Crispy Polenta Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash

Chicken is one of my favourite meats, and after the success of the crispy polenta chicken in my the caesar salad, I just had to make it again. I wanted to make a delicious post-workout meal that would satisfy my hunger cravings and be healthy and nutritious. This meal combines all of my favourite ingredients that I'm loving at the moment. It's full of incredibly nourishing ingredients that work together to boost your health. The creamy, smooth sweet potato mash blends perfectly with the steamed kale and courgettes. They all perfectly combine together to compliment the succulent chicken with a delicious polenta coated crispy outer that has a fantastic paprika kick. 

Serves 4 

4 organic chicken breasts

1 1/2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & diced

dash of milk

4 handfuls of kale

1 courgette, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp of polenta 

2 tsp paprika 

salt & pepper

2 spring onions

Method

- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Boil a full kettle and cover the sweet potatoes with boiling water in a large pan.  Leave for about 7 minutes, then add the kale on top to steam. 

- Whilst the sweet potatoes are cooking, cover the chicken breast in the polenta and paprika and season well. You should add the kale to steam about now. Put the chicken into a frying pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil, turning after 4-5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. 

- After you've turned the chicken, add the sliced courgettes to the kale and steam until the chicken is cooked. Take off the heat.

- Strain the sweet potatoes, add a dash of milk, season well and mash until smooth. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning to the kale and courgettes. Slice the spring onions. Put the mash, courgette & kale mix and spring onions onto a plate then add the chicken on top to serve. 

Top tip: To ensure the chicken is cooked properly, pierce a hole into the thickest part of one of the breasts and make sure it's white all the way through and any juices run clear. 

Enjoy!

The Ultimate Caesar Salad

I found this recipe in Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals book. Granted, it will not take you 15 minutes to make - I would say 30 minutes minimum but nevertheless, it's certainly worth it. The succulent chicken combined with the crispy bacon and the crunchy ciabatta croutons makes for the perfect Caesar salad. What makes this salad however, is the beautiful dressing. It's without a doubt the best salad dressing I've had in a long time and compliments the dish perfectly. If you have time, why not go all out and show off to your friends by making your own ciabatta bread?!

Ingredients

For the chicken

2x200g skinless chicken breasts

½ tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp polenta

Salt & pepper

olive oil

For the salad

1 loaf of bread ciabatta bread

4 slices bacon

Lettuce

10 cherry tomatoes

2 large jarred red peppers

Alfalfa sprouts

For the dressing

2 tsp garlic-infused olive oil or 1/4 clove of garlic, peeled

2 lemons

40g parmesan cheese

4 anchovy filets

4 tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp red vinegar

1 tsp mustard

½ bunch fresh coriander

Method

For the chicken

- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally and coat with the other ingredients except the oil.

-Heat the oil in a pan and fry the breasts for 3-4 minutes on either side and remove from the heat.

For the dressing

Squeeze the juice from the lemons and place everything in a food processor and process.

For the salad

Wash and break up the lettuce and place on a large platter.
Halve the tomatoes and scatter on top.
Slice up the red peppers and layer on top.
Slice the chicken and spread about on the salad.
Fry the bacon and slice up and scatter on the salad.
Sprinkle the top with the sprouts.
Drizzle over the dressing.

Enjoy!

Red Pepper & Chicken Summer Spaghetti

A 20 minute summer spaghetti sensation..good old alliteration at it's best. But it's no exaggeration. Mum & Dad were going to be back from work late so I knew they were going to be exhausted with it being the end of the week (yay!). Earlier in the day I saw a mediterranean pasta dish and its fresh, vibrant colours reminded me of those incredible pasta dishes you get on holiday. I wanted to produce something similar whist being cheap, quick and easy to make (students, take note). I find that measuring ingredients takes time and is a little tedious so I literally chucked this recipe together and you will be able to do the same if you just follow this...

Serves 4 

wholemeal spaghetti (75g per person)

1 can chopped tomatoes

4 dessert spoons cider vinegar

2 peppers (I used 1 red & 1 yellow)

1 large squidge of ketchup (about 1 dessert spoon)

salt & pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 160g bag of spinach

cooked chicken 

1/2 teaspoon hot chilli powder (optional)

Method

- Boil water in a large pan. Insert spaghetti and leave to cook, stirring occasionally. 

- Dice the peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cider vinegar and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes and ketchup, then season to taste. 

- Add the spinach, nutmeg, (chilli powder) and chicken. I just put half a whole cooked chicken in, but you can judge for yourself how much you think you would need. Stir and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 

- Check the pasta is done. Sieve out the water, place in a presentable bowl and stir in the pasta sauce. 

Serve and enjoy! 

Have a beautiful weekend x

Tip: Before you serve, make sure you've tasted it to see whether it needs more seasoning. 

You could also add courgette in with the peppers.