ONE POT 15 MINUTE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Just like a cup a noodle soup, but delicious and wholesome and not full of nasty things. This is loaded with flavour and light on the dishes you’ll be eating this one on the reg. Actual cook time is 7 minutes so I’m allowing you 8 minutes to get everything else sorted. To make the most of this time, do as the recipe suggests and prep the chicken first and while that sits in its marinade, chop all the veg up. Everything doesn’t need to be perfect – just all about bite sized so that you don’t need to get super awkward when eating it and it will cook at the same rate.  Serves 2

Ingredients1 chicken breast (approx 200g)   or try 2 thighs
1 tsp ginger (ground?)
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese cooking wine (optional)
a few drops sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbs coriander stalks, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped spring onion
1 carrot, finely sliced
1 bunch broccolini, chopped into 1-2inch pieces
2/3 cup mushrooms, finely sliced
1 cup cauliflower florets, bite sized pieces
200g fresh noodles of choice or rice noodles (must be something that takes 3 mins or less to cook)
Approx 400ml boiling water
Toasted sesame seeds to serve

Chop the chicken breast into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl along with ginger, chilli, soy, wine, sesame oil, garlic and coriander stalks. Toss to coat and let it sit for a few minutes while you prepare all your vegetables.

Put a medium pot on medium high heat, lightly spray with oil (if pot is non stick you can skip this) and add chicken pieces along with their marinade. Cook, moving around the pot regularly, until the chicken breast pieces have got some colour. This should only take a few minutes.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower and broccolini along with 1/2 the spring onion. Toss to mix well with the chicken and cook for 1 minute. Add the noodles and fill with the pot with enough boiling water to just cover the noodles with the tops of the vegetables sticking out. Simmer 3 mins.

To serve:  place noodles, chicken and vegetables into bowls and top with the stock.
Sprinkle with remaining spring onion, coriander and toasted sesame seeds.
Have some extra chilli flakes on hand if you like things hot.


 

INDONESIAN CHICKEN

serves 4

1.25kg chicken pieces (I used Marylands)
1c fresh coconut         }
1c boiling water          }  or 1 can lite coconut milk
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tab peanut butter (I used smooth)
1 Tab ground coriander
1 Tab water
2 medium onions – finely-chopped
2 cloves garlic – crushed
2 Tabs oil
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

NOTE – There is an hour of marination so start this earlier than usual

To make coconut cream – Pour boiling water over the coconut, let stand 15 mins. Strain through a fine strainer, pushing with a spoon to extract maximum flavour from coconut. Retain coconut liquid, discard coconut.

Combine turmeric, salt, ginger, black pepper, cayenne, peanut butter and coriander with the Tab water. Mix to a fine paste (I used big metal bowl and metal tablespoon).
Saute onions and garlic in hot oil for 2 minutes. Add the PB paste, saute further 2 minutes..

Remove from heat, ALLOW TO COOL (I forgot this). Rub chicken pieces well with this mixture, let stand in covered bowl (in fridge) for 1 hour to allow chicken to absorb flavours.

Combine the coconut liquid and lemon rind in a large saucepan. Bring to boil, add chicken pieces with any remaining paste, reduce heat, cover and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken pieces from pan, brown lightly under hot griller, basting with sauce from the pan (I did none of this. Instead I just shook the saucepan occasionally.). Spoon any of the remaining sauce over the chicken pieces before serving.