Chicken – Page 5 – The Food Wife

(Instant Pot) Garlic And Soy Chicken Thighs

8th November 20218th November 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

Here is a recipe weâ€™ve been enjoying that is sweet, salty and has a gentle kick of flavour from the garlic, ginger and chilli. Iâ€™ve given the instructions for bone-in skin-on thighs in the main recipe, but for less faff skinless thigh fillets can also be used (see notes at the end). Thereâ€™s also guidance for if you donâ€™t have an Instant Pot. Basically Iâ€™m saying thereâ€™s no excuse not to try this recipe.

Hang on, you donâ€™t eat chicken? Well I think this would be excellent with jack fruit too, in fact Iâ€™ll just test that and be right backâ€¦

Ingredients:

1kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

Oil (1 tbsp vegetable oil with 1 tsp sesame oil)

1/2 instant pot cup or 80ml (gluten-free if required) soy sauce

1/2 instant pot cup or 80ml (gluten-free if required) tomato ketchup

1/2 instant pot cup (up to 80ml on measure) loosely packed soft light brown sugar

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 inches ginger, grated

Chilli flakes (optional)

1 Instant Pot cup (160ml) water

Step 1: Set the instant pot to sautÃ© mode. Add the oil and then seal the chicken thighs for a couple of minutes on each side. You will need to do this in at least two batches. Remove the thighs once sealed until all are done. Turn sautÃ© mode off.

Step 2: Mix the rest of the ingredients together (use the chilli flakes if youâ€™d like a kick to the sauce. I used a teaspoon of them).

Step 3: Return the thighs to the Instant Pot and pour the sauce over the top. Put the lid on and set the vent to sealing. Set the instant pot to cook on poultry mode (or high pressure) for 20 minutes. Allow to depressurise naturally for five minutes and then cover with a tea towel and then carefully switch to venting.

Step 4: Remove the thighs, and then skim any fat from the top. Switch to sautÃ© mode for a few minutes to reduce the sauce until thick and syrupy. Either pour over the thighs to serve or shred the meat from the thighs and return to the pot to coat in the sauce.

Serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

N.b can also be made with skinless, boneless thighs. In which case skip step 1 and place everything in the pot and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Shred the chicken and reduce the sauce on sautÃ© mode.

If not using an instant pot, cook, covered with 360ml of water added, for 90 minutes in an oven at 170c. Check periodically to ensure it isnâ€™t drying out and add a little water if necessary.

Moroccan-inspired Turkey or Chicken Soup

17th October 20212nd November 2021
by thefoodwife

Serves 4

I LOVE this soup.

Itâ€™s a warming bowl which makes use of your stock and leftover breast meat from your roast. After Christmas itâ€™s perfect for any turkey still going but the spoils from a roast chicken are just as good at any time of year.

Make this in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, be careful not to burn the spices, and with no need to purÃ©e the soup, itâ€™ll be ready in half an hour!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon

1 heaped tsp ground cumin

1 heaped tsp ras al hanout

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1L chicken stock

1 tin butter beans or chickpeas, drained

150g cooked turkey/chicken breast , chopped

2 tsp cornflour, slackened in a little cold water

6 dried apricots, finely chopped (alternatively a small handful of sultanas)

1 tbsp date or pomegranate molasses (or use 1/2 tbsp honey)

Salt & pepper

Step 1: Sweat the onion in the oil over a medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and stir to stop it from catching. Then add the purÃ©e and spices and stir for 30 seconds.

Step 2: Add the stock and chopped tomatoes, along with the drained butter beans or chickpeas. Allow to cook on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes then add the shredded meat and chopped apricots and stir in the molasses and slackened cornflour to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Bourbon and Coke Chicken Wings

5th September 20215th September 2021
by thefoodwife

Makes 10 wings

When I was 18 my alcoholic drink of choice was always a JD and diet coke. I canâ€™t remember the last time I last had such a drink, but now at age 36, this weekend I did use the combination of bourbon and coke to make a delicious sweet and sticky glaze for some roasted chicken wings. Oh my goodness they were delicious. I canâ€™t wait to make them again!

N.B. You do need to use full fat/sugar coke in this recipe otherwise you wonâ€™t get the syrup needed to make the glaze.

Ingredients:

10 full chicken wings

750ml Coca Cola (full fat)

75ml bourbon whisky

1 spring onion, cut into strips

Step 1: Begin by spreading the wings on a roasting tray and baking for 40 minutes at 200c (fan) until they are cooked through and the skin is crisp.

Step 2: While the wings are roasting pour the coke into a wok and reduce on a high heat until it begins to thicken, then add the bourbon and continue reducing until syrupy but still liquid. If you take it too far, add a little more coke and lower the heat until the syrup has melted into the liquid. Turn off until youâ€™re ready to add the cooked wings.

Step 3: The wok needs to be heated up again as you add the cooked wings. Continuously stir to ensure each wing is coated and as the liquid continues to reduce and thicken each wing has a sticky glaze.

Step 4: Serve immediately, scattered with the shredded spring onion.

Satay Marinade

14th June 202128th June 2021
by thefoodwife

As soon as the sun is shining this satay recipe is perfect for marinating some meat and cooking on the bbq. This quantity is enough to marinate two large chicken breasts, cut into strips. It is easily scaled up and works excellently with pork too. I love skewering the marinated pork with alternates pieces of fresh pineapple and then barbecuing.

Ingredients:
1 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 lime leaves, roughly chopped (or use the zest of the lime)
1 lemon grass, bruised with the back of a knife and then finely chopped
1 inch of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients together. Coat the meat and allow to marinate.
Aim to do this the night before for ultimate flavour and then skewer and cook the next day.

Love Your Leftovers

25th June 201925th June 2019
by thefoodwife

This week Iâ€™m focusing on transforming leftovers into something delicious. One of the key lessons I learnt from my grandparents was â€˜waste not want notâ€™. Nothing would be wasted from a meal. Anything that wasnâ€™t eaten would be used the next day. Iâ€™m a big fan of leftovers, less so when they are termed as â€˜scrapsâ€™ which is my parents word of choice; â€œwhatâ€™s for dinner, mum?â€ â€œBaked potato and scraps!â€ Hmmmm…

Anyway, on Sunday we had a roast chicken. I was going out for the day and prepared the potatoes in the morning, peeling them and leaving them in cold salted water ready to be par-boiled that afternoon. I was left with a large pile of potato peelings. I left them too, in a large bowl of cold water and went out for the day. Waste not want not. When I got home I drained them and then dried them in a clean tea towel, tossed them in a drizzle of garlic infused rapeseed oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika and then spread on a lined baking sheet. I popped them in the oven for 30 minutes. I started at 200c for the first 15 minutes and then jammed it up to 220c for the final 15 (just check them every now and again to check how theyâ€™re getting on). The result? Potato peelings transformed into a pre-dinner crispy snack!Â

Now what to do with the leftover chicken? Well Iâ€™ve revisited a couple of my recipes; starting with my Thai-style Chicken and Mango Noodle Salad. So refreshing now the weather is heating up! And to finish up the remaining chicken I will be using my Instant Pot to make a Mexican Rice Bowl and will incorporate the shredded chicken breast at the end.

And finally donâ€™t forget to use the carcass of the chicken to make a wonderful stock, perfect for soups. Boil up the bones in water with an onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and peppercorns for a couple of hours. Drain the liquid off and allow to cool before storing in the fridge for a few days (or once cool pop it in the freezer for another day). So love your leftovers and remember to waste not want not!