Slow Roasted Asian Chicken

Roast Chicken - a meal I do not cook a lot as for me it's always the same.  The menu will always read "Roast Chicken with Sage and Onion Stuffing, Vegetables and Gravy".  Enjoyable on an occasional time frame for me.

Until I came accross this recipe for a Slow Roasted Asian Chicken which I knew was going to appear on the menu sooner rather than later.  And to be honest I am so glad we tried it.

The chicken was juicy and tender, laced delicately with the asian spices.  There was no gravy as such but a wonderful fragrant yet pungent jus as a result of the slow cooker.  Served with steamed rice and steamed vegetables it was a dish thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Slow Roasted Asian Chicken

(recipe sourced from Weight Watchers Magazine June 2013)

Serves: 6

ProPoints per serve: 7

1 whole chicken, fat trimmed

salt

freshly ground black pepper

6 cm piece fresh ginger, thickly sliced

4 whole star anise

3 green shallots, cut into 3cm lengths

6 garlic cloves, whole, bruised

1 chicken stock cube

1 cup water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Preheat the oven to 160 Degrees Celsius.

Place the chicken in a roasting tray.  Season the chicken, inside and out, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Place a third of the ginger, star anise, shallot and garlic under the chicken, a third in the cavity and scatter the remaining third around the chicken.  Disolve the stock cube in water and pour around chicken.

Cover with foil and roast for 1 1/2 hours or until the juices runc lear when the thickest part of the chicken is peirced with a skewer.

Preheat the grill, remove the foil from the chicken.  Place the chicken on a wire rack.  Strain the roasting juices into a jug.

Place the rack and the chicken back into the roasting tray and brush the chicken with the sesame oil.  Place the chicken under the grill 20cm away from the heat source, and grill for 5 - 10 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden.

Meanwhile use a spoon to skim the fat from the roasting juices.

Serve the chicken with steamed vegetables and roasting juices.

Add 1/2 cup steamed rice to this dish for an additional 4 ProPoints per serve.

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Chilli and Rosemary Potatoes

We had chargrilled Scotch Fillet for dinner last night which as always was cooked to perfection.  However I just didn't fancy a baked potato or potato bake as a side dish - tonight I wanted something different.

 

I was looking through my favourite website Taste.com and came accross this recipe for Chilli and Rosemary Potatoes.  Obviously I just had to try the recipe!!

 

The chilli flavour can be increased or decreased depending on the chilli that you use.  Milder use a long fresh red chilli, deseeded or leave seeds in for some heat, but for a hotter more intense flavour use a small red bullet chilli.

 

Another dish that was very easy to make and had a very nice flavour to them with accompanied the steak perfectly.

Chilli and Rosemary Potatoes

(Recipe adapted from Taste.com)

 

Serves: 4

ProPoints per Serve: 4

 

1kg large potatoes, peeled, quartered

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

cooking spray

1 fresh red chilli, halved lengthways, deseeded, chopped

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 220°C.

 

Cook the potato in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until almost tender. Drain. Return to the pan.

 

Add oil and shake the pan to coat. Transfer to a roasting pan. Spray with cooking spray.

 

Bake for 20 minutes. Add chilli and rosemary. Toss to combine.

 

Bake for a further 25 minutes or until crisp and golden.

 

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I decided that it couldn't be that hard to make our own Taco Seasoning as I believed that it had to taste much better than the packet mix.

And it was!!  Not only was the flavour bold but it was easy to make.  The colours in all the herbs and spices was intense as was the smell - a much nicer smell than what's in the packet with god only knows what artifical additives and colourings added.

 

 

I found this large batch recipe over at Rachel Cooks and I agree with her when she says her daugher loves to help with the measuring and mixing as my daughter did too.

 

This recipe makes a large batch of Taco Seasoning which will keep in a sealed container so you always have it ready on hand for your next big mexican cook up.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

(recipe sourced from Rachel Cooks)

Serves: 10 (portions of 3 tablespoons)
ProPoints per Serve: 0
 

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chili powder

2.5 teaspoons garlic powder

2.5 teaspoons onion powder

2.5 teaspoons red pepper flakes

2.5 teaspoons oregano

2.5 teaspoons paprika

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cumin

1/4 cup salt (more to taste)

1/4 cup finely ground pepper

In small bowl, mix all ingredients and store in airtight container. (Or you can mix it together in the container you are going to store it in–just give it a shake.)

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture plus 1/2 cup of water to 500 grams of cooked meat (of your choice). Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until there is very little liquid left in the pan.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)