One whole chicken can make you lunch & dinner

A whole chicken can help you through an entire day in so many ways.  Here is how I would use an entire chicken & not feel like I've eaten too much!  This is for all chicken lovers like my husband who can never say no to chicken!  Its just the right amount of chicken in each dish which you can devour over lunch & dinner.

Lets begin with the different portions of a whole chicken.  The chicken breasts will make you a quick light lunch, the two drumsticks & thighs will make for fried chicken with your aperitif.  For dinner, the other bone+flesh parts like the wings, leg quarter back bone etc can be used to make the smokey chicken gravy & all other boney bits, gizzard, liver, tail will go into a lovely comforting chicken soup.

Stuffed chicken breasts

This is a low-fat lunch deal that is tasty, healthy & can be made in a jiffy.

Prep time: 5mins
Cooking time: 15mins

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (without skin)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch of spinach leaves
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 cloves of garlic crushed
wooden toothpicks

Method

Preheat oven at 350C.  Wash & pat dry the chicken breasts.  Season with olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper and set aside.  Be very cautious with the use of salt as the cream cheese could be salty already.  Drop the spinach leaves in boiling water until they soften. Drain them thoroughly (you can use some of the drained water in your chicken soup later), chop them & add cream cheese.   Make a slit across chicken breast on the thicker side.  Do not slit it end to end, just the mid-section will do.

Stuff the cream cheese spinach mixture in the slits.  Seal the slits with toothpicks inserted sideways. 

Heat a grill pan & sear the stuffed chicken breast on either sides for about a minute.  Transfer them to a baking dish & bake until cooked through (7-8mins).  Remove toothpicks & serve.

Chicken soup

Prep time: 10mins
Cooking time: 1hr 15mins

Ingredients

1 bowl of chicken (liver, gizzard, tail, giblets, neck, wing tips, boney rib sections)
5-6 baby shallots/onions
1 carrot sliced
2-3 babycorn sliced (optional)
1 turnip quartered
2 tablespoons of cornflour to thicken

seasoning 

3-4 pepper corns
1" cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
crush these in a pestle & mortar

Method

In a large cooking pot, add all of the ingredients to 1litre of water & allow it to boil on low heat atleast for an hour.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Remove the chicken pieces out of the soup.  Extract only the fleshy bits & discard bones and things you dont like to eat.  Put the edible bits back in the soup.  Add corn flour to the soup & ensure they dont get lumpy (I add 2 tablespoons of water to cornflour, mix it well & then pour it into the soup slowly).  This soup is just so simple & comforting with all the goodness from the chicken.

Smokey chicken gravy (Koyla chicken) 

This lovely recipe was given by my sister & is a huge hit in the family.  I dont know if anybody could hate this.

Prep time: 10mins
Cooking time: 25mins

Ingredients

300gms chicken (curry cut)
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 onions sliced
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chilly powder (make that 2 if you prefer spicy gravy)
3 cloves
1" cinnamon
1 cup cashew nut paste (cashew nuts blended with water to make a fine smooth paste)
1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup coriander leaves finely chopped
1 small piece of charcoal

Method

To a heavy bottom frying pan add the vegetable oil & saute the sliced onions until they soften.  Add the ginger garlic paste, bay leaf, chilly powder, cloves & cinnamon.  Add the chicken & fry until they turn brown.  Season with salt.  Add the cashew nut paste & a cup of water.  Allow it to simmer with lid closed until the chicken is cooked.  Add the chopped coriander & give it a good mix and turn off the heat.  

Heat the piece of charcoal until its red on the edges.  Place this in a tiny metal plate or bowl in the middle of your frying pan (over the chicken gravy)  immediately drop a teaspoon of ghee & cover lid.  Ensure the lid is firmly covered & the fumes dont get out of the lid.  The smoke will infuse into the chicken gravy & add that lovely smokey texture to your chicken.  Take the charcoal & the metal plate/bowl out after 3-4mins & your smokey chicken gravy is ready to serve.  It goes well with rice or bread.

Home style fried chicken

I just call this one homely because its all natural ingredients & gives great taste with no artificial flavor or coloring.

Prep time : 30mins
Cooking time : 10mins

Ingredients
2 chicken drumsticks & 2 thigh pieces

For masala marinade
1 large tomato peeled & de-seeded
1 tablespoon red chilly powder
1" cinnamon
2 cloves
1"ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lemon juice


To fry
cornflour to dust the marinated chicken
300ml vegetable oil

Method

Blanch the tomato by dropping it in boiling water for minute & by taking off its skin & seeds.  In a blender, add all the ingredients for the masala & grind into a thick paste.  Do not add any water while blending.   Wash & pat dry the chicken pieces.  Make some slits on the fleshy slides.  Coat them well with the masala & set aside for 30mins.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt 15mins before you plan to fry your chicken.  Heat oil in a shallow dish.  Dust each drumstick with corn flour & deep fry until its cooked through & until it turns reddish brown.  Garnish with lemon slices, coriander leaves & serve immediately.