Avocado & Miso Dressing w/ Chicken Quesadillas

Avocado Miso Dressing w/ Chicken Quesadillas
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Avocado & Miso Dressing w/ Chicken Quesadillas – This is a multi use dressing as it will depend on the consistency you make it as to its use. Here I have used it as a dip so have left it quite thick. If you want to have it as a dressing for a chicken salad then add some water till you get to a more fluid type consistency.

The flavours in this dressing pair so well with chicken that I know you will come up with a multitude of menu ideas to use it with.

Happy lunching! Blondie

Loaded Chicken Noodle Soup w/ Omelette

Chicken Noodle Soup Omelette
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Loaded Chicken Noodle Soup w/ Omelette – Looking for a quick meal to make that’s delicious and healthy also? You can’t go past this soup. Plus, leftover chicken gets shredded for sandwiches over the next day or two…. hmmm, poached chicken and mayo with salad sandwiches…

What I love about this soup is that all the hard work is done with very little effort from you. The whole chicken and the flavourings added to the cooking water are busy doing their thing. The water is being turned into a fragrant stock and the chicken is cooking in one of the most gentlest ways possible, leaving it fall off the bone tender and juicy.

When you get home, all you need to do is put the whole chicken (or chicken pieces) in a pot large enough to hold it and throw in all the ingredients for the soup base. Leave it to cook for 60 minutes while you are getting out of your work gear and then it’s basically done.  You just need to compile and then devour.

Another reason chicken soups like these are so fantastic and easy to make, is because you can use frozen chicken, straight from your freezer. I know! Amazing, right?! This one was actually made with a whole frozen chicken. The time is a little longer, closer to 1hr 40mins or so, depending on size, but the result is the same. Just make sure you have a meat thermometer so you can check that it’s fully cooked on the inside. You want the internal temperature to be 75°C / 167°F for chicken.

Any part of the chicken is suitable in this recipe so keep some thighs or breasts permanently stocked in your freezer, along with a bag of frozen veggies and you will always have chicken soup.

Happy slurping! Blondie

Mum’s Indian Chicken Curry

Mum's Indian Chicken Curry
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Mum’s Indian Chicken Curry – This recipe has been part of my mum’s food repertoire for years, decades even. It’s one of those dishes that is made to feed an army of friends and family.

As friends gather for a week away in a beautiful house in the country somewhere, turning up sporadically throughout the day, they will be welcomed with the delicious, warming aroma of this Chicken Curry that has been whipped up and ready to reheat as needed.

I make it with a lovely amount of gravy that is just perfect to be mopped up with some freshly cooked flat bread. The chicken I use is the chicken cutlet, which is the thigh with the bone left in. After the chicken has cooked I just remove the bone and pull the chicken into large shredded chunks but you can use a whole chicken cut up or breast or thighs without the bone, it’s entirely up to you.

Paprika Chicken w/ Silverbeet & Wine

Paprika Chicken w/ Silverbeet & Wine
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Paprika Chicken w/ Silverbeet & Wine – A dish like this is my ultimate happy place comfort food meal. Beautifully caramelised chicken with loads of rich gravy just ready to be mopped up with some potatoes or flat bread.

The three types of paprika that are widely available – hot, sweet and smoked, are all used in this recipe, each giving it’s own uniqueness to the dish. If you like things hot then add some more hot paprika. If you don’t want any heat then remove all the hot paprika and make up the amount with the sweet paprika.

The perfect weekday meal… Blondie

Chicken Eggplant & Mushroom Pie

Chicken Eggplant & Mushroom Pie
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Chicken Eggplant & Mushroom Pie – I am a huge fan of having multiple, ready made meals in the freezer for when it really is just too much of an effort to think about the family dinner. So this recipe is made using leftover chicken; you could buy a bbq chook or some breasts or thighs to poach yourself.

After picking up a couple of chickens to make a yummy chicken stock, and being a lover of all things pastry, a pie was the natural metamorphosis for the poached chicken meat. I made 8 mini pies and a large family one, and still had some white sauce leftover to make some Tuna Mornay. It’s amazing how many meals you can cheaply produce with just a few basic ingredients.

When I make White Sauce I always make a big batch of it as it really is so useful to have on hand. PLUS, it freezes exceptionally well! Just portion it into batches of convenient sizes and you will always have that special extra element on hand.Just some of the ways you can use White Sauce is … Tuna Mornay, Macaroni Cheese, Soufflé, as a pie binder – like for this recipe and Bechamel Sauce.

My latest addiction is doing a double layer of puff pastry to really get some lovely, flaky height to my pies. If this is something you would like to do too then make sure you have enough pastry… I promise you it is so worth it!

The mini pies are the perfect size for lunch. Just make up a nice salad and a zingy Balsamic Dressing to have on the side.

Lunch and dinner sorted… Blondie

Deep Fried Crumbed Chicken Livers w/ Dill Pickles

Crumbed Fried Chicken Livers
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Crumbed Fried Chicken Livers. It’s funny how a lot of people first react to the idea of eating liver, but once they taste the rich but delicate flavours and the slightly creamy, tender texture they are undoubtedly overtaken with a desire to eat more.

Great as a serve of nibbles with a beer or glass of wine these can easily be your fall back for entertaining guests. Make some chicken tenders with the same ingredients for those not game enough to try these crunchy, melt in the mouth nuggets of livery goodness.

Textural feasting! Blondie

Crispy Skin Salt & Pepper Roast Chicken

Finding Feasts - Salt and Pepper Roast Chicken
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Roast chickens are one of the most delicious and easy to make meals there are. I will generally make one on a Friday or Saturday so the family has cold chicken meat to eat with sandwiches if I’m out on a job on that weekend.

This recipe is called Crispy Skin Salt & Pepper Roast Chicken for a reason so don’t be scared by the amount of salt in this recipe as the end result is not salty. What you will be left with is crispy skin brimming with flavour and juice that can be used on it’s own, drizzled over the sliced chicken or made into a gravy.

In regards to style of cooking, this is not a ‘leave and forget’ recipe, this is a hands on, cook while your preparing the vegetables or salad for your dinner type recipe. You will be turning it over several times during it’s cooking process so in essence it’s a rotisserie style but in your oven.

Lip smacking goodness – Blondie 🙂