For your next dinner for two

A foodie friend of mine posted a recipe of braised chicken on a forum a couple of weeks ago and that suddenly reminded me of a long-due recipe that I had almost forgotten to post to my sister-in-law who has been asking for it for years. I am either getting old or there is perhaps no storage folder in my brain any more. I am literally getting into this habit of forgetting things lately. But before I start taking any treatment on it, it would be wise to share what I do remember.

Thank you so much Shafaq Ghufran for reminding me of the promise and special thanks to Susan Meadow for the inspirational pattern on the chicken. Rest of the credit goes to me, ofcourse, for turning a grilled chicken recipe into a semi-braised one and other additions and accessories :p






Semi-Braised Chicken with Pasta


Ingredients: 

2 chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tbs mustard paste
50 ml orange juice

Juice of half lime
Salt and pepper
1 tsp crushed red chili flakes

1 tbs oil for cooking.

Vegetables of your choice, e.g. I took
2 small carrots, cut in slices
1/2 cup green string beans
1/2 cup peas
1 medium onion cut in cubes
1 orange
50 ml orange juice (additional)
1 tsp mustard (additional)
1 tsp brown sugar (additional)
salt and pepper
strings of fresh thyme

For the Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh cream
1 tsp corn flour






Prepare marinade by mixing honey,sugar, turmeric, mustard, orange juice, salt n pepper, chili flakes as well as the lime juice. Make cuts on the chicken making four-sided polygon shapes (Make lines with knife, first horizontaly and then vertically). Coat chicken with the marinade and set aside for 20 min.
 

Take out the breast pieces and pat dry using kitchen paper. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side to give it a nice golden brown colour. Don´t overcook. It should stay raw from inside.





Place in an oven proof dish sprinkled with 1 tbs olive oil. Now fry the vegetable for a minute in the same pan and spread them on the chicken as well. Add the additional juice, mustard, sugar, salt n pepper into the left-over marinade. And pour over the chicken and veggies. Also place the thyme strings on top. Cut the orange in 4 pieces(along with the skin) and place on the corners of the dish.







Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake either on 140 C for about an hour or for a quicker version for 15 minutes on 200C without covering the dish or until your veggies are done but still crunchy. Tip: If you want it quick, blanch the vegetables before sautéeing. Remove from oven. Carefully take out the chicken and transfer the juices and vegetables in a sauce pan. Also squeeze the juice of baked orange.








Mix cornflour with cream and pour in the leftover juices, stirring carefully until the sauce gets thick. Depending on the taste of your house, you may like to season it again at this step.

Ive served it over boiled tagliatelle tossed in 2 tbs butter, salt, pepper, crushed red chili, lime juice and a bunch of  chopped fresh herbs.



 

You can take rice, mashed potatoes, french fries or even simple baguette instead. Decorate with fresh orange slices.





Make your dinner for two a memorable experience and dont forget to consider flowers and candles for adding some sophisticated glamour.


Comments

  1. hi, can u plz tell, how does it tastes? is it orangish, sweet or...? confused :( thnx in advancee..

    ReplyDelete
  2. @radiya Its thick n creamy with juices of vegetables and chicken in it. Neither too sweet nor tangy. Sorry but dont know how to explain exactly. It was just tasty:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The chicken breast, did you use boneless?

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Anonymous yes,chicken breast without the bones:)

    ReplyDelete

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