Seven times Chicken

FIRST STEP

PREPARE THE CHICKEN FOR THE OVEN.

The instructions for this are quite simple, you need to separate the skin from the meat of the chicken, then place sliced onion in the gap. you have created.

Then all you do is put the chicken in a pre-heated oven (180c) for about an hour (depends on the size of the chicken). Don't worry, when the skin is golden and crunchy, the chicken is ready.

PREPARE THE BASES FOR THE SEVEN DISHES

INGREDIENTS

The chicken,

1 potato, or a few small bottled potatoes,

1 onion,

1 turnip,

1 parsnip,

1 carrot,

2 stock cubes,

fresh ginger* and turmeric*

*Both the ginger and the turmeric are optional, However, the ginger adds a great tang to the flavour of the stock and soup, and the turmeric gives a pleasant colouring to your dishes (and to your fingers, if you don't wash them immediately after using it). If you don't find fresh ginger or turmeric, don't worry, both are readily available in powdered form.

STEPS

1) Once you have allowed the chicken to cool a little on its baking tray, you can remove the skin (you'll be surprised just how easy the skin separates from the chicken). When you remove the skin, the onions will fall onto the baking tray along with the juices. Remove the chicken from the tray, and empty the juices and the onion into a jug.

2) Separate the meat from the bones, without being particularly careful about it. The meat that you leave on the bones will not be wasted.

Put the bones into a large pan.

Put one of the chicken breasts to one side (it is for the first dish, which normally I prepare whilst I allow the chicken to cool).

Cut the remainder of the chicken into chunks, and store it in three resealable bags. I tend to cut the remaining breast into strips for when I am making Burritos, but that's up to you. Place the bags in the freezer.

3)Peel and slice the vegetables into largish chunks, dice the turmeric, and cut 4 or 5 fine slices of ginger. Put the vegetables, spices, and stock cube into the pan, on top of the bones.

Cover with water and boil on a medium/low flame for around thirty minutes.

4)Once the vegetables are cooked (pinch them with a fork, and if they fall off it, they are cooked), empty the pan into another pan, using a large sieve to separate the vegetables and bones from the stock.

Cover, and leave to cool.

Once cooled, pour part of the stock into hermetic bowls for freezing, then separate the vegetables from the bones and return them to the stock.

5)Remove all the meat from the bones and place them into a resealable bag for freezing. It never fails to surprise me just how much meat there is.

Throw the bones into the bin!

6)Using a blender, blend the vegetables and the stock, then repeat the operation passing the stock from one pan to another using a metal strainer. That way you will be sure to have a completely smooth and creamy chicken soup.

THAT'S IT, YOU NOW HAVE THE BASES FOR SEVEN DISHES !!!

#1.ROAST CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES AND GRAVY

Easy, fast and ridiculously tasty roast dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken breast,

1 jar of potatoes,

baby carrots,

frozen peas,

butter,

and Bisto.

STEPS

1)Let's take a step back in time, to when you had the chicken in the oven. When the chicken is almost ready, put the potatoes (more or less half of the bottle, the rest you can add to the stock mix) into a small pan with slightly salted water, and the baby carrots and frozen peas into another with two or three knobs of butter. Heat both pans (covered) on a low flame.(stir them regularly to ensure they are evenly covered with the melted butter).

By the time the chicken is cooked, and it has been allowed to cool sufficiently for you to be able to remove the skin and one of the breasts, the potatoes, carrots and peas will be ready to serve.

2)Whilst the vegetables cook and the chicken cools, you can prepare the gravy.

Just add a tablespoon of Bisto to the juices and onion that you poured into a jug, and add boiling water, stirring continually, until you achieve the consistency of gravy that you desire.

3)All that's left, is to slice the chicken breast and serve. It's as easy as that!

#2. BURRITOS

You can make this version of the classic Mexican dish, Burritos, in as little as half an hour.

Try it, it's delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken breast cut into strips,

Mexican spices*,

tortillas or wraps,

1 onion,

1 red bell pepper,

1 chili (optional),

1/2 a can of chopped tomato,

grated cheese,

salt, oil, and 1/2 a glass of water..

