Christmas Homemade Tandoori Chicken

Christmas Homemade Tandoori Chicken

Tempt your taste buds with a hot and juicy tandoori chicken recipe, served with a cooling dip

Preparation time overnight

Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour

Serves Serves 4

Ingredients

For the chicken

1.75 kg  /4 lbs chicken drumsticks, skinned

pinch salt

2 lemons, juice only

500 g / 1 lb 2 oz plain yogurt

3 to 4 tbsp tandoori spice mix

For the dip

3 to 4 tbsp plain yogurt

pinch salt

pinch sugar

5 fresh mint sprigs

1 green chilli, reseeded, sliced

Method

1. Cut deep incisions into the chicken flesh with a small, sharp knife. Place the chicken into a bowl and sprinkle over the salt and the juice of two lemons, massaging into the chicken until well coated.
2. Whisk the yogurt and tandoori spice mix in a bowl until well combined. Pour the marinade onto the chicken and massage into the flesh. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge overnight.
3. Preheat the grill to high.
4. Lift the drumsticks from the tandoori mixture and gently shake off any excess. Place a wire rack over a roasting tin and lay the drumsticks upon it. Grill for 20 minutes, turning regularly, or until richly burnished and the chicken is cooked through. Add more lemon juice to taste.
5. For the dip, place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve alongside the chicken drumsticks.
   

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Christmas Thai Roast Chicken

Christmas Thai Roast Chicken

Lemon grass, ginger and chillies add a wonderfully intense flavor and fragrance to roast chicken in this stunningly simple recipe.

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time 1 to 2 hours

Serves Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 2 sticks lemongrass
• 50 g / 1 ¾ oz ginger, peeled
• 3 spring onions
• 2 medium red chillies
• 2 medium yellow chillies
• 1 medium green chilli
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 200 ml / 7 oz groundnut oil
• 1 whole chicken
  

Method

1. Set the oven to 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4.
2. Combine all of the ingredients apart from the chicken in a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Brush the chicken generously with the spice mix.
4. Cover the chicken with foil and roast in the oven for 70 to 80 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a skewer  the cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken. Remove the foil half way through to allow the skin to crisp up.
5. Leave to rest for 15 minutes covered in foil before serving.
   

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Christmas Roast Chicken New

Christmas Roast Chicken New

Christmas alternative - spiced roast Chicken cooked over the best potatoes you will ever taste.

Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time 1 to 2 hours

Serves Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg/3 lb 5 oz potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 500 ml/18 fl oz chicken stock
• 1 x 2 kg/4 b 8 oz whole chicken, giblets removed
• 1 clementine, cut in half
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 75 g/2½ oz butter
• 1 head Savoy cabbage, leaves shredded
• 50 g/1¾ oz dried cranberries
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cranberry apple sauce

• 2 Bramley apples, peeled, cores removed, roughly chopped
• 200 g/7 oz fresh cranberries
• 5 tbsp cider
• 2-3 tbsp caster sugar, to taste
  

Method

1. Arrange the shelves of your oven so that there is space for the Chicken at the top and the potatoes on the shelf immediately underneath. Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C Fan/Gas 4.
2. Layer the potatoes and onions in an large roasting dish, seasoning each layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the stock, flattening the top layer down.
3. Place the potatoes onto the lower shelf in the oven.
4. Pierce the Chicken skin all over with a fork and stuff the neck end of the cavity with the satsuma halves and cinnamon stick. Rub the five-spice powder all over the skin and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Place the Chicken directly onto the oven rack above the potatoes, so that the juices from the Chicken will drip onto the potatoes as they cook. If your dish with the potatoes is on the small side, it may be useful to put a very large empty tray on the bottom of the oven to catch any drips of fat.
6. Roast for 1½-2 hours, or until the Chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender and golden-brown.
7. Meanwhile, for the spiced cranberry apple sauce, bring the apples, cranberries and cider to the boil in a frying pan. Reduce the heat until simmering and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have burst and the mixture has thickened. Season, to taste, with sugar, if too tart, then pour the sauce into a serving bowl and set aside.
8. When the Chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes on a serving platter while you cook the cabbage.
9. Pour enough water into the bottom of a large frying pan to reach 1 cm/½ in up the sides of the pan. Add half of the butter and bring to the boil. When the butter has melted, add the cabbage and boil until it has just wilted, stirring occasionally. Add the dried cranberries and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. To serve, spoon the wilted cabbage (drained, if necessary) onto a serving platter and lay the roast Chicken on top. Serve the potatoes and sauce alongside.
    

