Quick and Easy Chicken Curry - A Perfect Midweek Meal

Since returning to work full time I have been trying new, quick and easy meals. Ones that can be made in no time, without the stress of a lot of preparation and meals which are healthy and will please the whole family.

Last week I decided to go for a family favourite, curry. Curries do not always require long marinading time to be tasty and this recipe is proof. Ready in just over 30 minutes this is a meal that can be made easily but more importantly it is a lot healthier than grabbing a take away, not to mention cheaper!

Pair this curry with some rich turmeric and cardamon rice or as my children wanted, rice and beans, naan breads, poppadoms and dips and you have got a meal that has been transformed into a feast!

This is what I did...

Easy Chicken, Chorizo and Bean Rice - A Perfect Midweek Meal

This last week I have realised how hard it is to juggle home life and working full time. I have found that when I get home in the evening all I have wanted to do it relax. But when you come home to a family, relaxing is way down on the list. So to make life a little easier I have been looking for ways to make meal time not only stress free but also tasty. I quickly realised that the freezer was going to become my best friend. I do not normally have many frozen foods in but this week they have been life savers. Having pre prepared frozen vegetables, in particular, has saved me no end of time and this recipe shows you how versatile and full of goodness they are.

We all love the chicken and chorizo combination. Chorizo add such a fantastic depth of flavour, you really do not need to worry about extra herbs or spices. When cooking easy midweek meals, the least washing up the better, so I have made this a chore saving one pot meal. Tasty, easy and not a lot of pots, what more could you wish for?

This is what I did...

Italinary - Italian Culinary Experience Review

If there is one cuisine that the whole family enjoys it has to be Italian food. I love everything about it from the fresh ingredients to the whole Italian way of eating, I am a big believer in their ethos of eating together, making it a social event and not just something that we do to survive.

When Italinary contacted me and asked me if I would like to try one of their Italian culinary experience boxes to try I was intrigued to find out more. As soon as I saw what Italinary was all about to say that I was excited to receive the box was an understatement and it did not disappoint.

Roast Chicken River Cottage Style

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting River Cottage based in Axminster, Devon. While we were there, before we dined on an outstanding meal, Senior Sous Chef Andy Tyrrell gave us a talk and demonstration on brining and curing meats. We were told how to transform pork into ham at home, how to cure beef into bresaola and even how to brine a turkey!

As Andy went through each process I sat scribbling away as I knew that I would want to try as many of the recipes as possible. So far I have only brined a chicken but I am planning to make a bresaola ready for Christmas! Today I thought that I would share with you how I brined the chicken as I was so happy with the results.

This is what I did...

Chicken and Chorizo with Artisan Tagliatelle

For this weeks Aldi recipe post I am featuring some delicious artisan pasta that I found when I was shopping last week. We all love pasta dishes so as soon as I saw Aldi's special buy of artisan pastas I knew I had to feature them in a recipe.

Cucina have created for Aldi some pastas that are not your regular pastas, they all have added twists of flavour to make them unique and to add even more flavour to your dish. Today's recipe features the tagliatelle with spring onion but I also came home with some tagliatelle with wild garlic and some Specially Selected taschle pasta. I have got a meal planned using the wild garlic tagliatelle this week. If it is a success I will definitely be telling you all about it!

Today's recipe combines some of our favourite flavours together to create a new family favourite.

This is what I did...

Chicken and Kale Korma

We love a good curry. But as we are keeping our spending down we cannot afford a takeaway. The other week we decided to buy a ready made curry from an upmarket food chain and after we had eaten we really were not happy. The quality was not good and we really did not enjoy our meal after spending as much as we had. So to try and make up for that disaster I thought I'd make my own curry with the help of Aldi's Specially Selected Mild and Creamy Korma curry sauce. 

