15 Minute Meal- Salsa Chicken

Who doesn't love a quick and easy meal? Being able to throw together some ingredients and 15 minutes get to sit down and eat it. A lot of packets spurt their benefits that they can help you make a quick meal, which is often tempting to me. But when I turn them over and find that there are more ingredients in the list than the minutes it takes to make them.... I don't love it so much.

Moving to Auckland and starting a 9-5job this year has only made the idea of a 15 minute meal more relevant to me. As much as I love cooking, I also love being able to relax by 7pm. Between getting home and doing dishes, that doesn't leave a heap of time to make a meal. 

I do love Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals book (although in all fairness, a lot take closer to 25-30 for me), but one issue that I have is that some contain quite a lot of ingredients in them and I am a tad limited on cupboard space. That's why I am always looking for inspiration for simple, delicious meals that are super easy and quick to cook, but which I also know are nourishing and great for me to be eating.

You may notice that this recipe uses jarred salsa. Yes, yes, I know that that somewhat breaks my target of no processed foods, however, if you know me you know that I am all about balance, and a little bit of jarred salsa is better than a fraken-food microwave meal or picking up over-processed takeaways. When shopping for salsa, as with all food, I look for the one with the least amount of long-named ingredients. Ideally I would use homemade salsa, which is on my cooking wish list since I've never made it before, so if you have a great recipe let me know! In the mean time I feel comfortable using a little bit of processed ingredient in what is otherwise a fresh and wholesome meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 large or 4 small chicken breasts

Salt & Pepper

2 Tsp dried oregano

1 cup Salsa

1 cup grated cheese

Turn your grill on to high.

If you are using 2 large chicken breasts, cut them in 2 horizontally (so you essentially make 4 chicken breasts).

Cut two sheets of greaseproof paper, large enough to fit all of the chicken. Place one sheet on a flat surface and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and oregano. Place the chicken on the greaseproof paper, cover with the second sheet, and bash with a rolling pin or similar until chicken is around 1 cm thick.

Place a little oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for around 4 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.

Remove chicken from pan into an oven-safe dish. Top each piece of chicken with 1/4 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup cheese.

Place under the grill for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.

This is great served of rice with a big side of steamed or stir-fried vegetables (as pictured), put into wraps, or used as protein for a salad.

Enjoy xx

Chicken and Mango Salad

Aaaaaaaaaargh!! I'm getting so busy! Along with my oh so crazy workload for honours and working part-time so that I can actually enjoy life a little bit, I have to now also start applying for jobs. Unfortunately each one seems to take half an hour to complete, with some pretty difficult questions to answer (i.e. Describe a time when you had to take a leadership role <-- 5="" air="" am="" any="" at="" breaks.="" can="" employer="" for="" fresh="" future="" getting="" good="" i="" learning="" least="" like="" management="" minute="" oh="" or="" out="" p="" pinterest="" skills="" some="" stress="" taking="" tell="" that="" ugh="" well="" what="">
Ok rant over. You probably don't want to hear all about my problems, you want to hear about some delicious food don't you?

This recipe definitely delivers!! I wish I could take full credit for the dressing, however, I did adapt it from this recipe. Even if you don't make this salad you must make this dressing (that is an order). Before my crazy-ness spills over even more I'm just going to give you the recipe.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients
1 small, crispy lettuce, shredded
1.5 cups shredded chicken (smoked is nice)
1 whole mango, skin removed and diced <--- a="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvLdPjpELyU">This video may help with this
2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
4 Tbsp chopped cashews
Handful crispy noodles (optional, maybe exclude if you are avoiding processed foods but they are just so darn tasty)

Dressing
2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil

Turn oven to 180 degrees.

Begin by adding all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Whisk with a fork thoroughly until the dressing has thickened a little and looks kind of creamy.

Place the lettuce on a platter or in a bowl and our over around 2 Tbsp dressing. Layer on the mango, followed by the chicken. Pour over another 2-3 Tbsp dressing.

Place the cashews, sesame seeds and shredded coconut on a tray. Toast until they are beginning to go golden and fragrant (around 5 minutes). Don't burn! Sprinkle the toasted mixture over the top of the salad with the crispy noodles if using.

Serve immediately

OR

If you want to wait to serve it, hold of the dressing until just before.

Apple and Blue Cheese Chicken

So much has happened in the last few days since I posted!! I got through to second stage interview for an honours year scholarship and job with L'Oreal, so next week I am flying up to Auckland and back. This is such a huge privilege and I am so excited about it, but it does mean that what was going to be a busy week next week has now just gotten crazy.

