So, hubby’s away and that means it’s chicken time. However, as I started to defrost the chicken tenderloins last night, I realised I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to make. Something pastery? I couldn’t do the stuffed chicken breast that was tantalising my mind.
I looked at the 500 grams of tenderloins and decided now was as good a time as any to do some experimental cooking. I could make three small servings of different chicken dishes, and surely one of them would do okay? So I scrounged through the cupboard, and devised three recipes.
Recipe one was dukka-encrusted chicken. Easy peasy – dip the tenderloin in egg white, then in the dukka (I was using some from Bush Goddess Foods, an organic food company based out at Murrumbatemen), then bake in the oven, being careful not to overcook and dry out the chicken. Result – a tasty and interesting finger-food. This particular dukka (I admit to not being overly au fai with dukka) had a very strong taste, so it’s not something you can eat mountains of. Not sure if it requires a sauce with it – perhaps some yoghurt, to match the dukka. Will give that a try tonight. But this is definitely now on my to cook again list.
Recipe two was what I called tropical chicken. Place tenderloins, peach slices, pineapple juice, cloves and coconut cream in casserole dish and then cook for a couple of hours. The liquid didn’t reduce the way I thought it might, so I put a bit of cornflour in and that did the trick. Served it with rice. It had a very delicate flavour, and the sauce was very nice when mixed in with the rice. Yet another on the list. Sorry, no pic of that one.
The big winner, however, was recipe three – chicken and potato pie. I made it this time with puff pastry (cause I didn’t have anything else on me), but will try it next time with shortcrust. Anywhoo, cut the tenderloins up really small, and do the same with the potato and partially microwave the potato (just to soften it up so it will bake at the same speed as the chicken in the pie). Make up a white sauce, but when adding flour to melted butter also add some mustard. Once sauce is made, add a bit of cumin, and the chicken and partially-cooked potato. I blind baked some pastry in soufflé dishes, then filled with chicken mix, put a lid on it and baked for about half an hour. It was sublime – the filling was creamy and tasty, the potatoes beautiful and soft and the pastry yum. Not only is it going on the list, but after telling hubby about it last night, I’m now compelled to devise a beef edition. Perhaps with a thick gravy, rather than the white sauce.
So there you have it – Nicole’s cooking adventures. Not too shabby, if I say so myself, and something I should try a little more often, since I am obviously a culinary genius :)