Poultry Recipes.
Poultry recipes vary so much and there are so many things you can do with chicken, duck, turkey, etc. Poultry is an ingredient used in most countries cooking, from Indian to Chinese, Italian to Malaysian, Thai to American cooking and beyond!
It is worth knowing that on the Isle of Wight there is no poultry farm currently! All the supermarkets, wholesalers and other retailers bring the chicken over to sell. I enjoy using chicken because it is a great foil to the various styles I like to cook. My favourite recipes include Thai Lemongrass chicken with a sweet chilli dip and Chinese style Hoisin Chicken drumettes. Both canapes or you can scale them up for a main course. Chicken in a Red Pepper Sauce, and the first recipe, an Italian style dish.
Most of all, I like recipes to be as simple as possible and poultry lends itself to that approach. Chicken meat is predominately a consistent light flavour and can take a great deal of spices, herbs and other flavourings to make a great dish. Duck is a bit stronger, along with Pheasant. Thee can take stronger flavours.
Included in this category are the other poultry ingredients, such as duck, game, turkey, and so on. I have cooked many of these, creating some fabulous flavours on a plate. I particularly like using duck as, again, it is a versatile ingredient. It takes Chinese flavours really well as classic French recipes, Duck a la Orange and Duck with Raspberry Jus.
I will add more recipes to this catgeory as time goes by.
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CHICKEN IN A RED PEPPER SAUCE
This is a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey. It is about the spices and not the heat of chillies and so on. The spices make this one of my favourite dishes.
Ingredients
- 900 g/2lbs pounds skinless boneless chicken breast or thigh cut into pieces. A whole (1.5kg) chicken will be fine as the bones can be used for stock.
- 1 large onion peeled and coarsely chopped 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 Romano sweet Red peppers peeled and de- seeded, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 25 g ground almonds
- 250 ml water or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 7 tbsp sunflower oil preferably cold pressed
Instructions
- Combine onions, ginger, garlic, red pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne (increase the cayenne for more heat if you like it hot!), salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Process it until everything you have a paste.
- If you have cut up a whole chicken then boil the carcass and bones in a litre of water to make a stock. if not water will do.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When hot, pour in the mixture from the blender all at once. Reduce the heat and stir gently and fry for about 10 minutes until you can see the oil forming tiny bubbles round it, the mix will thicken slightly. Don’t allow the paste to catch or burn on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the diced chicken to the pan with the stock or water and lemon juice. Stir to mix, bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender. You can thicken the sauce by adding the ground almonds. If you want to leave the sauce on the thin side then you can omit them. Taste for seasoning and add more pepper/salt if required.
- Stir and serve hot with plain rice and naan bread. Garnish with coriander.
Notes
This recipe is straighforward and initially I used red bell peppers but I switched to using the sweeter Romano red peppers. The flavour is better balanced I think. Madhur Jaffrey has brought some great recipes to us and this is one of the best!
A fabulous recipe and a favourtie for a Friday night!
Serves 4
Preparation time – 1 hour
Cooking time 40 minutes
Preparation time – 1 hour
Cooking time 40 minutes
CHICKEN WITH FIVE SPICE AND PEPPERS
Prepare everything before you cook. It is a lovely dish to do!The mix of Chinese Five Spice is a fabulous flavour! You can also change the meat element to beef, pork or lamb.
Ingredients
- 500 g of chicken breast – cut into slices/strips
- Marinade
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Mirin or Rice wine
- 2 tbsp Soy dark
- 2 tbsp Hoisin
- 2 tbsp Black bean sauce optional
- 1 tbsp Chinese Five Spice
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp – olive oil you could mix a little sesame oil in with the olive oil or use a good vegetable oi
- 2 Peppers – any colour – medium dice
- 1 large onion – medium dice
- 1 Red chili – medium size – sliced and diced coarsely use all of the chilli if you like it hot
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2-4 Spring Onions – sliced into short sections
- 100 g chestnut mushrooms – sliced optional
- Season to taste
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients together and stir in the chicken strips, leave for around and hour or so.
- Next prepare the vegetables and have them ready to cook. Put the oil in a pan on a medium heat, add the onion and peppers. Do not allow to burn, reduce heat if needed. When softened – 5-10 minutes add the chicken strips using a slotted spoon so that the marinade is kept till later. Cook the chicken with the vegetables for a further 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and chili to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Then add the marinade liquid, add some water to the bowl and mix it to get the remaining marinade incorporated and add to the pan. The mixture should start to thicken. If it goes too thick add some more water. Leave to simmer while you cook the rice, test for season – add salt and pepper to taste.
