creamy cheesy spinach artichoke chicken stew

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…
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chicken spinach parmesan

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..
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baking pan chicken

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…
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pollo al amontillado

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…

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chicken, spinach & cashews

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…

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pollo al ajillo con espinacas

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…

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chicken in spicy peanut sauce

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…

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pollo al ajillo

pollo al ajillo = chicken with garlic

This is a very typical Spanish dish that you can find in many tapas bars, traditionally made with stewing chicken pieces, garlic, olive oil and dry fino sherry. My version is a bit spicier and uses boneless chicken breasts.  I’ve also added some portobello mushrooms & baby setas.

[click on collage to enlarge]

Recipe and instructions below…

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