POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 10 points or 456 cals 6.8g fat, 61.6g carbs, 40.2g protein

INGREDIENTS

240g basmati rice

2 tsp sesame oil

500g chicken breast, raw, cut into bit sized chunks

1 tsp each of curry powder and Chinese 5 spice

2 tbsp each dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and oyster sauce

½ tsp sugar

Pinch white pepper

2 eggs

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

4 spring onions, sliced

1 pepper, deseeded and diced

80g frozen peas

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and white pepper

METHOD

1. Pop the rice on to cook.
2. Pour 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil into a large pan or wok, heat and then add the chicken. Season with salt and a little white pepper and cook for 5–6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
3. While the chicken is cooking, put the curry powder, 5-spice, soy sauces, oyster sauce, sugar, a little white pepper and 3–4 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Stir to combine.
4. Next, break the eggs into a cup, whisk up and then put in a smaller pan with a little low-calorie cooking spray. Scramble for a minute or two (you want the eggs so they are just cooked) and then remove from the heat, setting to one side.
5. Add the remaining sesame oil to the wok (the same pan in which you cooked the chicken) and add the onion, the white parts of the spring onion, the pepper, peas and garlic. Fry for 5–6 minutes until the onion starts to soften and then you can begin adding everything back to the pan.
6. First add the cooked and fluffed rice, then toss through the vegetables, making sure the rice is nicely broken up. When the rice is piping hot and mixed into the veggies, pour the sauce into the pan, stirring until it evenly coats the rice.
7. Next, add the chicken back to the pan, fry for another minute, and then add the eggs and remaining green parts of the spring onions to the pan. Toss everything together, taste and season with more soy and white pepper if needed.

The post Chicken Fried Rice first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 11 points or 513 cals, 23.6g fat, 48.7g carbs, 25.2g protein

Ingredients

For the duck

400g duck breasts fillets, skin removed, raw

1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

For the stir fry

1 tsp sesame oil

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks

1 pepper, deseeded and sliced

4 spring onions, finely sliced

200g white cabbage, finely sliced

100g beansprouts

2 tsp each of Chinese 5 spice and chilli powder

3 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1 chilli, finely sliced (and deseeded if you don’t like things too spicy)

400g fresh egg noodles

1 lime

Method

1. Begin by making the duck. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Take a baking dish, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add the duck breasts skin-side up.
2. Season with salt and pepper and the 5-spice, spray the duck again with low-calorie cooking spray and then roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until cooked through. Remove the duck from the oven, rest for 10 minutes, and then shred with two forks.3
3. While the duck is cooking, you can prepare the rest of the stir-fry. Take a wok or large frying pan, pour in the sesame oil and bring to a medium/high heat.
4. Add the carrot, pepper, spring onion, white cabbage and beansprouts. Stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until the carrot starts to soften. Add the 5-spiceand chilli powder, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey and rice wine vinegar. Pour in a splash of cold water and toss everything together, continuing to fry on a medium/high heat.
5. Add the shredded duck, coriander and chilli to the pan, toss everything together again, and check for seasoning. Season with salt and pepper if required.
6. Add the egg noodles to the pan with a splash of water, toss to combine, and fry on a medium heat until everything is piping hot.
7. Finally, remove the stir-fry from the heat and squeeze in the lime juice. Serve in nice big bowls.

The post Hoisin Duck Stir Fry first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 7 points or 419 cals, 21g fat, 23.2g carbs, 34.5g protein

Ingredients

1 red onion, finely diced

1 pepper, deseeded and finely diced

2 large tomatoes, diced into 1cm chunks

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 red chilli (if you like spice), finely chopped

200g basmati rice

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

3 tsp pilau seasoning

100g frozen peas

2 tsp light butter

1 1/2 tsp ground tumeric

10g fresh coriander, finely chopped

1 lemon

4 x 120g salmon fillets

Low calorie cooking spray

For the spiced mint yoghurt

15g each fresh coriander and fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

3 green chillies (deseeded if you don’t like things too hot), roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