STEP..

1)Slice the onion, pepper and chili, and fry them gently in a little oil with a pinch of salt. I prefer to put a lid on the frying pan, but it is not vital.

2)While the vegetables are frying (about 7 min), sprinkle the Mexican spice mix over the chicken in a resealable bag, and shake it vigorously to make sure the chicken is evenly covered.

When the onion has turned transparent, and the pepper is soft, add the chicken to the pan, and leave it to heat five minutes without the lid on.

After the five minutes, add the tomato and the water. Leave it a further five minutes in order to allow the sauce to thicken a little.

Finally sprinkle the grated cheese over the mix.

3)The only thing left to do is, heat the tortillas, one by one, in a frying pan WITHOUT OIL, until they brown, put the filling on them, and roll them up.

*Mexican spices. There are an enormous number of packets of Mexican spice mix available, and they all share one thing, they are too weak! They do however serve perfectly as a base for you to make your own mix. I tend to add extra hot chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, and sugar to spice them up, but it's up to you what you want to add, or how hot you want the mix to be.

#3. CHICK-PEAS

This is one of my favourite Spanish dishes, and that's saying a lot, especially as I don't particularly like vegetables (especially carrots), or beans.

This simple, and fast recipe is however quite simply delicious!!

INGREDIENTS

The chicken stock you saved earlier,

1 stick of celery,

1 carrot,

1/2 turnip,

1/2 parsnip,

1/2 leak,

bottle of chick-peas,

dumplings*

STEPS

1) Put the chicken stock in a medium sized pan, and bring it to the boil.

While the stock heats, peel and cut the vegetables into medium/small chunks, empty the chick-peas into a strainer and wash them thoroughly.

Gently fry the dumplings in a little oil, until they are golden.

Once the stock begins to boil, add all the other ingredients, and boil on a medium/low heat for about twenty minutes.

2) THAT'S IT! SERVE AND ENJOY !!!

*The recipe for dumplings is in the section TRICKS & TECHNIQUES.

#4 PASTA BAKE

This is my take on one of my brother's specialities.

Using part of the soup that you made with the chicken, this recipe couldn't be easier, and can be made in thirty minutes, depending on the pasta you use.

INGREDIENTS

soup,

3 rashers of bacon,

the chicken picked off the chicken bones,

grated cheese,

pasta spirals,

olive oil and salt...

STEPS

1)Gently fry the chicken and the bacon cut into strips (to cut into thin shreds is to cut into julienne strips ), in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt.

Put a layer of pasta in a baking dish. I've used spirals but you can use whatever type you prefer, although it is best to use a faster cooking variety.

Put the bacon and the chicken in the baking dish with the pasta, and stir them together. Add the soup, and once again stir them together (if the soup is thick, add 1/2 a cup of milk and stir it into the mix, you may need to add a little salt if you add milk).

Sprinkle the mixture with plenty of grated cheese.

Place the baking dish in a preheated oven (in the lower part of the oven) at 200°c until the pasta is soft. You should start to check the pasta after 20 minutes.

THAT'S IT! READY TO SERVE!!!

#5 CHICKEN SUPREME PIES.

Smooth, creamy, delicious and really easy to make. And what's more, you can make them in less than an hour.

INGREDIENTS.

Chicken,

1 sheet of shortcrust pastry,

1 onion,

3 or 4 rashers of bacon,

butter (3 or 4 knobs),

single cream,

sweet corn,

flour,

1 chicken stock cube,

olive oil, salt & an egg,

sesame seeds (optional).

STEPS

1)Dice the onions and cut the bacon in julienne.

Put the butter in a large hot frying pan with a little olive oil. The oil will stop the butter from burning.

Add the bacon and the onion to the frying pan and add a pinch of salt. (no more than a pinch! The stock cube will add sufficient salt later).

Gently fry the bacon and onion with the lid on the pan, until the onion turns transparent.

When the onion is transparent, add the chicken and the stock cube, stir together and continue to cook for a further five minutes, uncovered, stirring regularly to ensure it does not stick to the pan.

