Saturday 20 September 2014

Oregano Lemon Chicken with Turmeric Rice, White Sauce and Chilli Oil

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

This is a recipe that I found whilst perusing this little old internet. 




Everything just sounded so good together that I had to give it a go. I first cooked it back in May and was dreaming of it ever since. I had to make it again and of course, share the recipe with you guys. It's a Middle Eastern inspired recipe (kind of). 
So what is it exactly? Well, we have juicy strips of chicken flavoured with fresh oregano (don't worry, you can use dried also) over fluffy turmeric rice. This is then drizzled with a homemade white sauce and chilli oil. The whole thing is served with sliced lettuce, cucumber, tomato and pickled pepper.
I know all these things are quite random but trust me, together they work! 

Random but oh-so-good combinations, previously: Tandoori Chicken Veg PastaLamb Mince Okra CurryNot So Traditional Shepherds PieBattered Fish Curry

A Simple List of Ingredients:

1. Chicken Breast
2. Lemon
3. Fresh Oregano (or dried)
4. Ground Coriander
5. Garlic
6. Olive Oil
7. Salt
8. Black Pepper
9. Basmati Rice
10. Butter
11. Vegetable Oil
12. Ground Turmeric
13. Ground Cumin
14. Water or Stock
15. Green Chilli
16. Mayonnaise
17. Plain Yoghurt
18. Sugar
19. White Wine Vinegar
20. Tahini Paste
21. Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
22. Curry Powder
23. Lettuce
24. Cucumber
25. Tomato
26. Pickled Peppers

Bismillah, let's begin!

First, to make the marinade for the chicken. 

The original recipe used fresh oregano. My mum informed me that we had a huge bush of the stuff in the garden, so that was me sorted.

But I have used dried oregano in place of the fresh before in this recipe, and can say that it works just fine!

Into a blender, pour in 1/4 cup (60ml) Olive Oil.

Add in 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and roughly chopped.

Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a Lemon (about 2 tablespoons).

Roughly chop about 3 tablespoons Fresh Oregano and add to the blender. If using dried, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon.

Sprinkle in 3/4 teaspoons Ground Coriander.

Plug in the blender ...

... and blend until smooth.

Pour out into a bowl.

Season to taste. I added 1 and 1/2 teaspoon Salt and 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper.

Slice 2 large Chicken Breasts into strips.

Pour in 3/4 of the marinade.

We will use the remaining 1/4 later on.

Give the chicken a good stir, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates, make the chilli oil. This will add a real spicy kick to the meal, and you can add as much or as little as you want.
So, into a small pan, place 1 tablespoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander

1/4 teaspoon Curry Powder

1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup (60ml) Vegetable Oil

Once everything is in ...

... give it a good stir.

Set the pan over a medium heat.

Once it begins to bubble ..

.. cook for a few minutes until the chilli and garlic darken.

Pour the chilli oil into a bowl.

Let it cool.


Next, to make the Turmeric Rice. Measure 2 cups Basmati Rice. Wash the rice in a bowl a few times, until the water runs clear. Then, soak in water at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Mums advice is that whenever you are making a rice dish, the first thing you should do is soak your rice.

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon Butter and 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil.

Once the butter has melted, add 1 Green Chilli, finely sliced.

Let the chilli sizzle for a few seconds.

Then, add 2 teaspoons Salt and 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper.

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

And, 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric.

Stir the spices in and let them fry for a minute or two.

Then, pour in 3 cups (the same cup with which you measured the rice) of Water or Stock.

Stir the water in well.

I added a vegetable stock cube to add more flavour but this is totally optional.

Bring everything to the boil.

Drain and add in the rice that you washed and soaked earlier.

Bring to the boil. Then, cook uncovered on a medium heat until most of the water has been absorbed.

Cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 15-20 minutes until the water has all been absorbed and the rice is fluffy and cooked.

Like this!

Next, make the white sauce. Whisk together:
4 tablespoons Mayonnaise
4 tablespoons Plain Yoghurt
1/2 tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Tahini Paste
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Taste, and adjust seasoning, if needed.

Finally, it's time to cook the chicken.

Cook in a grill pan (or a frying pan) on a medium-high heat.

Cook the chicken until it is golden brown and cooked through.

Once cooked ...

... pour in the remaining marinade.

Toss and heat through for 1 minute. This technique keeps the chicken extra juicy and moist. I moved the chicken to another pan since the marinade may have gotten stuck in the grill pan ridges.

To serve, slice up Cucumber, Tomato, Lettuce ...

... and of course, my favourite, Pickled Peppers.

There is no real method to serving this dish up. Just pile the rice onto a plate, top with the juicy chicken, scatter on the fresh salad and drizzle with the chilli oil and of course, the white sauce.

I really hope you give this recipe a try and that you love it as much as we did!

Full Written Recipe:


Oregano Lemon Chicken with Turmeric Rice, White Sauce and Chilli Oil

Adapted from this recipe and this recipe

Ingredients – serves approx 5-6 people

For the Oregano Lemon Chicken
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced into small strips
¼ cup (60ml) Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
Juice of ½ Lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons Fresh Oregano, roughly chopped (or 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano)
¾ teaspoons Ground Coriander
1 and ½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Turmeric Rice
2 cups Basmati Rice
1 tablespoon Butter
3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Green Chilli, finely sliced
2 teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
3 cups (use the same one that you measured the rice with) Water or Stock

For the White Sauce
4 tablespoons Mayonnaise
4 tablespoons Plain Yoghurt
½ tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Tahini Paste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For the Chilli Oil
1 tablespoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely chopped
¼ cup (60ml) Vegetable Oil

To Serve
Lettuce, thinly sliced
Cucumber, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced
Pickled Peppers

Method

First, marinate the chicken. Blend together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano and ground coriander. Pour into a bowl and stir in the salt and black pepper.

Stir ¾ of the marinade into the chicken and stir well. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining marinade for later.

Next, to make the chilli oil, take a small pan. Put in the crushed red chilli, ground cumin, ground coriander, curry powder, chopped garlic and vegetable oil. Stir and set the pan over a medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, cook until the chilli and garlic darken – only a few minutes. Pour into a bowl and cool.

To make the turmeric rice, wash the rice until the water runs clear. Soak in water at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Into a pan, heat the butter and vegetable oil. Add the green chilli and let it sizzle for a minute. Then, sprinkle in salt, black pepper, ground cumin and ground turmeric. Stir and let the spices fry for a few minutes.

Then, pour in the water or stock. Remember to use the same cup to measure both the rice and water. Stir and bring to the boil.

Drain and add in the rice. Bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, until most of the water has been absorbed.

Cover and simmer on the lowest heat until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. This will take about 15-20 minutes.

Next, make the white sauce. Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste, and adjust the seasoning, if needed.

Finally, cook the chicken. Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Once cooked, toss through the remaining marinade. Heat for a minute and it’s ready!

Slice the salad.

Serve the chicken over the rice with the salad. Drizzle over the chilli oil and white sauce, and enjoy!

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Keep me in your duas, please,

Wasalaam!


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