I have had to move a mid-semester test forward a day, as it was scheduled for the day I will be in Auckland. I have singing competitions on Thursday and Friday to prepare for, normal assignments to be working on and now I also have to prepare a presentation for L'Oreal. Aaaargh!!

My plan to reduce some of my stress next week is to have super simple meals. I mean like throw everything into a pan and heat for 10 minutes kinda meals. I will also try to do as much food prep as I can on Sunday.

While I will try to at least get one blog post up, you will understand why I haven't if it all gets too busy.

In the mean time enjoy this recipe for some chicken. I haven't shared a svaoury recipe with you for a while, so when I was inspired by some leftovers, I thought that I would share it with you. Cheese and fruit seem to pretty much always make a great pairing and blue cheese and apple together are no different. When you pair the sweetness of the fruit and the saltiness of the cheese with the chicken, you have something pretty magic going on.

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1 apple, peeled and cored
1/4 cup finely cubed blue cheese
1/4 cup apple juice

Place the chicken between two sheets of plastic food wrap. Using a rolling pin or something heavy, bash the chicken to flatten it out.

Finally chop the apple and mix it in a bowl with the blue cheese. Evenly spread the apple and cheese mix over the chicken.

Gently roll up the chicken and secure with a couple of toothpicks. Place in an oven-proof baking dish and pour over the apple juice. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear or cut into the thickest part).

Remove the toothpicks and slice the chicken to serve.

Creamy Chicken Potato and Leek Casserole

I've decided that its time to add a new recipe category, a slow cooker one. I love my slow cooker! After a busy day of university and work, it's really nice to be able to come home to a comforting cooked meal. A bonus for me being on a budget is that I can use cheaper cuts of meat and they still taste great. Slow Cookers are especially good for winter comfort food and that is where this recipe comes in.

I got the idea for this recipe from a food magazine, but it involved about 1 1/2 hours in the owen. While most of the time I don't want to wait that long for tea, it made it perfect to adapt for the slow cooker. It also uses some great seasonal ingredients.

The original recipe called for cream, but to lighten up the recipe a little I decided to use this Philadelphia Cream for Cooking. This tasted great in the casserole and it was still beautifully creamy. Next recipe I post I will give you a way to use the rest of this up.

Ingredients

5-6 large chicken drumsticks

1 leek

4 bacon rashers, diced

4 medium potatoes, diced into 1cm cubes

1/2 cup white wine

Chicken stock cube 

2/3 cup cream for cooking

1. Turn slow cooker on to low.

2. Using a heavy, sharp knife, cut the knobbly end off the drumsticks and remove the skin (I had to give mine a fairly good whack)

3.Place the potato and leek in the bottom of the slow cooker, place the chicken on top and sprinkle with the bacon.

4. Mix the wine and cream together, then pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker.

5. Place the stock cube into the slow cooker.

6. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.

7. Just before serving, remove the drum sticks from the slow cooker and remove the bones.

8. Place the chicken back in and stir to combine.

Honey Peanut Pretzel Chicken

On weekday afternoons if I'm home from uni in time, I like to watch Rachael Ray. I find that her recipes are easy and tend to be the sort of things that both hungry male and I like. A few weeks ago, she made a chicken coated in honey roast peanuts and pretzels and I immediately started drooling.

A problem I have when cooking is that I like to experiment and try new things, whereas Hungry Male prefers to stick with tried and true recipes he knows he enjoys. I promised to stick to only one or two experiments a week. This was one of this weeks experiments. Seeing me put the peanuts and pretzels into the food processor I was told "I don't want that." Deciding just to ignore him, I kept going and 15 minutes later, the response was "This chicken is really good"......... Success!! Therefore this recipe is know going to be added to the tried and true list.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts

1/4 cup honey roast peanuts

100g pretzels

1 egg, lightly beaten

Canola oil

1. Slice the chicken breast into large strips.

2. Place the peanuts and pretzels in the bowl of a processor and process until very fine.

3. Dip the chicken strips in the beaten egg, then coat in the peanut pretzel mixture.

4. In a pan over a medium heat, heat a little oil.

5. Place the chicken in the pan in a single layer and cook for 3-5 minutes each side or until golden, adding more oil if necessary.

6. Place on a paper towel to drain off excess oil.

7. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Serve over mashed kumara(sweet potato) with honey mustard.

Japanese-style Crispy Chicken

Whenever we got out to a Japanese restaurant, hungry male always gets some form of crispy chicken and I will admit, the Japanese do a very good crispy chicken.

Whenever we got out and hungry male gets the crispy chicken I say "You know I could probably make that at home". Part of the secret is the Japanese mayonnaise that goes with the chicken and the local supermarket sells this.