2)Once the five minutes have passed, add the sweetcorn, continue to cook a couple of minutes, then add a spoon of flour.

Stir the flour in, and allow it to toast slightly so that the supreme sauce does not taste of flour. Add the single cream until you achieve a creamy yet thickish sauce*. The mixture needs to be thick in order to make filling the pies easier.

Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.

3)It's time to prepare the pies.

Whilst the chicken supreme is cooling, defrost the pastry and beat the egg.

Unfold the pastry, and cut into three even strips. Roll the pastry out a little, and then paint the borders of the strips with the egg.

Place a large portion of the chicken supreme on the bottom half of each strip, without covering the painted borders.

Fold the pastry down over the filling and close the edges, first with your finger tips, and then with the help of a fork.

Paint the top of the pies, and make two cuts in the surface, to allow the steam to escape whilst the pie bakes.

Decorate with sesame seeds, and place the pies in a pre-heated oven for twenty minutes at 180°c, or until golden brown.

THAT'S IT!! ENJOY!!!!!!!

*If you don't want to make pies, the chicken supreme is just as good served with either chips, or rice, but you may want to add a little more milk or cream to make it less thick.

#6 CHICKEN SOUP WITH KALE AND CROUTONS.

This has got to be the easiest recipe of all time, but that doesn't make it any less tasty.

Ready to eat in 10-15 min.

INGREDIENTS

soup,

kale,

2 slices of bread (stale best),

olive oil and salt..

STEPS

1)Put the soup and the lightly chopped Kale in a covered pan, and boil on a medium/low flame. (about ten minutes).

Whilst the soup is heating, dice the bread and fry it lightly in a frying pan with about a tablespoon of oil. (you can add chopped garlic and herbs of your choice, and they will give a great touch to the croutons)

When the soup is boiled and the croutons are golden brown, SERVE!

AS SIMPLE AS THAT !!!

#7 CHICKEN CURRY

Curry is one of those dishes that, for a lot of people, is unknown and generally misunderstood.Curry is not a synonym for hot!

Curries are as spicy as you want to make them. The variety and amplitude of the range of curries is almost infinite.

So give it a go, you never know, you may even like it!!

INGREDIENTS.

Chicken,

1 red pepper,

1 yellow pepper,

1 onion,

1 chili pepper,

curry powder*,

cinnamon,

single cream,

fresh coriander for decoration,

salt, & olive oil.

saffron (optional)

STEPS

1)Cut the onion in julienne, and finely chop the chili pepper.

Put them in a hot covered frying pan with a little oil and salt, and fry gently on a medium/low flame.

Cut the peppers in julienne and add them to the onion and chili.

Whilst the vegetable gently fry (about 7 min), place the chicken in a resealable bag, sprinkle curry powder over it, and shake the bag vigorously to ensure that all the chicken is coated.

2)When the onion turns transparent and the peppers are soft enough to cut with a wooden spoon, add the chicken to the mix and continue heating for a further five minutes, with the pan uncovered.

Add the single cream and stir well. Depending on the curry powder you use, the colour of the curry will vary, so at this point you should add the saffron if you require the colour of the curry to be a little more intense.

* Curry powders are like Mexican spices, there are an enormous number of powders available, and many of them are pretty tame. To be fair, for those who have never tried curry before, that's probably a good thing, and for those who are particularly timid, a little cinnamon and sugar added to the powders is not a bad thing. For the rest of us, just as with the Mexican spices, you can spice them up by using them as a base to create your own mix. I experiment with different spices all the time, but one thing I universally add is sugar, the sweetness of the sugar compliments brilliantly the spiciness of the curries. At the end of the day, all you are doing is creating a "masala" that adapts to your particular likes.

3)Curry is generally served with rice and/or naan bread.

Well, while you were making the curry, you had plenty of time to boil some rice. But, if you couldn't be bothered boiling rice, there are plenty of excellent frozen boiled rices available, and you can pop them in the microwave for a couple of minutes and that's that.

Aldi sell a perfectly acceptable range of naan bread, but remember to dampen them and leave them aside a couple of minutes before toasting them.

4)All that's left, is for you to chop a little coriander and sprinkle it over your curry.