½ tsp sugar

Juice of ½ lemon

200ml fat free Greek yoghurt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
2. To make the mint yoghurt, blitz all the ingredients together and spoon into a bowl. Cover and pop in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
3. To make the pilau, add the onion and pepper to a frying pan and spray with low-calorie cooking spray. Fry for 5–6 minutes until the onion is soft, adding a splash of water if the pan gets dry, and then add the tomatoes, garlic and chilli and fry for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, pop your rice on to cook, adding the crumbled stock cube and a teaspoon of the pilau seasoning to the rice pan. When the rice has 3 minutes left, add the peas to the pan.
5. Once cooked, add the rice and peas to the frying pan with the vegetables. Pop the frying pan back on a medium/high heat.
6. Make a well in the middle of the rice, add 1 teaspoon of butter, let it melt, then add 1 teaspoon of the turmeric and 1 teaspoon pilau seasoning. Once the spices have combined into the butter, stir-fry the rice so the butter melts nicely through all the rice.
7. Remove the rice from the heat, toss through the fresh coriander and add the juice of half the lemon. Pop on a lid and leave to rest while you cook the salmon.
8. For the salmon, spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and then add the salmon, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon pilau seasoning and fry for 3–4 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn the salmon over and fry for 3–4 minutes on the other side until the salmon is cooked through.
9. Add the remaining butter to the pan with the remaining ½ teaspoon of turmeric. Once the butter and turmeric have melted together, coat the salmon, fry for a further minute, and then turn off the heat.1
10. Serve in big bowls with the rice on the bottom, salmon on top, a good slosh of spiced mint yoghurt and a wedge of lemon each.

The post Salmon Peas Pilau first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Firstly, pilafs are usually cooked in the oven. Having tested this method I’ve concluded its too fiddly, too much effort and there is no guarantee the rice will actually be cooked in the time it should be. Secondly, I tweaked (read changed!) the ingredients more to my taste and to make it more WW friendly. I also added chicken to the recipe but this is an optional addition as you will see in the method below and the dish really is just as good without (especially it if you are all about getting those meat free days in).

If you aren’t usually a fan of cauliflower, I would urge you to give this one a go. I don’t like boiled cauliflower at all, but roasted it has the most delightful texture and nutty flavour. The cauliflower leaves are also delicious believe it or not!

The way I’ve made this dish makes it far more straight forward to cook and keeps everything a little more moist and juicy. It’s a lovely addition to any weekly meal plan and makes four big portions so is perfect for left overs the next day.

Be sure to read the method to the end before you make it to be sure everything is on the go.

Cheats Harissa Cauliflower Pilaf

Serves 4

With chicken – Blue and Purple 11sp per serving Green 12sp per serving

Without chicken – Blue, Purple and Green 11sp per serving

Ingredients

2 tbsp harissa spice mix (not the paste)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large cauliflower, broken into medium sized florets, small leaves kept while and large leaves roughly chopped

1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 lemons

1 tsp sugar

200g basmati rice

Small pinch of saffron (optional)

2 bay leaves

1 litre stock (made up with 2 stock cubes, either chicken or vegetable)

60g sultanas

40g toasted flaked almonds

Small bunch of coriander

Small tub of pomegranate seeds

400g raw chicken breasts (optional – see method)

Additional optional serving suggestions (but gooooood!)

Fat Free Greek Yoghurt

Sprinkle of Sumac and crushed chillies

Method

Heat the oven to 200c. Whisk 1 tbsp of the harissa spice with the garlic, olive oil and 1 tbsp water in a large bowl.  Add the cauliflower florets and leaves and toss to coat. Tip into a roasting tin, spread evenly and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked to your liking (I like it so it’s still al dente).

Meanwhile take a small bowl and add the juice of 1 lemon, the sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the red onion and toss in the juice. Pop to one side to pickle whilst you make the rest of the dish.

If you are having chicken with the dish, take the chicken breasts, flatten with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are around 2 cm thick, sprinkle with harissa spice, salt and pepper and fry in a frying pan with 1kal until cooked through (this should take around 15-17 minutes). Remove from the pan once cooked through and slice.