- A hearty serving for two with some left for freezing.
Chicken Breast with Baby Spinach, Rocket, Tomato, and Strawberry Salad
This is a simple recipe, and there is not much preparation required. A chicken breast flattened, pan fried or grilled on a BBQ, served with a simple salad and dressing. Perfect for summer days as a lunch or early dinner. Most of the Isle of Wight farm shops will have the chicken and IOW Tomatoes as well as local salad crops during the summer. The combination of young spinach leaves and rocket make a great tasting base to the salad, peppery and sharp. If you cannot find spinach or rocket, then use your favourite salad leaves.
Sumac is a lovely spice which has a tangy, lemony base note that add something special to a summer recipe like this one. From the genus of the cashew plant is has been used for centuries to add its distinctive flavour to many dishes. The Phoenicians used it before the Romans introduced lemons. Much used in Arabic and Mediterranean cooking, it is also used as a dye and for its medicinal qualities.
You can scale the recipe for the number of people you are serving. I like to serve this with small roasted potatoes, or, crushed and buttered new potatoes, or some pasta coated in olive oil and some parmesan cheese.
The chicken with just the salad, is a perfect summer lunch when served with a cold glass of Pecorino, or Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy it with your favourite cold drink!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tsp of Sumac to sprinkle on the top of the chicken
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- Half a red chili no seeds finely chopped or ½ tsp of chili flakes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 100 g/3½oz mix of baby spinach & rocket leaves
- 175 g/6oz strawberries stalks removed and sliced in half or quarters depending on size
- 100 g/4oz Isle of Wight baby tomatoes the mixed colour’s look great with this recipe
- Shavings of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese or grated for topping the chicken and salad
- 4 tbsp of Olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Put the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of clingfilm, and using a rolling pin, gently bash the chicken to a thickness of 1 cm/½ inch. Rub each of the chicken breasts with olive oil and season with the Sumac, the salt and pepper.
- Put the oven on at 180C, 160C Fan, Gas Mark 4, just in case you need to cook the chicken a bit more, and to keep it warm for a few minutes if you are cooking a larger number of chicken breasts.
- Now make your dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the finely grated garlic, chili, balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat up a heavy bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the chicken breasts for around 4 minutes each side, flipping once, until browned and cooked through. You could cook the chicken on a BBQ, cook for 4-5 minutes on either side.
- To check if the chicken is cooked, slice open and check no pink flesh remains. If there is, continue to cook the chicken in the oven until you are happy it is cooked through. You could use a food thermometer to check it is over 74C or above and is white in the middle. When the chicken is cooked, you can serve it whole or transfer the chicken to a chopping board, and slice into around 5 pieces on a 45-degree angle.
- Toss the spinach, rocket, tomatoes, and strawberries with around 2 tablespoons of dressing so everything is lightly coated. Pile up on serving plates and top with the cooked sliced chicken. Drizzle the remainder of the dressing over the sliced chicken and top each dish with the shavings of cheese.
CHICKEN IN LEMON, HONEY AND THYME
This way of cooking chicken is simple and results in a moist piece of meat.
Ingredients
- Mix the marinade ingredients together.
- Cover each to the thighs in the marinade. Turn once or twice whilst they marinade. Leave overnight to ensure they absorb as much flavour are possible
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Put the chicken and the marinade in a covered ovenproof dish and cover with foil. Cook for approximately 30 minutes. Remove and cook on the BBQ for as long as needed to get the great colour from cooking on coals.
- The reason for pre-cooking the chicken is to ensure that you avoid any risks of food poisoning associated with Chicken. BBQ’s are the biggest risk for undercooked chicken.
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients together.
- Cover each to the thighs in the marinade. Turn once or twice whilst they marinade. Leave overnight to ensure they absorb as much flavour are possible
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Put the chicken and the marinade in a covered ovenproof dish and cover with foil. Cook for approximately 30 minutes. Remove and cook on the BBQ for as long as needed to get the great colour from cooking on coals.
- The reason for pre-cooking the chicken is to ensure that you avoid any risks of food poisoning associated with Chicken. BBQ’s are the biggest risk for undercooked chicken.
Notes
Serves 4
CHERMOULA
Chermoula is a marinade, perfect for meat, fish, or firm vegetables.