The other night, I finally put words into action and had a go at the crispy chicken...... and it was awesome!! Beautifully crispy, easy to make and very tasty.

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, cut into strips
Approx 100g panko bread crumbs (You may need more or less)
Flour
1 large egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water
Salt and pepper
Favourite sauce of your choice.

1. Place the flour and bread crumbs on 2 separate plates.
2. First, dip the chicken in the flour to lightly coat.
3. Next dip the chicken in the egg mixture.
4. Finally, roll the chicken in the panko breadcrumbs to coat the chicken fully.
5. Place on a baking tray and repeat with the rest of the chicken
6. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
7. Bake at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and golden.

Honey Mustard Chicken Burgers

I know that I have a few burger recipes on this blog but I do believe that burgers make great meals and it is much cheaper and healthier to make your own rather than buy them. These burgers in particular are so tasty and so easy to make!

This recipes come from my 4 ingredients cookbook and is definitely a budget friendly recipe for me! I served them on some nice Oatilicious burger buns but  this chicken would go just as well on a nice crusty wholemeal or ciabatta roll.

Don't feel like burgers? Not a problem, just make the chicken anyway its so addictive and delicious.

Serves 4
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup seeded mustard
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup curry powder
4 burger buns
1 tomato, sliced
Lettuce
Mayonnaise
Any other burger favourites

1. Slice the chicken into 1 cm thick strips.
2. In a bowl mix together the mustard, honey and curry powder.
3. Add the chicken strips and coat well.
4. Place in a single layer on a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees C. for 15 minutes.
5. Serve on the burger buns with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and any other burger fillings.

Chicken Mole

Here is the recipe that I promised you from my What I ate Wednesday post. No i did not eat a furry underground creature, this dish is pronounce mole-ay and comes from Mexico. While it did take a little time to cook (about an hour) I think it was worth it and most of that time wasn't even hands on.

I saw this recipe on TV on a program called World Kitchen with a chef named Nici Wicks. I think what makes this mole so nice is the dark chocolate. It offsets the spiciness of the chilli and makes its really rich and creamy.

Ingredients
2 tsp minced chilli
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each dried basil, oregano and cumin seeds
2 Tbsp chopped coriander
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 can chopped tomatoes (approx. 420g)
1 cup chicken stock
4 large chicken thighs (Skinless, bone-in) OR 4 chicken breasts
40g dark chocolate (I used 80%)
Salt and Pepper

1. Heat a pan and add the garlic cloves skin and all.
2. Toast for around 10 minutes or until the skin begins to blacken and the garlic begins to soften. (I used this time to grate my chocolate and chop onion). Remove from heat.
3. In a food processor or mortar and pestle, blend toasted garlic, chilli, cinnamon, basil, oregano, cumin seeds, coriander and oil until it forms a paste.
4. Heat a little oil in a saucepan and cook the onions until soft.
5.  Add the spice paste and cook over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant.
6. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes and vigorously simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until thickened.
7. Add the chicken pieces, cover and gently simmer for 30-40 more minutes.
8. Remove the chicken pieces, shred and remove bones if any, then return to the pan with salt and pepper and the grated chocolate. Stir well.
9. Serve with rice and tortillas.

What to do with that leftover roast

 

You made a beautiful roast earlier in the week. Chicken, vegetables, the works. Now, however, what is left is sitting looking sad in the fridge. Sure Roast Chicken sandwiches are nice, but surely you can do better? You surely can with this frittata.

This recipe was adapted from New Zealand's Healthy Food Guide and makes sure that that leftover roast doesn't go to waste. It doesn't have to be chicken, any type of meat would work in this. It can be a lunch or dinner and is great served with some tatsy sauce, relish, or maybe even leftover gravy. Vegetarians can still enjoy this, just leave out the meat.

Ingredients

1 onion, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

350g leftover roast vegetables, diced

200g cooked meat

2 cups cabbage

2 tsp paprika

Grating nutmeg

6 large eggs, beaten

1. Find a large saucepan that can go in the oven. If the handle is plastic, wrap this tightly in tinfoil.

2. Over a medium heat, cooki the onion and garlic until soft

3. Add the roast vegetables and cook for a few more minutes

4. Throw in the meat, cabbage, paprika and nutmeg and mix well.

5. Push down the mixture until it sits flat.

6. Pour over the eggs, swirling the pan until it is evenly distributed

7. Cook the mixture over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the edges and bottom are set and the top is firm.

8. Place the pan in the oven under a grill at 200 degrees C.

9. Leave under the grill until the frittata is set. When you poke the centre of it there should be no wet mixture coming out.

10. Cut into slices and serve with a tasty sauce.