Add the basmati rice to a large sauce pan with 1 tsp salt, the saffron, bay leaves, stock and 1 tbsp harissa spice. Boil the rice until it is cooked through but still has a bite (mine took around 15 minutes). Once cooked, drain the rice and add to a large mixing bowl with the sultanas, roasted cauliflower and most of the almonds, pomegranate seeds and coriander (reserve a little to dress). Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, season to taste and stir.

Pour the rice mixture into a large serving dish (or into your individual plates/portions) and finish with the remaining almonds, coriander and pomegranate seeds as well as the pickled red onion. Top with the remaining half a lemon cut into 4 wedges.

Finish with a few dollops of yoghurt and a sprinkle of crushed chillies and sumac.

Enjoy!

The post Cheats Harissa Cauliflower Pilaf first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Whenever I use king prawns I always buy them raw and frozen and they are cheapest this way. Just make sure they are thoroughly defrosted before you start cooking. This is actually a fairly straightforward risotto to make as you essentially make a ‘base’ risotto and then add all your other bits and pieces to it near the end.

If you aren’t a fan of prawns, there are many other meats that would also be lovely with this dish…chicken, pork, the world’s your oyster!

Cajun Prawn and Coriander Risotto

Serves 4 = 10sp on Blue, 10sp on Purple, 11sp on Green

Ingredients

1/2 tbsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

240g Arborio rice

125ml glass of white wine

1 x chicken stock cube (made up with 750ml boiling water)

1 tbsp Cajun spice

100g spinach, roughly shredded

Small bunch coriander

100g light cream cheese

2 lemons

2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan

1 tsp light butter

Pinch of crushed chillies (optional if you like it spicy)

For the prawns

400g raw king prawns

1 tsp Cajun spice

To finish

4 tsp lightest soured cream

Method

Take a large non stick pan spray with 1 kal and fry the onion in the oil until soft and golden (6-7 minutes). Then add the garlic and fry for a few minutes more. Add the Arborio rice and toast for a minute then add the wine, simmering until reduced by half.

Next add the Cajun spice with 250ml of the chicken stock, stir and begin to simmer, letting the rice absorb the stock. Keep adding the stock as it absorbs until you have used it all (this will take around 25 minutes).

Whilst the risotto is simmering you can make the green element of the dish. Add the spinach and coriander (stalks and all) to a food processor with a small splash of water. Begin to blend for 30 seconds and then add the cream cheese. Continue to blend until you have more of a paste consistency and then add the juice of 1 lemon. Give a final pulse to combine the lemon juice.

Add the green paste to the risotto pan, season with salt and pepper and simmer for another five minutes until the rice is cooked to your liking.

Whilst the risotto is having its final simmer, pop your prawns into a large frying pan, sprinkle with 1 tsp Cajun spice, salt and pepper, spray with 1 kal and fry for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are pink and cooked through.

Once most of the liquid in the risotto has absorbed, remove the risotto from the heat and add the parmesan and butter (and crushed chillies if you are having them). Stir through and taste, adding the juice of half a lemon to the risotto if you think it needs it (I like a nice lemony touch at the end) as well as any extra salt and pepper to season.

Serve in a bowl topped with a tsp of light soured cream and the Cajun prawns.

Enjoy!

The post Cajun Prawn and Coriander Risotto first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

This recipe is one I have been thinking about making for a while. Having picked up two large mackerel fillets for just 80p recently, I though the time was about right to get making this one.

If you don’t have a pestle and mortar you can leave the coriander and mustard seeds whole, or if you don’t have these, simply omit.

Mackerel Kedgeree – 6sp

Serves 2 = 6sp per serving (Flex)

Ingredients

1 tsp each coriander and mustard seeds

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

100g long grain rice, dry

250g mackerel fillets, skin on, raw

1 vegetable stock cube

½ tsp salt and hot chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric

2 tbsp curry powder

60g frozen garden peas

1 tsp lurpack lighter

1 lemon

Small bunch of coriander, stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped

Crushed chillies (to taste)

Method

To begin, place the mackerel, skin side down, into a wide sauce pan with 500ml of boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes until cooked through. Remove the mackerel from the pan and pop onto a plate (don’t drain the water, you will use this as the base for your stock!)