I have never used this sauce before but I loved how it came with a sachet of spices to add to the chicken before adding the sauce. This enabled the flavours to fully develop as the meat cooks. This sauce creates a deliciously creamy, fragrant and mildly spiced curry. The coconut, cream, yogurt and ground almonds give it a truly authentic finish. To give this curry some added goodness I have added some shredded kale. When it comes to leafy, green vegetables you just know that they are good for you. Kale is classed as a super food, it is an excellent source of vitamin K, C and A. But what not many people know is that kale is an great source of calcium which makes it a useful source for vegans or people who follow a dairy free diet. But the list does not stop there, kale also contains folate (folic acid), anti oxidants, manganese, copper and it virtually fat free and low in calories! If you struggle to get the kids to tuck into some kale at dinner time, then do what I do, add it to a meal that is sauce based and watch them eat it all up!

This is what I did...

Paella Rica

I adore paella. I fell in love with Spain's national dish while I was living there. One thing that I have wanted to invest in is a paellera, a paella pan. So when I saw one in Aldi for just £5.99 I had to buy it! I was also delighted to find some authentic Spanish ingredients to go with the paellera to help me recreate my favourite meal!

One of the things I love about Aldi has to be the fact that you can find so many delicious European ingredients. Today I am sharing my paella which is not only full of authentic flavour but is also an easy dish to make.

This is what I did...

Chicken Pesto Pasta

A couple of weeks I shared my Pesto, Mushroom and Pancetta Chicken that I made using ingredients from Aldi.

After I made the pesto, mushroom and pancetta I had some ingredients left so I thought that I would share with you what I did with them. Pesto is perfect for pasta so what better way to use leftover pesto and chicken breasts!

The chicken breasts from Aldi are fantastic value for money. I always by the large pack of chicken breasts that weigh 1kg and cost £5.59. This pack of chicken provides enough for two meals for my family. Unlike other cheap chicken breasts these do not shrink down during cooking, this is what makes them true value!

This recipe make enough for a family of four, or in our case a family of five.

This is what I did...

Pesto, Mushroom and Pancetta Chicken

Every week I am going to be sharing with you a meal that I have cooked using ingredients that you can find at your local Aldi. They are going to be meals that the whole family will enjoy and best of all, the meals will not cost a fortune to make. I am going to show you that even when your shopping budget is tight you can still enjoy deliciously healthy meals.

This week I am sharing a favourite meal of mine. I first discovered it when my mum cooked a similar meal. This dish is easy to prepare and full of flavour. Today I am going to tell and show you what you can make using the ingredients below.

This is what I did...

Chicken, Lemon and Thyme Pasta - Nudo Adopt

You may remember, before Christmas I wrote a post about Nudo Adopt's Panettone. Since then I have been trying some of their flavour infused oils in my cooking.

In the past I have used infused oils before but I will admit that I have not tried any like Nudo Adopt oils. So far I have only tried one of the oils but I am so impressed with it I simply cannot wait to tell you about the others! I am planning to create other recipes using the other oils which I will be sure to share with you. But I had to tell you about the oil that I have tried.

The first oil that I tried was Nudo Olio D'Oliva Extra Vergine Al Limone, Extra Virgin Olive Oil Stone Ground with Lemons. In the past, other infused oils that I have tried had an aroma of the infused flavour but the taste simply did not linger throughout cooking. As soon as I started to heat up Nudo Adopt's oil the aromas of lemon filled the air. As I began cooking the chicken in the oil the aromas of chicken and lemon combined together perfectly. As soon as the chicken was cooked, I could not wait to try a piece and I was amazed that the flavour had soaked into the chicken. I have never used an infused oil that has added so much flavour to a dish.

Chicken and Butternut Squash Casserole with Potato and Pea Mash - CookBlogShare Week 20

At this time of year I love to cook casseroles. They are always such warming meals that are so comforting on a cold, wet day. You will probably know how I am constantly trying to get extra vegetables into our meals. One way that I have found it so easy to get some extra goodness into the children is by adding different vegetables to the potatoes when I am going to mash them. In this recipe I have added peas to the mash. They worked so well together, the flavours were perfect and were a great accompaniment with the chicken and butternut squash.

This is a great meal as you can simply leave it in either a casserole dish in a low heat oven or in the slow cooker until ready. As the meal cooks your kitchen will be filled with delicious aromas as the ingredients cook and come together.

This is what I did...

