5 chicken recipes for the soul

Poultry is simple to prepare, budget-friendly and delicious. Here are some ideas for your dinner table this weekend

Chicken Drumsticks With Mixed Vegetables & Apricots

Serves: 4-5
Prep time: 1 hr
Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients
For the spice mix:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp coriander

For the tagine:
400 gm mixed vegetables, defrosted, rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tomato, grated
2 tbsp honey
½ lemon, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
900 gm chicken drumsticks, defrosted, skinned
1 cup cooked chickpeas
¼ cup dried apricots, halved
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup toasted almond flakes
Fresh parsley and coriander leaves, for garnish    
Method
In a bowl, mix spices together and rub all over the chicken. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.
In another bowl, whisk together chicken broth, ginger, tomato, honey, and lemon juice. Set aside.
In a wide, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat, add olive oil and sliced onions, and sauté for a few minutes.
Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides.
Pour the broth mixture over the chicken and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is tender (about 35 minutes).
Stir in the chickpeas, apricots, raisins, and mixed vegetables. Cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
Top the tagine with fresh parsley, coriander, and toasted almond flakes. Serve with couscous or warm crusty bread.
Chicken Harees

Prep time: 20 mins + overnight
Cook time: 3.5 hrs
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cups dried wheat
1 kg chicken breast, diced
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp black powder pepper
1 tsp salt
1 ¾ L water
2 tsp roasted ground cumin seeds
Melted butter or olive oil

Method
Soak the dried wheat overnight.
In a very large pot, add the soaked wheat, chicken pieces, cinnamon, black pepper, salt and water (the water should be 5cm above the wheat and chicken mixture). Bring to a boil.
Constantly stir every few minutes to prevent the bottom from getting burnt.
Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 3 ½ hours.
Season with salt, pepper, cumin and cinnamon.
Using a hand blender, blend the mix well. The consistency shouldn't be like a fine paste; it should be left a little grainy.
Serve hot with melted butter or olive oil drizzled on top.
Chicken & Green Pea Saffron Rice Cake

Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 1.5 hrs

Ingredients
900 gm full chicken legs, defrosted, skinned
Water, as required
1 large white onion, quartered
4 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted, rinsed
400 gm Basmati rice, rinsed
1 tbsp salt
2 egg yolks
200 gm full fat Greek yoghurt
1 tsp saffron threads
2 tbsp boiled water
1 cup dried barberries, washed, drained
½ cup slivered pistachios
1 tsp sugar
1-2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Grind the saffron threads with a bit of sugar into a fine powder. Add some boiling water and set aside to steep.
In a wide medium pot, place the chicken in and top off with just enough water. Boil for a few minutes, skimming off the top. Then add the onions, cardamom, bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook for 20-30 mins until chicken is tender.
In a medium bowl, soak the rice for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside till required.
Bring a large pot of water with salt to the boil. Add rice and par-boil for 10 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Remove the chicken into a bowl and shred with two forks, discarding the bones. Remove the cardamom and bay leaves from the stock, and reduce further until only ½ cup broth remains with the onions.
Mix the now softened onions with the shredded chicken, and set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
In a large bowl, whisk the yoghurt, egg yolks, liquid saffron, salt and pepper.
Fold the rice in and mix until evenly coated.
Spread butter all over a medium, 2.2 L round ovenproof glass dish.
Place half of the rice mixture into the dish, pressing down firmly and evenly. Add layers of shredded chicken and green peas, and finish off with the remaining rice, pressing down.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 to 1.5 hours until the base of the dish is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.
In a small frying pan, sauté barberries for a minute with a bit of butter and sugar until the berries plump up.
Once the rice has slightly cooled, run a knife around the edges and place a larger plate over the pot.
Hold onto the plate and quickly invert the dish so the crispy rice crust is on the top.
Garnish with barberries and pistachios, and serve alongside a tomato and cucumber salad.
Chicken, Spinach & Celery Stew

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients
1 white onion, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pc chicken breast, defrosted, cut into bite-size cubes
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
Salt and pepper
1 L chicken stock
2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
½ cup mint, chopped
400 gm spinach, defrosted, drained
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 lime, juiced    

Method
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onions with 1 tbsp olive oil until golden brown; add garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the chicken and turmeric, and brown on all sides. Then add the fenugreek, salt and pepper and cook further until fragrant.
Add half the stock, bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
In a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and sauté the celery until softened, then add the parsley, mint, spinach and cook very well for 5 minutes.
Add the sautéed mixture and red kidney beans to the pot, top with the rest of the stock, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is tender and the stew has thickened.
Finish off the stew with a squeeze of lime juice and serve with bread or with a side of rice.
Marinated Hummus Chicken

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 pc chicken breast
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tub hummus
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggplants, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
Sumac powder to sprinkle
Pomegranate molasses, as needed
Drizzle of olive oil

Method
Preheat oven to 200°C.
In a bowl, combine olive oil, hummus and minced garlic together.
Line a baking pan with foil, and place the chicken breast down the middle. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken.
Coat the chicken in hummus marinade.
Place sweet potatoes and eggplant on either side of the chicken. Coat in olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle some sumac powder over the potatoes and some pomegranate molasses over the eggplant. Mix each side, until evenly coated.
Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked and sweet potatoes are soft.
Garnish chicken with parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.