Thursday, July 20, 2006
Lemon & Herb Chicken with Hummus
We have a big meeting at work tomorrow and I put myself in charge of catering. I love cake and I
have actually gone so far as to suggest a company-wide cake day, not surprisingly so far without success. Oh well, if they won't do it for me, I'll just have to take matters into my own hands and bring some goodies in myself. Today I opted for brownies because they are quick and relatively easy to make - I say relatively because they ended up too gooey again -, I can make it spontaneously because I generally have the ingredients at home and one portion is enough for a group of people.Tonight, the baking
gods had a bit of a surprise for me in store - apart from slightly burning the top while leaving the middle under-cooked that is. One of the eggs I was using was less than ordinary in shape. Rather than being pointy, as they usually are, this egg was perfectly oval. I don't envy the poor chicken that had to lay this one. Ouch!But let's not worry too much about eggs and chickens and get back to the real issue: tonight's dinner. What can you make on a hot (ok, it was only about 25 degrees today, but I've got so used to Irish temperatures that this seems incredibly warm now) summer's night if you don't really have the vegetables for a real salad, but can't even bear the thought of a hot dinner? Hmm... think light, think Mediterranean... How about some grilled chicken with a lemon and herb marinade accompanied by a light potato salad (as in greens, onions, potatoes and a vinaigrette dressing) and some freshly made hummus?
For the chicken:
2 single portion chicken bits (I had two free range chicken wings with some breast meat attached left in the freezer, so that's what I used, but any part of the bird works fine here)
½ lemon, cut into wedges
a good measure of fresh or dried herbs (such as thyme, oregano, basil or parsley)
salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
enough lettuce for 2 people, torn into rough bits
½ onion, sliced
6 to 8 baby potatoes
some grilled, sliced zucchini (optional)
the dressing of your choice
For the hummus:
200g tinned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sesame seeds
½ lemon, juice only
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil to serve
a pinch of paprika
To make the marinade for the chicken, squeeze some of the juice from the lemons into a medium bowl (don't squeeze them out completely), mix in the herbs and then add the chicken pieces and remaining lemon wedges. Leave to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Tip the chicken along with the lemons and the marinade into a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and bake in the oven, basting occasionally, until cooked. This takes 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the pieces.
In the meantime prepare the hummus. Place all of the ingredients apart from the salt and the last 2 tablespoons of oil into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Add a little extra oil or a few drops of water if it appears dry. Season to taste with salt.
Boil the potatoes in enough water to just cover until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Toss with the lettuce and onions and add the dressing of your choice.
If you want to add grilled zucchini, heat some olive oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and fry for about 2 minutes on each side until golden and tender.
To serve, place a heap of hummus on each plate, make a dip in the middle and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter a bit of paprika over the top. Divide the salad between the plates and top with the zucchini if you are using it. Serve alongside the chicken.
Christine at 10:02 pm
