Thai Chicken Drumsticks

Serves 6

Ingredients :
250ml coconut milk
45-50ml red curry paste
30ml lime juice
30ml fish sauce
30ml sweet chilli sauce
60ml chopped fresh coriander
12 chicken drumsticks

Method :
Combine the coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, fish sauce, chilli sauce and the coriander in a bowl and mix well.
Slash the chicken legs twice on each side and place in the marinade, coating them well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Remove chicken from the marinade and place on an oven tray. Grill on both sides, turning and basting frequently with marinade, until cooked.

Can also be cooked on the braai or in a grill pan.

Chicken biryani (breyani)

Ingredients
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 - 1.5kg boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks
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Spices
1 teaspoon powdered cardamom
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon star anise
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
(Note : The above spices are also available and packaged as a ready-made biryani mix in most supermarkets or spice shops)
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Rice
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon masala (usually sold as biryani masala)
5 cardamom pods
1 small stick of cinnamon
500g basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
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Method
In a large skillet, fry potatoes in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until brown, drain and set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry onion, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden. Add spices, salt and the tomatoes.
Fry, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked soft.
It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and begins to stick to the pan.
When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice mixture.
Cover and cook over very low heat until the chicken is tender, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
Wash rice well and drain in colander.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add onion and cook until brown. Stir in the masala, cardamom and cinnamon and then add the rice.
Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the oil.
In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt.
When the mixture is hot pour it over the rice and stir well.
Add the chicken mixture and the potatoes, then gently mix them into the rice. Bring to boil.
Cover the saucepan tightly, turn heat to very low and steam for 20 minutes.
Do not lift lid or stir while cooking. After about 20 minutes the biryani should be ready to be served.

recipe chicken biryani breyani

Chicken with Spanish rice

Serves 6

Ingredients :
1.5kg frozen Spanish rice
800g chicken pieces
Cooking oil
2 large oranges
Light Soya sauce
Honey
White pepper
Salt

Method :
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place chicken pieces into a roasting tray with a little cooking oil and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes or until partly cooked.
Spread the frozen rice in a large ovenproof dish or roasting tray and place the partly cooked chicken on top of the rice.
Squeeze the juice of the oranges over the chicken pieces, followed by a generous dash of the soya sauce over each piece of chicken.
Sprinkle white pepper and a little salt onto each piece of chicken then drizzle some honey (about 1/2 teaspoon) over each chicken piece.
Cover with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for about an hour or until the chicken has turned a golden brown.

recipe chicken Spanish rice

Cheesy chicken bake

Serves 4

Ingredients :
1kg chicken breasts, skinned & filleted
A little flour
1 egg
50g fine breadcrumbs
25g Parmesan cheese
400g tin of peeled tomatoes
2.5ml crushed garlic
2.5ml basil
2.5ml oreganum
50g grated cheddar cheese

Method :
Mix together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Dip the chicken in flour, then in the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumbs.
Fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides and place in an ovenproof dish.
Mix the tomatoes and herbs in a blender, heat the mixture well and pour over the chicken.
Sprinkle with the grated cheddar cheese.
Bake in an oven at 180C for 30 minutes.

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Serving suggestion: Serve with cooked pasta noodles and a green salad.

recipe cheese cheesy Chicken Bake poultry chicken

Peri-Peri Chicken

Ingredients :
2 kg Chicken pieces
5 - 10ml Thyme (to taste)
Salt
Cake flour
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:
250ml Tomato Sauce
10ml Paprika
100ml Oil
5ml Mustard Powder
50ml Vinegar
2ml Peri Peri Powder
50ml Chutney
2 dashes Tabasco Sauce
15ml Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove Garlic, crushed

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Spray a large ovenproof dish with non-stick spray.
Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper & thyme to taste.
Place a little cake flour into a plastic bag & shake a few chicken pieces at a time in the flour until well coated.
Place the chicken pieces in the prepared oven dish.
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and pour over the chicken pieces.
Cover with plastic wrap & marinate and refridgerate for 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove the plastic wrap and cover the oven dish with aluminium foil & bake for 30 mins.
Remove the aluminium foil & bake for a further 60 mins or until done.

recipe peri-peri chicken

Roasted duck with orange sauce

Ingredients :
2 kg duck
paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce :
6 oranges
1 lemon
200ml dry white wine
30ml brown sugar
1 cube of chicken extract
50ml tomato sauce
10ml corn flour mixed with a little water