Next take a large frying pan or wok. Add the coriander and mustard seeds and fry for a minute or two until you can smell their aroma. Remove from the pan, pop into a pestle and mortar and grind into a powder.

In the same frying pan, spray with 1kal and then add the onion and fry for 6-8 minutes until the onion starts to soften (add a little water if the pan gets too dry). Add the garlic, fry for another minute and then add the chilli powder, salt, turmeric and curry powder to the pan. Add the rice, stir fry for a minute and then add the water that you cooked the fish in. Add the stock cube, crumbled.

Bring to a simmer, stir and then cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 15 minutes.

Whilst the rice is simmering you can soft boil your eggs (boil for 6-7 minutes so the whites set and yolks are still a little runny). Remove from the heat and rinse under cold water. Peel, quarter and set aside.

After the rice has been cooking for 15 minutes add the peas to the pan, replace the lid and cook for another 5 minutes (or until the rice is cooked to your liking).

Flake the mackerel on a plate, removing the skin and any small bones and pop the flesh to one side.

Once the rice is cooked, add the mackerel, butter and coriander leaves to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir to combine and pop the lid on to rest for a minute or two. Finally add the juice of ½ a lemon, stir and split between two bowls.  Top with 1 egg per person and serve with a ¼ slice of lemon each. Finish with a sprinkle of crushed chillies if you fancy.

Enjoy!

The post Mackerel Kedgeree – 6sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

If you prefer a ‘pulled’ chilli you can also make it this way. Instead of cubing the chicken breast, leave it whole. Add it to the dish at the same point and once cooked through, shred with two forks (make sure you do this before you add the beans, coriander and sour cream).

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 6 – per serving = 4 points or 311 cals, 10.0g fat, 21.5g carbs, 32.5g protein

Ingredients

1 x white onion, diced

90g chorizo ring, skin removed and sliced

3 peppers, deseeded and diced

2 red chillies, finely chopped (deseeded if you don’t like it too hot)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced

250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp each of ground cumin, paprika, smoked paprika and sugar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp tomato puree

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x chicken stock cube made up with 250ml boiling water

2 tsp cornflour

400g chicken breast, raw, cubed

400g tin kidney beans in water, drained

400g tin of cannellini or butter beans in water, drained

3 tbsp light soured cream

15g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Take a large saucepan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add the onion. Fry for 5–6 minutes until it starts to soften, adding a little water if the pan starts to get dry.
2. Next, add the chorizo, peppers and chilli and fry for another 2 minutes until the oil from the chorizo starts to release. Then, add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the chilli powder, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir the spices through the vegetables and add a splash of water so they don’t burn.
4. Add the tomato purée, stir and fry for a moment, and then add the chopped tomatoes and the chicken stock. Stir to combine everything together.
5. Pop the cornflour into a small cup and add a splash of cold water to it to make a thick paste. Add to the saucepan. Then add the raw diced chicken.
6. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened nicely.
7. Add the beans and simmer for another 10 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and add the sour cream and fresh coriander. Stir through, season to taste and serve with the accompaniments of your choice.

The post Chicken and Chorizo Chilli first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

After doing a bit of brainstorming over what I fancied, I set my mind on creating a new risotto dish as I thought this would be the perfect way to retain the lovely smoky flavour of the garlic. The flavour of the garlic goes so well with both the paprika flavour in the chorizo and freshness of the prawns, and the addition of fennel to this dish really lifts it to a whole new level.

If you aren’t a fan of fennel, feel free to omit it from the dish. I blended my chorizo and I wanted the flavour to infuse throughout the dish however if you don’t fancy blending it, just chop it as finely as you can manage.

I don’t usually use oil or butter in my dishes but since an Italian chef told me that a risotto wasn’t a real risotto without both, I always now include a little of each (the oil is essential in toasting the rice so it retains a nice bite and the butter gives the risotto the creamy sheen at the end).

You can see the full selection of Very Lazy products over on their website http://www.verylazy.com/ and you can purchase their products in most major supermarkets. The smoked garlic and chillies are available in Tesco now!

