Palaver Chicken Recipes

CHICKEN PAILLARD

Steps:

• Pound chicken breasts on a work surface using a meat tenderizer or heavy pan to 1/4-inch thick. Whisk wine, juice of 1 lemon, shallot, 2 teaspoons olive oil, and garlic together in a shallow bowl. Add chicken breasts; marinate for 15 minutes.
• Whisk juice of 1 lemon, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and lemon zest together in a large bowl; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add arugula and tomatoes; toss to combine.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate, or heat a skillet over high heat.
• Remove chicken from marinade; season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Cook chicken on preheated grill until golden brown and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Plate chicken with arugula salad on top.

PALAVER CHICKEN

Steps:

• cut chicken into thin slices, place in a bowl and stir in garlic and a little salt and pepper.
• melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the chicken over medium heat, turning once or twice to brown evenly.
• transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
• heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion and tomatoes over high heat for 5 minutes, till soft.
• reduce the heat, add the peanut butter and half of the stock and blend together well.
• cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent the peanut butter burning, then add the remaining stock, thyme, spinach, chili and seasonings.
• stir in the chicken slices and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes till chicken is cooked through.
• pour the chicken mixture into a warmed serving dish and serve with boiled yams and/or rice.

FANTASTIC ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven and an appropriately sized roasting tray to 425 degrees F. Wash your chicken inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using your fingers, part the breast skin from the breast meat. It's important to try to push your hand gently down the breast, being careful not to rip the skin. With a peeler, remove and chop the fragrant yellow skin of the lemon, keeping the peeled lemon to one side. Chop prosciutto and add to the bowl with the lemon skin, garlic and thyme. Season, with salt and pepper and then mix it all into the butter. Push this into the space you have made between the meat and the skin -- rub and massage any that's left over in and around the bird. It's all tasty stuff. I could tell you to tie the chicken up but I've decided it's a palaver and not worth it in this case. Slash the thigh meat to allow the heat to penetrate a little more, which makes it taste better. Cut the peeled lemon in half and push it into the cavity. Then put chicken in the hot roasting tray and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• While the chicken is cooking, parboil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes and drain. Cut the celeriac into irregular chunks around the same size as the potatoes. Remove the chicken from the oven, by which time the tasty butter will have melted, flavored and cooked out of the chicken into the bottom of the tray, awaiting your potatoes and celeriac. Normally I put a fork into the cavity of the chicken and lift it off of the tray for 20 seconds while I toss and coat the vegetables in the butter. Put the chicken back on top of the vegetables and cook for around 40 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Once the meat and vegetables have been removed, a little light gravy can be made in the tray with a splash of wine and stock, a little simmering and scraping.

THE SILVER PALATE'S CHICKEN MARBELLA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan; spoon the marinade over it evenly. Pour in the wine and sprinkle the chicken with the brown sugar.
• Bake until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow juice when pricked with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes, basting two or three times with the pan juices once the chicken begins to brown. (When basting, do not brush off the sugar. If the chicken browns too quickly, cover lightly with foil.)
• Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm serving platter and top with the prunes, olives and capers; keep warm. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and bring the pan juices to a boil. Reduce to about 1/2 cup. Strain into a heatproof bowl, add the parsley and pour over the chicken.

PALAVER

Steps:

• Rinse the spinach thoroughly; stem and tear into 3-inch pieces.
• Set aside.
• In a non-aluminum saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium heat.
• Cut the onion in half, then quarter.
• Separate layers, and add to oil.
• Crush cloves and sprinkle over onion, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften.
• Add ginger and stir.
• Add tomato sauce, 1 cup water, and cardamom.
• Cook at a bubbly simmer for 4 minutes to merge flavors.
• Add cayene, stir, then add spinach, a handful at a time, stirring after each addition.
• Cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes, or until spinach is tender.
• Add salt to taste and serve warm.

CHICKEN PALAK

Steps:

• Boil the frozen spinach, according to package directions, until done. Place cooked spinach in a collindar and drain off excess water. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in Wok over medium heat.
• Add cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and stir fry for one miute.
• Add onions to spice mixture in wok and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Add minced garlic, green chillies and coriander and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Add spinach. Stir fry mixture for 4 minutes and remove from heat.
• Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and set aside.
• Using a hand held blender, process the mixture in the Wok until it becomes the consistency of a paste -or- process in a food processor until the consistency of a paste and return to wok. You can return the cinnamon stick and bay leaf back into the wok mixture at this time.
• Turn heat back on and add yogurt to spinach paste and blend well.
• If you like heat, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and mix well.
• Add the cooked chicken to the spinach/yogurt mixture until chicken is heated through.
• Before serving, remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf and discard.
• Serve with basmati rice and Lavash bread. Salt to taste.