Midweek Meals: Five chicken dinners perfect for early summer evenings

Winner winner chicken dinner — use breast or thigh or leftover roast chicken for these quick and easy dinner recipes 

What's for dinner? Easy family meals using chicken

Marmalade chicken and broccoli

recipe by:Neven Maguire

You could change up the vegetables in this tasty stir-fry depending on what you have in the fridge. French beans would work very well, as would sliced mixed coloured peppers, or try sugar snap peas and baby sweetcorn together

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 350g (12oz) jasmine rice

• 600ml (1 pint) of boiling water

• 400g (14oz) stir-fry chicken strips

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated

• 1 x 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 200g (7oz) tenderstem broccoli

• 175g (6oz) fine cut marmalade

• handful of fresh coriander leaves

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Place in a pan with the boiling water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, until tender. Fluff up with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, put the chicken strips, garlic and ginger into a bowl. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. Set aside for 20 minutes to marinate if time allows or up to two days in the fridge.

3. Heat a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and swirl it up the edges. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, until lightly golden.

4. Add the broccoli and sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of water. Steam-fry for 1–2 minutes, then add the marmalade and 2 more tablespoons of water and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until tender and nicely glazed. Serve with the rice and coriander.
   
   From Learn To Cook with Neven by Neven Maguire, Gill Books

Korean fried chicken bowls

Super-crispy chicken bathed in a sauce made spicy by the addition of gochujang, Korea’s famous spice paste

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the chicken:

• 250ml (1 cup) buttermilk

• 8 free-range chicken thighs (bone in and skin on), cut into bite-sized pieces

• 100g (3½oz) cornflakes

• 85g (3oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

• 2 tsp chilli powder

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• Sunflower oil spray

• For the sauce:

• 8 cloves of garlic, finely grated

• 1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated

• 6tbsp light soy sauce

• 70g (2 ½oz) gochujang (Korean chilli paste)

• 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

• For the bowls:

• 250g (9oz) sticky rice, cooked

• ½ head red cabbage, thinly sliced

• 6 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

• Handful of radishes, finely sliced

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• A good handful of coriander leaves

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan/400˚F/Gas 6.

2. In a large bowl, mix the buttermilk with a generous season of sea salt and ground black pepper. Add the chicken to the bowl and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Set aside.

3. Pour the cornflakes in a large freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin to a coarse powder. Add the flour, chilli and garlic powders to the bag along with salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake the mix until combined.

4. Pour the dry mix into a large wide shallow bowl. One by one using tongs, dip each marinated chicken piece (shaking off any excess) in the dry mix until coated on all sides.

5. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spritz with sunflower oil spray. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and crispy, turning halfway through to make sure they’re golden on all sides.

6. While the chicken cooks, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan whisk together the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, gochujang, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and brown sugar.

7. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a low simmer, cooking until the sugar is just dissolved – about three minutes. Set aside.

8. Once the chicken has cooked, brush with the sauce.

9. Assemble serving bowls with the sticky rice, cabbage, spring onions, radishes, chicken pieces, sesame seeds and plenty of coriander. Drizzle with more of the spicy sauce as needed.
   
   Recipe from Everyday Cook by Donal Skehan, published by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £25. Available now.

Creamy chicken pasta

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

Quick and easy this is comforting and delicious

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 chicken fillets, cubed

• 4 tbsp crushed pistachios

• ½ red chilli, finely chopped

• 180ml cream

• 100g pasta

• 2 tbsp Parmesan

• a handful of mint leaves, chopped

• 2 tbsp sunflower or pumpkin seeds

• salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat.

2. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add the pistachios and chilli, and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Stir in the cream, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack.

7. Drain the pasta and tip it into the pan with the cream sauce.

8. Add the parmesan, mint, and seeds and stir well to coat the pasta.

9. Season to taste and divide the pasta between warmed serving bowls.

Thai-Style chicken noodles with green beans

recipe by:Neven Maguire

Straight-to-wok noodles are a brilliant shortcut if you’re in a hurry and want to save on washing up, perfect to enjoy with chicken and chilli sauce

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla) 

• 2 tbsp clear honey 

• 2 tsp light muscovado sugar 

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 2 large shallots, thinly sliced 

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

• 1 fresh long red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced into rings 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces 

• 200g fine green beans, trimmed and cut in half 

• juice of 1 lime 

• 2 × 150g packets of straight-to-wok noodles 

• 50g fresh bean sprouts, trimmed 

• To garnish:

• fresh coriander leaves

Method

1. Place the soy sauce in a small bowl and stir in the fish sauce, honey and sugar. Set aside until needed.

2. Heat a wok until smoking hot. Add the oil and swirl it up the sides, then tip in the shallots, garlic and chilli. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until sizzling.

3. Tip the chicken into the wok and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until sealed. Drizzle over the soy sauce mixture and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is nicely glazed.

4. Add the green beans to the chicken mixture, then sprinkle over the lime juice and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until the green beans are cooked through but still have a little bite. Fold in the noodles and allow to just warm through. Add the bean sprouts and cook for 30 seconds or so to keep them crisp.

5. Arrange in warmed bowls and scatter over the coriander leaves to serve.

Nutty chicken

recipe by:Clodagh McKenna

Delicious, chargrilled pieces of chicken, coated in an addictive peanut sauce that takes just 5 minutes to make!

Servings

4

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips

• ½ cucumber, diced

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon caster sugar

• 250g (9oz) packet of pre-cooked,

• microwave coconut rice

• ½ small red onion, sliced

• pinch of chilli flakes

• For the marinade:

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil

• ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ½ teaspoon mild curry powder

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 teaspoon caster sugar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• For the peanut satay sauce:

• 165ml (5½fl oz) can of coconut milk

• 4 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

• juice of ½ lime

• ½ teaspoon lemongrass paste

• 1cm (½in) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• ½ tablespoon mild curry powder

• ½ tablespoon dark soft brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Method

1. First, make the peanut satay sauce. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put the chicken thighs in a glass bowl, add the marinade ingredients and mix well until the thighs are evenly coated.

3. Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Place the marinated chicken in the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

4. While the chicken is cooking, combine the cucumber, white wine vinegar and caster sugar in a small bowl and cook the coconut rice according to the packet instructions.

5. Serve the satay on the coconut rice with the cucumber salad, sliced red onion, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and the peanut sauce drizzled over the top.
   
   Recipe swap:
   Thin strips of pork fillet work really well with satay sauce or, for a meat-free alternative, substitute thick slices of firm tofu.
   
   In Minutes by Clodagh McKenna is published by Octopus Publishing and is out now.