Since the beginning of May I have been part of a fantastic lifegroup lead by my friend Sam. I won’t try to distil all the information she has shared with us about food, our bodies & health. I have a complicated relationship with food so it feels vulnerable every week to put myself in a place of loving, informed challenge. Last night was our social night and Sam had asked her husband Roger to make his homemade burgers for us (AMAZING I should try and get the recipe off him!), he was delighted to thinking that they’d the the usual 8 of us, instead Sam being Sam invited not just us but our entire families which ended up closer to 30 people! It was such a great night especially because they are incredible hosts and live in the most beautiful spot in the middle of Northern Ireland, on a farm, right beside a river with the Sperrins in the distance. I wish I had photos to share but TBH this post is a last minute idea because I promised I’d share my chicken recipe from last night and then had an unfortunate accident with my phone and some water. Beauty, community and great food – the perfect combination for a great night. Here’s the recipe….
ingredients:
8-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or Chicken breasts fillets)
marinade:
5 tbsp light olive oil/coconut oil/?
5 tbsp lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp paprika (i prefer smoked but any will do)
2 tsp ground cumin
6 tbsp thick natural yoghurt
how to:
- whisk together marinade minus the yoghurt – then add yoghurt and combine in a large non metalic bowl
- add the chicken thighs and cover well in the marinade
- marinade from 30mins to 8 hours in the fridge (as long as possible)
to cook you have options:
- OVEN – preheat oven to 200C place chicken in a oven tin in a single spread out layer and cook until starting to crisp and brown around the edges. turning ½ way (approx 35-45mins). test in the middle to make sure there is no pink.
- BBQ – put the BBQ on and make sure it is very hot. BBQ the thighs in a single layer spread out, turning a couple of times but not too often until they are crisping on the outside and cooked in the middle. (the time will depend on your bbq)
- add salt and pepper just before cooking
serve:
- Serve with herbed pomegranate cousous
- dried couscous, add salt cover with boiling water with an extra centimetre of water on top. cover with a plate and leave to one side for 5 mins. Add mixed chopped herbs (mint, coriander, parsley), pomegranate seeds.
- Flatbreads/pittas/chapatis
- mixed roast vegetables –
- peppers, red onions, corvettes, feta cheese, whole garlic cloves, in olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper – cook in oven at 200 for 20-30mins.
- or potato wedges & salad
- After the chicken has rested for 15 mins slice and place on a serving plate.
*when my phone recovers I’ll update the photo with my own chicken pic I promise!
Michelle Scott 