For a number of years now I have been advocating the huge variety of herbs, spices and foreign grocery available at many of the Asian markets so popular of late. It took a bit of time for Dubliners to shop at such places, but the benefits to cooking with foods outside the “norm” have reaped dividends; having friends and family sing the praises for your new-found cookery skills. Not only is the variety at such markets better than the supermarkets, they’re a lot less expensive.
Exciting food means having to be adventurous in the kitchen, but before proclaiming to being a new culinary Messiah, it’s best to try out new recipes on a small group of volunteers.
Sticky Chicken is a good dish to start off with for a number of reasons. Not only can you present a twist on the familiar staple, you can vary the compliments such as potato, rice or even chips whilst adding exotic tastes of the Far East.
To prepare the Sticky Chicken (serves 4) you’ll need the following ingredients:
4 skinned chicken breasts.
1 tablespoon of
Chinese 5 spice
½ tablespoon of Paprika
½ tablespoon of Cinnamon
1 tablespoon of Cornflour
1 tablespoon of Ginger puree
1 tablespoon of Garlic puree
7 tablespoons of brown sugar
7 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of clear honey
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
6 tablespoons of Lime juice
Mix the 5 spice, paprika, cinnamon, purees, sugar, vinegar, honey and oil into a medium sized saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil constantly stirring. When the mixture reaches boiling point add the lime juice and simmer slowly whilst stirring, for approximately 15 minutes or until of a thick sauce consistency is formed. Mix the cornflour with ¹/³ of a cup of tepid (not boiling) water to make a smooth paste. Mix slowly with the sauce and leave to cool.
Place the chicken breasts onto an ovenproof dish and spoon the sauce carefully over both sides of each breast. Place in a preheated oven (220°C/gas mark 7) for 20 minutes or until the chicken is brown glazed. Serve with your own choice of side order using any remaining sauce as a dip. For a little more “kick” try adding some crushed chilli flakes to the sauce during cooking.
By Eric Murphy