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Christmas Korean fried chicken

Christmas Korean fried chicken

This fried chicken is crispier than most American versions as it is fried twice. Serve with Chukchi and sojourn for an authentic Korean lunch.
Preparation time 1-2 hours
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves  Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8–10 chicken pieces (thighs work best), boneless, skin removed

For the brine

• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 75g/2½oz sea salt
• 200ml/7fl oz hot water
• For the first coating
• 2 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

For the batter

• 125 g/4½oz plain flour
• 25g/1oz cornflour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100ml/3½fl oz vodka

For the sweet soy sauce

• 100 ml/3½fl oz soy sauce
• 25ml/1fl oz mirin
• 25ml/1fl oz rice wine vinegar
• 2cm/¾in piece fresh root ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 50g/1¾oz brown sugar
• few drops of sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornflour
• sesame seeds, for sprinkling

For the chili sauce

• 2 tbsp Korean chili paste (Changchun if you can get it)
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• few drops of sesame oil
  

Method

1. Start by brining the chicken. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot water, then mix 1 liter/1¾ pint cold water into the brine solution. Submerge the chicken and leave to stand, covered, for 2 hours. Meanwhile, make the sauces.
2. For the sweet soy sauce, put the soy, mirin, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic and sugar into a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add a little salt if necessary. Add sesame oil to taste. Whisk the cornflour with a little cold water until you have a smooth but very runny paste, then whisk this into the sauce over a low heat, until the sauce thickens very slightly. Set aside.
3. For the chilli sauce, whisk all the ingredients together, thinning with a little water if too thick. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. To cook the chicken, drain and rinse the brine chicken thoroughly, then pat dry. Make the first coating (this is the coating the batter will stick to, otherwise it tends to fall off) by whisking the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt together. Dust the chicken in this mixture, patting off any excess, and leave to stand while you make the batter.
5. For the batter, whisk together the dry ingredients, then whisk in 100 ml/3½ cold water and the vodka – the texture should be quite thin, like double cream.
6. Add oil to your fryer, large saucepan or wok, making sure you don’t fill it beyond half way. Heat the oil to 160 C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
7. Dip the chicken pieces in the batter one at a time. Allow any excess to drip off over the bowl, then slowly lower into the hot oil, letting go when the chicken piece is almost submerged. Fry for 8–10 minutes, then drain and put on kitchen paper – the chicken should be cooked through but have barely taken on any color. Turn the heat up to 190 C, or if using a saucepan, turn the heat up and leave for around 5 minutes to reach the right temperature. Fry the chicken for another 2 minutes, or until it has darkened. Remove and drain thoroughly on kitchen paper. It should be beautifully crisp. You can serve it with the sauces, or you can brush some of the soy-based sauce over it and serve with the chili sauce.

Recipe Tips

If you don’t have a probe thermometer and are using a saucepan, heat the oil on a medium heat, then test it with a piece of bread – it should take around 30 seconds to go a crisp brown – any quicker and the oil is too hot. 

If you are short on time you could skip the brining process.

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Christmas Italian roast chicken with peppers and olives

Christmas Italian roast chicken with peppers and olives

A roast chicken always is celebratory. The vibrantly colored and intensely flavored vegetables that are cooked alongside here seem only to underline this, offering their own brightness and brie, sunny in taste as well as mood.

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time 1 to 2 hours

Serves Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 x 1.5 kg/3 lb 5 oz chicken (preferably organic)
• 1 UN-waxed lemon, cut in half
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 3 leeks, washed and trimmed
• 2 red peppers
• 1 orange pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 100g/3½oz pitted dry-packed black olives
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to serve
  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6. Un-truss the chicken, sit it in a roasting tin and put the lemon halves and two of the rosemary sprigs into the chicken’s cavity.
2. Wash and trim the leeks, cut each into three logs, then slice length ways and add to the tin. Now remove the core and seeds of the peppers and slice them into strips, following their natural curves and ridges, and add these to the tin.
3. Tumble in the olives, and now pour the olive oil, mostly over the vegetables but a little over the chicken, too. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs to the vegetables, along with some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Using a couple of spoons or spatulas, gently toss the vegetables about to help coat them with the oil and make sure everything’s well mixed up.
4. Sprinkle some sea salt flakes over the chicken and put it in the oven for about 1-1¼ hours, by which time the chicken should be cooked through, and its juices running clear when you cut into the flesh with a small sharp knife at the thickest part of the thigh joint. The vegetables should be tender by now, too, and some of the leeks will be a scorched light-brown in parts.
5. Remove the chicken to a carving board and, while it rests (for about 10 minutes) pop the pan of veg back in the oven, switching the oven off as you do so.
6. Cut the chicken up chunkiness, transferring the pieces to a large warmed platter. Now take the pan back out of the oven and, with a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the vegetables to the large platter and when all is arranged to your aesthetic delight, pour over it all the bronze, highly-flavoured juices that have collected in the pan.
   

