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CHICKEN, PORCINI & BARLEY SOUP
Hearty, warming and filling sums up this soup brilliantly – it’s fab on a cold night to warm the cockles. It’s very chunky – almost like a stew – with a slight woody vibe from the porcini, although you can reserve a little chicken stock to thin it out just before serving, if you prefer. The barley adds a fantastic texture along with the poached chicken, plus you can make and serve up this gorgeous, hassle-free soup in just one pan.
READY IN 50 MINUTES
SERVES 4
25g porcini
1 tsp butter
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into small chunks
2 celery sticks, sliced into small chunks
120g pearl barley
400g chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
500ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
handful of spinach, torn
handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for sprinkling
salt and pepper
1. Start by putting the porcini into a bowl and pouring over 250ml boiling water. Leave to one side for 25 minutes to soften, then remove the porcini, drain on kitchen paper and slice roughly. Strain the porcini soaking liquid through a sieve a couple of times (to remove any grit). Reserve to use later in the soup.
2. When the porcini have about 15 minutes left to soak, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and season well with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables, stirring well, until the onions just start to brown at the edges, about 10 minutes.
3. Next tip in the barley and chicken chunks, stirring to coat in the butter, and let them cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf and the porcini and their liquid, then top with 350ml water. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
4. Put a lid on the saucepan and simmer for 25 minutes until the liquid has reduced down and the barley is nice and puffed up. Add the spinach and parsley for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Remove the bay leaf and taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve in bowls with a fresh sprinkle of parsley – it’s great with some buttered baguette slices.
During the simmering remove the lid a couple of times and stir the bottom of the pan; sometimes some of the barley can settle there so keep it moving. You can also top up with more water if you like a thinner soup – I’m just a fan of it being chunky.
COCONUT CRUMBED CHICKEN WITH WARM MIXED BEAN SALAD
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s a perfect combo of customisable warmed bean salad and gorgeous mango and coconut coated chicken breasts. The chicken strips also work well on their own, served with some extra mango chutney as a dip.
READY IN 30 MINUTES
SERVES 4
olive oil, for drizzling
600g chicken breasts, cut into finger-width slices
2 tbsp mango chutney
6 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
salt and pepper
FOR THE SALAD
500g mixed beans of your choice – try sliced runner beans, tinned cannellini beans, frozen soya beans or tinned butter beans
large handful of tinned or frozen sweetcorn, drained or defrosted
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
handful of coriander, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas mark 6 and drizzle a little oil over the bottom of an oven tray.
2. Put the chicken pieces into a bowl with the mango chutney and toss until all the chicken is well coated. Put the breadcrumbs and coconut in a sealable food bag, season with salt and pepper, then add the chicken pieces and shake the bag well so that each piece of chicken has a covering. Tip the chicken into the oven tray and bake in the hot oven for 10–12 minutes, turning once.
3. Meanwhile make the bean salad. If you are using fresh beans, slice and cook in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5–7 minutes, or until they’re tender. Add any frozen beans and the sweetcorn to the boiling water then drain any tinned beans and add those too. Stir and heat for 1–2 minutes. Drain the beans well and return to the pan. Stir through the spring onions, celery and herbs.
4. In a separate bowl combine the mustard, vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil. Pour over the beans and toss well.
5. Once the chicken is cooked serve with the warm bean salad.
You can freeze the chicken once it has been coated in the breadcrumb and coconut mixture, as long as you are not using chicken that has previously been frozen. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven and roast the chicken from frozen as above, increasing the cooking time to 20 minutes.
A super-speedy, refreshing chicken salad inspired by the traditional ‘Caprese’ combination of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Here I’ve added baked pesto chicken and a drizzle of balsamic for a deliciously light, yet filling salad.
READY IN 30 MINUTES
SERVES 4
butter, for greasing
400g mini chicken fillets