Method :
Remove all visible ,excess fat from the duck.
Season with paprika, salt and pepper.
Roast for approximately 90 minutes at 180C in a pre-heated oven.
Baste every 15 minutes during the roasting period.
Peel the skin of 2 oranges into thin strips and remove the orange segments (without the white fleshy bits) and place to one side.
Squeeze the juice of the remaining oranges and the lemon into a container.
Make a sauce with the orange rind, the orange and lemon juice, wine, sugar, chicken extract cube and the tomato sauce and simmer in a saucepan for about 10 minutes, thickening the sauce with the corn flour.
Add the orange segments to the sauce and heat.
Pour the sauce over the duck before serving.

recipe roast duck orange orange sauce

Chicken And Chickpea Bake

by Ryan and Leigh Marshall (Australia)

Serves 4

Ingredients :

A few tablespoons plain flour
8 - 10 chicken portions (thigh fillets or drumsticks)
1/4 cup olive oil
300g tin chickpeas, rinsed, drained
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2x 400g cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 t white sugar
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 1/3 cups couscous

Method :

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Combine flour with some salt and pepper on a plate and lightly coat chicken in flour.
Heat 2T of cooking oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken, turning occasionally for 5-6mins until golden brown.
Transfer to a shallow baking dish and add the chickpeas.
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add the garlic and onion and cook for 5 mins.
Add tomatoes, stock, sugar and salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 mins until thickened slightly.
Pour sauce over chicken, stirring to coat.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins.
Remove foil and sprinkle the feta cheese on top.
Bake uncovered for another 10 mins or until feta has melted and chicken cooked through.
Sprinkle with chopped parsely.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to the boil.
Add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the couscous. Cover.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the couscous stand for 5 minutes.
Fluff the couscous with a fork.
Serve the chicken, with its sauce, over the couscous.

Here is a quick & easy bonus recipe :

Chicken with mustard & mayonnaise sauce

Place some chicken thigh fillets (or any other portions that you may prefer) in a baking dish and baste with the sauce described below. Season with salt according to taste.

Sauce: Ratio of 1 part whole grain mustard to 2 parts mayonnaise.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180-200 degrees C for 30 mins.

recipe chicken chickpea bake mustard mayonnaise

Ostrich Neck Stew

serves 6-8
by Janet Anderson

Ingredients :

2 – 2.5 kilos ostrich neck, washed
3 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil
2 med onions diced
4 large gloves garlic crushed or sliced
6 med potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
4 carrots cleaned and cut into roundels
2 tomatoes peeled and diced
4 – 6 bay leaves
8 peppercorns
300 mls good quality red wine
2 chilli beef cubes
1 dessertspoon Bisto (browning and thickening powder)

Method:

In a large saucepan, add the oil and brown the onions.

Add the garlic and cook for a further few minutes. Remove the onions from pot and add the meat.

Once the meat has browned add the onion and garlic back to the saucepan and add the tomatoes, bay leaves, peppercorns, beef cubes, carrots, tomatoes and the red wine.
DO NOT ADD THE POTATOES AT THIS POINT.
Place a lid on the pot and allow the meat to simmer on a low heat for about an hour.
After an hour, check the meat for tenderness – if the meat is still tough cook for a further ½ hour or so (add a little bit of water if the liquid has cooked away).
Once the meat feels as though it is almost tender, add the potatoes and cook for another 20 – 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the meat is tender.
Make a paste from a little water and Bisto and add to the pot to thicken.
Once the stew has thickened, taste the gravy and add salt if necessary.

This meat has a very similar taste and texture to oxtail, but has way less fat and a lot less cooking time. Enjoy

PS. If you own a pressure cooker then follow the recipe as above but reduce the cooking time of the meat to 30 – 40 minutes and then cook another 15 minutes once you have added the potatoes. Also when you start the first 30 – 40 min cooking time, to be on the safe side, add 250 mls of water. I find that the water seems to cook away quicker in the pressure cooker.

recipe ostrich stew

Sticky Chicken

serves 4 - 6

by Janet Anderson

Ingredients:
1.5 kgs chicken pieces
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of water
½ cup of chutney
¼ cup of apricot jam
2 teaspoons of fresh garlic
1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
1 packet of Brown Onion soup

Method:
Remove the skin and all visible fat from the chicken pieces except the wings.
Rinse the pieces and place in an oven proof dish in a single layer.
Mix together the mayonnaise, water, chutney, apricot jam, garlic, ginger and brown onion soup in a mixing bowl and pour the mixture over the chicken.
Bake for 1¼ - 1½ hours in an oven at 180°C.

About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, switch the grill on to get the chicken brown and firm.

Serving suggestion : Goes well with Basmati rice and oven roasted vegetables (roasted with sprigs of rosemary and whole garlic cloves) drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

NB. This dish contains jam and chutney which have a high sugar content, so it is best you check the progress every 20 – 30 minutes to ensure that it is not burning.

recipe sticky chicken chicken