Chorizo, Prawn and Fennel Risotto

Serves 2 = 12sp per serving

Ingredients

Punnet of cherry/baby plum tomatoes (around 300g)

300g prawns raw or cooked

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

30g chorizo, peeled and blended (or chopped into tiny crumbs)

2 tsp each Very Lazy smoked garlic and chopped red chillies

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp tomato puree

100g Arborio rice

125ml white wine

½ stock cube (chicken or veg), made up with 750ml boiling water

1 tbsp parmesan, grated

1 tsp lighter lurpack

Handful of fresh parsley and thyme, finely chopped

1 lemon, halved

Method

To begin, fill and boil the kettle. Then take a large non-stick sauce pan and add the fennel seeds. Toast on a medium heat for a couple of minutes until you can smell their lovely aroma and then remove from the pan and pop into a pestle and mortar. Pound the fennel seeds until they form a course powder (if you don’t have a pestle and mortal you can use a bowl and the end of a rolling pin!)

Next, take the same saucepan; add the olive oil and onions and fry on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions are soft. Season the onions and then add the chorizo, 1 tsp of smoked garlic, 1 tsp chopped red chillies, the ground fennel and 1 tsp oregano to the pan. Fry for another 3 minutes until the chorizo has turned the onion mixture a light red colour. Next, add the tomato puree to the pan, mix in and fry for another minute. Then add the Arborio rice, stir and toast the rice for a minute. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half.

Next, mix the stock cube with the boiling water and then add 250ml of it to the rice. Stir and begin to simmer, letting the rice absorb the stock. Keep adding the stock a little at a time as it absorbs until you have used it all (this should take around 25 minutes – you made need a little more or a little less depending on the heat of your hob). Once most of the liquid has absorbed, and the rice is cooked nicely, reduce the heat to very low and add the parmesan and butter. Stir through, taste and then season with salt and pepper to your taste. Leave the risotto on a very low heat whilst you cook the tomatoes and prawns.

Spray a non-stick frying pan with 1kal and add the tomatoes cut side down. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes have a nice colour on the cut side. Add most of the tomatoes to the risotto, reserving a few to dress the dish at the end.

In the same frying pan, spray with 1kal and add 1 tsp of smoked garlic and 1 tsp crushed red chillies. Add the prawns and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until cooked through. Turn the heat off the prawns and squeeze over the juice of ½ lemon. Add most of the prawns to the risotto (use a spoon or fork as you don’t want all the extra chilli and garlic in the risotto pan), reserving a few to dress the dish at the end.

Finally, remove the risotto from the heat and add the juice of ½ lemon and the fresh parsley. Stir through and then serve in a bowl topped with the reserved tomatoes and prawns.

Enjoy!

Please note, this recipe forms part of a paid collaboration with Very Lazy however all views on the products are my own.

The post Very Lazy Chorizo, Prawn and Fennel Risotto – 12sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

If you don’t like prawns, you could also make this dish using cooked and shredded chicken breast (or even raw chicken breast, but make sure you cook this through at the start before you do anything else). If you want to bulk it out even further, you can add some shredded spinach with the coriander.

It may seem like a small portion of rice below but because of all the veggies, you get a decent and filling portion. Add a little extra rice if you are worried but be sure to add the extra Points/calories.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 2 – per serving = 11 points or 530 cals, 7.4g fat, 78.4g carbs, 41.0g protein

Ingredients

150g basmati rice

1 small white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced

100g Nasi Goreng paste (I get mine on Amazon or in Tesco)

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

300g cooked or raw king prawns

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 lime, quartered

2 eggs

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Begin by cooking the basmati rice (see page 22), and while it’s cooking you can prepare the rest of the dish – it’s very quick!
2. Pop a large frying pan onto a medium heat, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add the onion. Fry for 5–6 minutes until it starts to soften, adding a little water if the pan gets dry.
3. Add the garlic and fry for another minute, then add the nasi goreng paste, soy sauce and 100ml water to the pan. Combine everything together and reduce the heat to a simmer.
4. Add the prawns and either cook through (if raw) or warm through if already cooked. Add the cooked rice to the pan and coat well in the paste/prawn mixture.
5. Add most of the coriander and spring onion to the pan (reserve a bit of both to garnish at the end) and fry for another minute or two until the spring onion softens a little. Remove from the heat and squeeze in the juice of half the lime. Stir to combine.
6. In another small frying pan, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and fry the eggs to your liking. I like them a little runny. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Finally, split your rice mixture into two bowls, top each with a fried egg and finish with a sprinkle of spring onion, fresh coriander and a wedge of lime.