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Christmas Perfect roast chicken

Christmas Perfect roast chicken

A super-moist, tender and well-flavored roast chicken. Chicken is rubbed with Dijon mustard and roasted in a cast-iron frying pan with white wine. Serve as an alternative roast for Sunday lunch or Christmas dinner.

Ingredients 
Serves: 4 - 6

• 125 ml dry white wine
• 2 lemons, cut in half
• 6 large cloves garlic
• 1 (1.8 kg) whole chicken
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cold butter
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste.
• 

• Method
  Prep:15min  ›  Cook:1hr15min  ›  Extra time:15min resting  ›  Ready in:1hr45min 

  1. Preheat an oven to 220 C / Gas 7. Pour the wine into a 25cm or similar sized cast-iron frying pan; set aside.
  2. Place the lemon halves and garlic cloves into the cavity of the chicken. Slide half of the butter underneath the skin of each breast.
  3. Rub the chicken all over with Dijon mustard, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Place into the cast-iron frying pan.
  4. Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 180 C / Gas 4 and continue baking until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 82 degrees C.
  5. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of foil and allow to rest in a warm area for 15 minutes before slicing.
     

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Christmas Chicken, Avocado and Chickpea Wrap

Christmas Chicken, Avocado and Chickpea Wrap

It Is So Yummy That You'll Fall In Love With It.It's So Easy And Simple To Make.

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Breast (boneless & skinless)
2 wraps or tortillas
1 Can Chickpeas (rinsed & drained)
1 Avocado
2 Cups Assorted Veggies
½ Cup Opadipity by Litehouse Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
Salt and Pepper
Ingredients to Marinate the Chicken:
3 TS Litehouse Instantly Fresh Ginger
1 Lemon
3 TS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Use lemon, ginger, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to marinate the chicken breast. Put it in a Ziploc bag and leave it in the fridge. You can also use other ingredients to marinate the breast.
You can heat the wrap or tortilla or you can use it as it comes. The same goes for the veggies and chickpeas. I prefer to eat them raw, but it depends how you like them and if they need to be cooked (usually for 2-3 minutes).
Cook the marinated chicken breast on the grill or in a grill pan on the stove until they reach 165 degrees internal temperature. Then, let it rest.
Rinse and drain the chickpeas and place in a bowl with the avocado. Mash the chickpeas and avocado together with a fork. Add the chicken breast (diced) to the mixture with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add the Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip and mix together. Divide the mixture and spread on two tortillas or wraps and roll up.
Place the two wraps in separate containers with 2 cups of your favorite fresh veggies. Serve with 2 TS of Opadipity by Litehouse Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip.

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Christmas Speedy roast chicken

Christmas Speedy roast chicken

A well-seasoned chicken is cooked at a high heat for a speedy roast that leaves the bird moist and flavorful.

Prep: 15 min  ›  Cook:1 hr  ›  Ready in:1 hr 15 min Serves: 8 

Ingredients 

1 whole chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 230 C / Gas 8.
Put chicken into a small roasting tin. Rub with olive oil. Mix the spices together and rub into the chicken.

Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 200 C / Gas mark 6 and continue roasting 40 minutes, to a minimum internal temperature of 85 C. Remove from oven and let sit 10 to 15 minutes, and serve.
 2nd Method  #Christmas Lover

Ingredients
1 x 1.6 kg higher-welfare chicken
2 medium onions
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 bulb of garlic
olive oil
1 lemon

1 bunch of mixed fresh herbs , such as, thyme, rosemary, bay
Method
Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it, to let it come up to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9.
Wash and roughly chop the vegetables – there’s no need to peel them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled.
Pile all the veg, garlic and herbs into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with oil.
Drizzle the chicken with oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper, then rub all over the bird. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.
Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour). Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs.
Place the tray in the oven, then turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.
If you’re doing roast potatoes and veggies, this is the time to crack on with them – get them into the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking.
Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them from burning.
When the chicken is cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so. Cover it with a layer of tin foil and a tea towel and leave aside while you make your gravy.
To carve your chicken, remove any string and take off the wings (break them up and add to your gravy, along with the veg trivet, for mega flavour). Carefully cut down between the leg and the breast. Cut through the joint and pull the leg off.
Repeat on the other side, then cut each leg between the thigh and the drumstick so you end up with four portions of dark meat. Place these on a serving platter.
You should now have a clear space to carve the rest of your chicken. Angle the knife along the breastbone and carve one side off, then the other.

When you get down to the fussy bits, just use your fingers to pull all the meat off, and turn the chicken over to get all the tasty, juicy bits from underneath. You should be left with a stripped carcass, and a platter full of lovely meat that you can serve with your piping hot gravy and some delicious roast veg

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