Ch, Ch, Chicken Hotpot

One of my favourite flavour combinations has to be chicken and chorizo. The flavours simply go hand in hand. When cooking with chorizo you really do not need to add any additional spices as the smoked paprika and garlic juices from the chorizo do all of the work for you. I made this meal in the slow cooker. Cooking slower allow the flavours to really develop, giving you a delicious meal.

This dish combines chicken with chorizo and chickpeas, hence the name ch, ch, chicken hotpot, all of the ch words was a bit of a mouthful so here we have Ch, Ch, Chicken Hotpot!

This is what I did...

Spicy Chicken and Chorizo with Roast Butternut Squash Mash Plus Vanish Giveaway!

On of my favourite flavour combinations has to be chicken and chorizo. When you add chorizo to any dish no other spices are needed as the chorizo does all the work! As it cooks delicious spicy, paprika and garlic juice oozes out and add such a depth of flavour to the dish.

When I saw some spicy, uncooked chorizo I simply could not refuse it and knew that it would be perfect with some chicken.

This is a spicy dish, but if you do not like your meals too hot simply buy the traditional chorizo. But the butternut squash is a perfect mash to cool the heat!

This is what I did...

Lemon Chicken Tray Roasts

Tray roasts are a delicious way to combine flavours. I love how the flavours come together as they cook.

This dish is full of flavour and seasonal vegetables. The lemon and garlic adds a real zest to the chicken and enhances the vegetables. Since cooking this meal it has definitely become a real family favourite and will be cooked many more times in the future. 

This is what I did...

Coconut Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Rice - Blog Swap

glo have challenged Emma from From Aldi to Harrods and I to swap blogs for the day. I have written a money saving post for From Aldi to Harrods while Emma has written a delicious recipe for Hijacked By Twins!

Enjoy x

Choosing quick, nutritious meals is really important in our house, and meal planning helps us to use up items lurking in the back of the freezer and cupboards. This recipe is one of those where I just
fancied making something and made up the recipe with a little bit of research.

Coconut Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Rice for two people


Ingredients

• 2 peppers
• 4 chicken thighs (boneless)
• 3 tablespoons coconut
• 2 slices of bread
• 150g rice
• 3 tablespoons peas (I used frozen)
• Sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 egg
• Rosemary and salt to season
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Pre-heated the oven to 180C.

2. Put a kettle full of water on to boil.


3. Chop up the peppers.


4. When the oven is hot, place the chopped peppers on a tray and drizzle with olive oil, using rosemary and salt to reason. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.


5. Put the rice in the pan and cover it was boiling water. Place a lid on the pan, remembering to stir it after 10 minutes.


6. Toast the bread, and once toasted put it in a food processor or blender to make breadcrumbs.


7. Beat the egg into a bowl.


8. Mix the breadcrumbs, coconut and chilli flakes in a bowl.


9. Place a frying pan on a medium to high heat.

10. Dunk each chicken thigh into the beaten egg then the breadcrumb mixture.

11. Place each chicken thigh into the warm frying pan.


12. Add the peas to the rice and let the rice cook for another 10 minutes with the lid on.


13. Turn over the peppers in the oven.


14. After the chicken has been frying for 10 minutes, turn it over.


15. Remove the peppers from the oven after they have been roasting for a total of 20 minutes. Put them to the side.


16. Drain the rice.


17. Mix the roasted peppers into the rice and pea mixture.


18. The chicken should now be cooked after 10 minutes on each side.


19. Serve

19 steps might look like a lot, but from starting the cooking to loading the dishwasher at the end it took me just 25 minutes to cook this meal. There are so many things that you can change to suit your
tastes or what you have in the house, including changing the vegetables (courgettes and carrots would work well too) to adding more spices into your coconut and breadcrumb mixture.

Summer Vegetables, Chicken and Rice Dish

Regular readers will know that I love creating new meals with leftovers!

That is how this meal came along. I had half a chicken left after a Sunday roast. I normally end up cooking a Leftover Curry but as we are wanting to increase our vegetable intake I wanted to create a healthier leftovers meal.

I have combined the leftover chicken with plenty of vegetables and brown rice.

This is what I did...