The post Prawn Nasi Goreng first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

The result was delicious, my hubbie said this was his favourite new dish I’ve created in a while as not only is it lovely and filling but it has the most delicious deep and warm flavour. If you don’t like things too spicy, you can always use a normal chilli instead of a scotch bonnet in the marinade.

The ingredients list might look lengthy here but most of it will be store cupboard essentials. It’s actually very quick to put together, even quicker if you marinade the chicken the night before.

Make the salsa is optional so feel free to leave it out if you are pushed for time but it really is a delicious addition to this dish, lifting the flavour and bringing an extra freshness to a warming and filling dish.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 7 points or 473 cals, 4.3g fat, 57.2g carbs, 54.2g protein

Ingredients

For the marinade

2 spring onions, roughly chopped

1 scotch bonnet (or if you don’t like it too hot a normal red chilli), roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tbsp ground all spice

1 tsp each dried thyme, ground cinnamon and nutmeg

¼ tsp each cayenne pepper and white pepper

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

For the stew 

800g (4 x 200g) chicken breast, raw

1 tsp olive oil

6 spring onions, finely sliced

1 large white onion, peeled and finely sliced

2 peppers, deseeded and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato puree

Dash of Tabasco

2 bay leaves

1 chicken stock cube made with 500ml boiling water

½ tbsp honey

2 tsp cornflour

Juice of 1/2 lime

For the rice

200g long-grain rice

80g frozen peas

Method

1. For the marinade, pop all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until well combined.
2. Pop the whole chicken breasts into a large bowl, pour over the marinade, coat the chicken well, and then leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight if you are prepared enough).
3. Once marinated, take a large frying pan, add the olive oil and bring the pan to a high heat (if you are cooking in two batches, add half the oil with the first batch of chicken and half with the second).
4. Remove the chicken from the bowl with some tongs, reserving the rest of the marinade in the bowl, and then add the chicken to the pan. Brown on one side for 5 minutes and then turn over and brown for 5 minutes on the other side. You want to let the chicken char nicely as this gives the stew the lovely brown colour. You might need to do this in batches as it’s likely that all of the chicken won’t fit into the pan in one layer at once and if you overload the pan, the chicken won’t brown. Spray with low-calorie cooking spray as you fry the chicken to keep the pan lubricated.
5. Once the first batch is browned, remove from the pan and pop to one side on a plate and then repeat with the second batch until all the chicken is sealed (it doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point).
6. Next add the spring onion, onion, peppers and garlic to the now empty frying pan, season with salt and pepper, and then fry for 6–7 minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the tomato purée, Tabasco and bay leaves, fry for another minute, and then add the chicken stock and honey.
7. Mix the cornflour with a few drops of cold water to make a paste, add to the sauce with the reserved marinade, stir, and then add the seared chicken breasts back to the pan, making sure that the sauce covers them.
8. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce starts to reduce and thicken and you’ve got a nice brown sauce/gravy consistency.
9. Pop the rice on to cook while the stew is bubbling away. Five minutes before it’s cooked, add the frozen peas.
10. After 30 minutes and once the chicken is cooked through, check the stew for seasoning and add more if required. Remove from the heat and then add the lime juice. You can either serve the chicken breasts whole with the sauce or shred them into the sauce. Serve the stew on a bed of rice and peas.

If you fancy the salsa, simply combine the ingredients below:

For the salsa – 0s points per person

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 mango, peeled and chopped into small cubes

¼ cucumber, chopped into small chunks

Handful of cherry tomatoes, diced

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lime

The post Jamaican Brown Chicken Stew first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.