Harissa Chicken

This was a last minute dish, inspired by what was in the fridge and a vague recollection of something I had read somewhere. We are trying to eat up the contents of the fridge and freezer at the moment as we are off on holiday on Saturday. The yogurt in the marinade kept the chicken nice and juicy though, and there was a good kick from the harissa, without it being too hot. Definitely one to repeat, and it would be particularly good cooked on the barbeque. The recipe is pretty fluid, depending on what you have to hand, and particularly the heat of your harissa.

Harissa Chicken
Serves 2

6 mini chicken fillets (boned thighs would be good too, or breasts cut into strips)
2 tbsp natural yogurt
2 tsp harissa paste
Small drizzle of olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a shallow dish, add the chicken and leave to marinate for as long as you can. I made this up in the morning and left it in the fridge all day.

Heat a griddle pan until smoking, and then cook the chicken, shaking off the excess marinade. Eat immediately with salad, or in our case courgettes.

Chicken Kebabs

The barbeque has been sadly under-used this summer. I think every time it has been sunny I have been in hospital, or generally not feeling like eating. We therefore decided to ignore the slightly dodgy weather forecast for last night and light the barbeque. It turned out to be a good decision, as it was a lovely evening.

Chicken kebabs, potato salad and green salad, followed by brownies and strawberries - right up there with my favourite meals, and pretty low effort too.

Chicken Kebabs

This was a bit of an experiment, as I haven't made this marinade before. I will definitely be making it again though.

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts cut into fairly similar sized cubes
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
2 peppers, cut into squares

Put all of the ingredients apart from the chicken and peppers in a bowl and mix well. Then add the chicken and leave for at least an hour.

Put the chicken onto skewers, alternating with pieces of pepper (don't forget to soak the skewers if they are wooden).

Barbeque or grill, turning regularly, until the chicken is cooked and the outsides are starting to char.

The chicken stayed lovely and tender, which we struggle with on the barbeque. Let's hope the weather holds long enough for this to be repeated!