and instructions below..
Continue reading →

baking pan chicken

Posted on by

sheet pan chicken (1)
I found this recipe via Twitter. The original is by Alison Roman (New York Times). I’ve made a couple of small changes from the orignal here – added bit more cumin, left out the ground fennel seed (but feel free to add 1 tablespoon to the garbanzos), and added white wine to the marinade. But the biggest change was adding fresh spinach to wilt in the hot garbanzos at the end. This of course means it’s no longer a “one pan meal”, but oh well.

Ingredients and instructions below…
Continue reading →

pollo al amontillado

Posted on by

pollo amontilladoSo this isn’t a lot different (preparation wise) from my other pollo al ajillo recipe, other than I use amontillado sherry rather than fino sherry. Also, in this recipe I have opted for the more traditional skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces, using everything but the breasts (you could add those too if you like, but you’d need a way bigger pan, or use two). So it does actually ends up quite different flavour-wise. But it’s an easy-to-make one pan meal that you can serve with rice or potatoes. I actually like it just on its own with a side of veggies.

Ingredients and instructions below…

Continue reading →

chicken, spinach & cashews

Posted on by

chicken cashew (1)

This is the first dish I made to serve with my first batch of cauliflower rice. It was basically just thrown together with stuff I had on hand but it turned out so well that I thought I’d put it up here. One thing I didn’t happen to have on hand was fresh coriander, which I think would have been fabulous, so I’ll add it to the recipe below…

Continue reading →

pollo al ajillo con espinacas

Posted on by

pollo ajillo espinacasIt’s been awhile since I’ve posted something here that wasn’t a rice or noodle dish. But today I came up with this variation on pollo al ajillo which could be served with rice or, as a low-carb option, is perfectly tasty on its own. If you don’t fancy spinach you can just leave it out. Likewise the guindilla (hot chilis). From start to finish it takes about 45 minutes.

Unlike traditional pollo al ajillo recipes, which use the whole chicken chopped up into stew-size pieces, I am using boneless chicken breast. I’ve also made something similar to this with chicken thighs. So you can see it’s pretty versatile. I throw in my garlic right at the beginning, but those who prefer less “toasted” garlic should add it with the peppercorns (and chilis) after turning the chicken pieces to brown on the other side.

Ingredients and instructions below…

Continue reading →

chicken in spicy peanut sauce

Posted on by

I kind of just threw this together one day last week and have ended up making it three times since. It’s very satisfying and also low-carb, though my flatmate had it over basmati rice and said it was wonderful. I’d never made peanut sauce before so just used some crunchy peanut butter as a base and it turned out quite well. Measurements for the sauce are a bit slapdash, but it’s easy to just add and taste as you go along.

Ingredients and instructions below…

Continue reading →