Mainly found in countries in North Africa. There are many variations of this recipe using ingredients like fresh ginger, preserved lemon, and others. It is like a pesto that can be used with almost anything. You can keep it in a tight lidded jar in the fridge for a week, or portion it into 4-5 tablespoons in a small container and freeze.
The paprika will give it a deeper green colour, if you use turmeric, it will look a little more orange or yellow in colour.
Remember to taste as you make this. You need to balance the salt, garlic, lemon, and herbs into a rounded flavour.
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch coriander
- 1 large bunch parsley
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds toasted and crushed in a mortar
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika or smoked sweet paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 90 ml/3 fl oz olive oil + extra for thinning down if making a marinade
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a food mixer and blend to a rough paste.
- Check the taste often.
Notes
Makes approx 6 portions
Preparation time: 10 minutes
CHERMOULA CHICKEN WITH RICE
A simple and tasty dish to use the Chermoula! The Chermoula recipe is simple and delicious. Chicken, fish and vegetables will taste wonderful with this marinade.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast fillets cut into large pieces
- ½ a large onion cut into dice
- ½ a red and yellow pepper de-seeded and diced
- 70 g basmati rice
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- ¼ quantity of your Chermoula mix
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Marinade the chicken pieces in the chermoula for a couple of hours or overnight.
- Fry the onion and the peppers in 2 tablespoons of the oil, until soft. Leave in the pan on a low heat.
- Cook the rice, by heating a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Keep stirring the rice to coat it with the oil. As the pan heats the rice will turn white, once it all looks like that, add cold water to halfway up the pan. Allow the water to come to the boil, turn the heat down and let is simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste a rice kernel and if it is soft and the rice has absorbed most of the water, you can drain the rice.
- Start cooking the chicken pieces in a frying pan. Have the heat medium hot and the pieces will start to brown quickly. Keep turning the chicken and after 10 minutes they should be cooked.
- Add the rice to pan with the onion and peppers. Stir and mix, then put on a plate or dish.
- Top with the chicken pieces and garnish with some coriander leaves.
Notes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2
PHEASANT BREAST WITH HAZELNUTS, BEETROOT, BACON AND SALAD
This uses a great meat, game or specifically pheasant. You could also use Partridge, Chicken or Duck. Being a salad, the mix is flexible too, so find you favourite leaves and use them.
The larger the breast fillet cut in half, for partridge and duck the whole breast will be sufficient. With game I would recommend gently tapping of the meat with a rolling pin to tenderise it prior to cooking. Put the meat between two layers of cling-film and tap.
Equipment
- 1 frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 Pheasant Breast cut in half
- Four small fresh beetroots – diced into small cubes
- Mixed salad of your choice
- 50 g Roast whole hazelnuts
- 100 g Bacon lardons
- 75 g Baby plum tomatoes
- 1 small red onion finely diced optional
- Olive oil for cooking about a tablespoon
- Dressing
- 30 ml olive oil
- 20 ml red wine vinegar
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon of sugar or honey
Instructions
- Prepare the hazelnuts by putting them on a baking tray and roasting in an oven at 180C for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them make sure they do not burn.
- Top and tail the beetroots and put in a pan of boiling water until they are soft. Approximately 15-20 minutes. The bigger the beetroot the longer it will take.
- Or you can buy a packet of four ready cooked beetroots. Dice the beetroot into small cubes.
- If you can get lardons use thick sliced bacon into strips, that will work just as well.
- Take the two Pheasant Breasts and cut into two equal diamond shapes. Season them and put to one side.
- Make the dressing by mixing the oil, vinegar and lemon juice and mix vigorously and put to one side.
- Plate up the salad on dishes, do not put too much on each plate. Cut the tomatoes in half and share equally on top of the salad on each plate.
- The add the red onion, beetroot and hazelnuts on the top of the salad.
- Add a little oil to a frying pan, Start frying the bacon and then add the pheasant on a medium-high heat. Move the bacon lardons around and wait for 5-6 minutes to check the colour on the pheasant. If brown enough turn them over. Keep moving the bacon as well.
- When cooked, check by putting a small knife through one of the pieces and look for clear liquid coming out of the cut. Ensure that you have a nice colour on the pheasant.
- Add the bacon to the salad. Place the pheasant on top of each on the plates. Drizzle a little of the dressing on the top of the salad.
- Serve.
Notes
You can make it more of a meal by adding new potatoes or an delicous Rosemary Foccacia (see my recipe) to the plate. You could also add crumbled Stilton cheese on the salad. Scale up as needed if you have more people. Serve as starter or main course.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2