Sunday 10 May 2015

Chicken bolognese style

Here is a staple in our house, which takes very little effort to make and which feeds an army. It freezes really well so I always make sure to put is a couple of portions for those evenings when all you want is something warm in your belly and curl up on the sofa. 

If you're Italian, forgive my liberal interpretation of a "bolognese sauce", I've never actually been to Bologna and in my little French head of mine this is the best I could come up with.

Feel free to use other meat, I'm still mustering up the courage to branch away from poultry...


Ingredients: (serves 4)
  • 500g chicken breast or thighs (skin and fat removed) – you could use turkey, pork or beef really. Cut the meat into very thin strips, I use scissors it’s easier.
  • 1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 sticks of celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 heaped tbsp. tomato puree
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp. marjoram
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • ½ bunch of fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:
Heat up a large saucepan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. olive oil then
the garlic cloves, the onion, celery and peppers. Move vegetables around
until the onions become translucent. Remove from the pan.

Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to the pan, then the chicken and cook over medium heat
for 4 min or so without stirring. Add all the herbs, spices, salt and pepper and
stir well to coat the chicken for another couple of min.

Return the vegetables to the pan, pour in the two cans of chopped
tomatoes and the tomato puree. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the
sauce has thickened a bit - you want some sauce but you don’t want it to be
too runny.  Stir in the fresh basil before serving.

I often have this with cauliflower rice or leek “pasta” (like on the picture) with a little parmesan on top.
Sorry, the pic is a bit rubbish...





With a mix of greens ans broccoli.