Spanish Chicken Tray Bake - Family Favourites

We all love chicken and Mediterranean inspired flavours. That is how this meal was created. I wanted to create more of a summer recipe using chicken. This dish is perfect for a summers evening eating in the garden.

Chicken is always a winning meal in our house. But not only does everybody enjoy it but it is also low in fat which make me even happier!

This is what I did...

Spanish Chicken Tray Bake

Ingredients

12 chicken thighs
1 large courgette, thickly sliced
12 shallots, halved
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
250g mushrooms, quartered
200g cooking chorizo, cut into chunky pieces
Yellow and red tomatoes on the vine
Smoked paprika
Sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1 - Pre heat the oven to 180C

2 - Lay the courgette, shallots, red pepper and yellow pepper in a deep roasting tray

3 - Add the chorizo and lay the chicken thighs on the top

4 - Sprinkle smoked paprika and sea salt over each chicken piece according to taste

5 - Drizzle over the olive oil and place in the centre of the pre heated oven and cook for 40 minutes

6 - After 40 minutes remove the tray, baste the chicken in the delicious smoked paprika oils from the chorizo and add the mushrooms

7 - Return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes, add the tomatoes still on the vine and cook for 5 more minutes

8 - Before removing from the oven check that the juice run free of blood from the chicken, if they need a little longer keep checking every 5 minutes

Serve with new potatoes

The chorizo adds such a depth of flavour to this dish, it complements the chicken and vegetables perfectly.

Enjoy x

Leftover Chicken Korma with Schwartz

If you are a regular reader you will know that I love using our leftovers from a roast dinner to make a curry. Curry has to be one of our favourite meals so when Schwartz asked me if I would like to try their new curry range I was excited to give them a try.

Schwartz new curry range includes Rogan Josh, Biryani, Balti and Korma mixes.

Thanks to these handy sachets you can easily make traditional Indian curries at home.

They are a great way to enjoy take away style meals for a fraction of the cost! Perfect for a night in or a great way to use up roast dinner leftovers, as I did in this recipe.

Curried Chicken and Mango Wraps

Now that the weather has become sunnier I love to go back to lighter meals.

We always enjoy curry but sometimes I want something a bit lighter. That is why I came up with this quick and easy meal that is full of flavour and low on calories!

It can be easily enjoyed as a main meal accompanied by salad and potatoes or as a tasty lunch. For the curry coating I have used Knorr's Curry Flavour Pot. They are such a quick and easy way to add extra flavour to dishes.

This is what I did...

Flava It Buffalo Chicken - Family Favourites

I was recently sent some Flava It Marinades sachets to try.

With the Flava It Marinades it is quick and easy to transform meat into something different and extremely tasty! I decided to try the Buffalo Marinade first. It is so easy to use, you simply place the marinade mixture in a bowl, add your chosen meat, mix together and leave for 10 minutes! That is it, no need to add any oils and the marinade contains no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or preservatives.

In this recipe I have combined the Buffalo Marinade with chicken fillets, red Ramiro peppers, onions and mushrooms. It created a deliciously sweet dish with a kick of spice thrown in for good measure!

This is what I did...

Flava It Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients

1 sachet of Flava It Buffalo Marinade
600g chicken fillets, sliced
1 red Ramiro pepper, halved and sliced
1 onion, quartered and sliced
3 lg Portabello mushrooms, halved and sliced
1tbsp oil

Method

1 - Marinade the chicken in the Flava It Marinade for 10 minutes before cooking

2 - Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saute pan

3 - When the oil has heated up place the marinaded chicken in the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes

4 - Add the onions, pepper and mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and serve with rice

This meal was a delicious dish that pleased everyone. The Buffalo Marinade has a good kick of spice with a sweetness that makes it ideal for all of the family.

If you are wanting to easily and quickly transform meat I would definitely recommend trying Flava It Marinades. There are 9 different marinades available. I am certainly looking forward to trying the Garden Mint marinade this Easter on a lamb joint and will be using the Barbecue marinade next time I cook pulled pork! To see the other flavours and to read more about Flava It visit Flava It - Meat Lust.

Enjoy x

Disclosure: I was sent some Flava It Marinades for the purpose of this post. No payment was received. All views and opinions are my own and 100% honest.