Herbed roast chicken
A simple, fragrant roast. I eat this with roast potatoes and a thin gravy made from the pan juices.
serves 4
a large chicken
garlic - 1 plump clove
butter - 100g
rosemary leaves - 1 tbs
basil leaves - a small handful
tarragon leaves - 1 tbs
wine, stock or water - 2 glasses
Set the oven at 200°c/gas 6. Peel the garlic and mash it with a little salt. Mix it with the butter and the roughly chopped herbs.
Untie the chicken and make a slit in the skin at the point where the breast and leg meet. Push most of the herb butter up inside the skin with your fingers, rubbing it into the flesh under the skin. Try not to split the skin (though if this does happen it is not the end of the world).
Massage the rest of the herb butter into the breast and legs of the chicken then put it upside down in a roasting tin. Roast the chicken for about an hour. (It is ready when you pierce the flesh at its thickest part and the juices run clear, with no trace of any blood.)
Remove the chicken from the roasting tin and set aside in a warm place to rest. Transfer the roasting tin to the hob, set it over a moderate heat and pour in the wine or stock. Scrape at the pan stickings, season the gravy and serve with the chicken.
Chicken wings with hot chilli dip
Spicy chicken to pick at while you watch Big Brother.
serves 2-3
chicken wings - 750g
garlic - 4 cloves
groundnut oil
for the dipping sauce:
hot red chillies - 2-4 (depending on your heat threshold)
fish sauce - 3 tbs
water - 6 tbs
rice vinegar - 3 tbs
caster sugar - 4 tbs
juice of a large lime
coriander leaves - a small bunch
Peel the garlic, crush it and mix with a couple of tablespoons of groundnut oil and a little sea salt and black pepper. Toss the chicken wings in the oil and roast at 200°c/gas 6 till golden and almost crisp (or for about 35-40 minutes).
To make the dip: slice the chillies in half, remove their stalks then chop them finely - as fine as wet tea leaves. Put the fish sauce, water, rice vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan - the milk saucepan will do - and bring almost to the boil. A good stir should dissolve the sugar before the water boils.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool. Juice the lime, chop the coriander leaves - you need a good loose handful, then add both, with the chilli and the seeds, to the cool sauce. Leave to stand for an hour or so before using. Serve the chicken with dip.
Quick roast chicken with rosemary and olives
serves 4
chicken supremes (breasts with the bone attached), skin on - 4
rosemary - 4 sprigs
red wine vinegar - 2 tbs
olive oil
black olives - 24
Set the oven at 200°c/gas 6. Put the chicken supremes in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish. Remove the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and chop them, then mix them with the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Pour the seasoned oil over the chicken then add the olives.
Roast for 45-55 minutes, until the chicken is golden and crisp-skinned, basting from time to time. Serve with a crisp salad, or a rice pilau on the side.
Fragrant curried chicken
Not a curry really, more of a spiced-chicken sauté south east Asian style.
serves 3
a chicken - jointed into 6
groundnut oil - 3 tbs
hot red chillies - 5
lemongrass - 2 plump stalks
small red shallots - 2
garlic - 4 cloves
shrimp paste - half tsp
coriander leaves - a small handful
stock - 325ml
baby (egg) aubergines - 6
large tomatoes (not beefsteak) - 2
chopped coriander leaves - a handful
steamed basmati rice to serve
Warm the groundnut oil in a shallow pan. Season the chicken all over with salt and black pepper then let it cook gently in the hot oil till golden on all sides. Lift the meat out with a draining spoon and set aside.
Halve the red chillies, scrape out the seeds with the point of a knife then chop the flesh finely. Remove and discard the tough outer leaves from the lemongrass and roughly chop the tender, inner ones. Peel and roughly chop the shallots and garlic then put them, together with the chillies and lemongrass, into the bowl of a food processor. Add the shrimp paste and a tablespoon of water and blitz to a rough paste.
Fry the paste in the fat from the chicken, moving it round the pan so it does not burn. Pour the stock into the pan (you can use water at a push) and bring to the boil. Return the chicken to the pan, together with any juices that have collected in the dish, then turn the heat down to a simmer.
Slice the aubergines into quarters and add them to the pan together with the roughly chopped tomatoes. Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes, partially covered with a lid. Add a handful of coriander just before serving. Serve with basmati rice.
Stir-fried chicken with lime leaves and basil
Butchers sometimes sell diced chicken, but it is worth asking them to do some specially for you if they don't. I enjoy few quick suppers as much as this one. A few noodles on the side is good here.
serves 2
diced chicken - 500g
spring onions - 2
garlic - 3 plump cloves
hot red chillies - 2
groundnut oil - 4 tbs plus as little more
chestnut mushrooms - 250g
a lime
nam pla (Thai fish sauce) - 1 tbs
sugar - 1 tsp
lime leaves - 4
coriander and/or Thai basil leaves - a small handful
Chop the spring onion, removing the darkest green leaves as you go. Peel the garlic and chop it finely, then seed and chop the chillies. Warm the oil in a shallow pan then cook the onions, chillies and garlic till soft but not coloured. It will appear there is too much oil, but bear with me. Add the chicken, let it colour appetisingly then scoop it and the seasonings out and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the pan. Cut the mushrooms into quarters then add them to the pot. Fry until they are golden and sizzling, then return the chicken, its aromatics and juices to the pan.
In a small bowl mix the juice of the lime with the fish sauce, sugar and the very finely shredded lime leaves. (The easiest way to deal with them is to roll them tightly and cut them into hair-like strips.) Tip into the chicken pan and leave to sizzle, briefly scraping at the gooey stickings on the bottom of the pan and stirring them in as you go. Check the seasoning - you may need a little salt - and stir in the coriander or Thai basil. Serve with noodles.
The wine list
Fragrant curried chicken
2004 Mâcon Villages Chardonnay, Cave de Prissé (£4.99, Waitrose)
You want a wine that's not going to compete, like this unoaked Burgundy.
Stir-fried chicken, lime and basil
2004 Tesco Finest Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (£7.49, Tesco)
Top-notch Kiwi Sauvignon with passion fruit and gooseberry flavours.
Herbed roast chicken
2003 Tempranillo La Serrana, Vino de la Tierra (£2.99, Majestic)
This has to be the best value red at the moment; a juicy, glugging red with sweet plum and strawberry fruit and a nip of tannin.
Chicken, rosemary and olives
2003 Convivio, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (£5.50, stockists: call Boutinot on 0161 908 1314)
A spicy, cherry and damson-scented Italian red.
Chicken wings with hot chilli dip
2004 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Riesling (£5.99, Oddbins)
A very stylish Chilean Riesling with elegant lemon and lime flavours.
Tim Atkin
