Salt & Pepper Chicken

I cannot stress enough how delicious this Chinese fake-away dish is and what's more, I've played around with the method and ingredients so it's only 1 syn on Slimming World too. Win, win. 

This packs a real punch, so if you're a spice-wimp, tone it down a little, if you love spice, you'll love this dish.

This serves two as a main dish. 

Salt & Pepper Chicken (1 Syn)

Here's how:
For the chicken & seasoning:

• x2 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
• 1 tsp sweetener
• Fry Light

For the stir fry:

• 2 spring onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 red chillies
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Fry Light

Firstly place a wok on a medium heat, dry. Now add the 1 tbsp of sea salt to the wok and allow it to dry-fry until the salt has started to take on a browny colour. Once that begins, remove from the heat. 

For the rest of the spice mix, in a small bowl place the cornflour, black pepper, Chinese Five Spice and sweetener. Add the salt once it's toasted too and mix together. 

Return the wok to the hob and spray with a few sprays of Fry Light, I prefer the rapeseed oil version here as it's pretty flavourless. 

Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and toss into the spice mixture so each side is coated and when happy pop every piece of chicken into the now-hot wok, and fry for two minutes initially. Then use tongs to turn over each piece and fry for a further 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Give the wok a little shake every so often, and check each piece is getting cooked on both sides. Once cooked, remove the chicken and place onto a plate to rest. 

For the stir fried vegetables, finely slice the spring onions and chilli and add to the wok with a couple more sprays of Fry Light. Mince in the garlic and finely chop the ginger and add to the wok too. 

Slice the peppers and peel and cut the carrot into matchsticks and add to the wok too on a high heat. Add the soy sauce too. This will cook in under two minutes, moving around all of the time. 

Return the chicken to the wok to coat a little before serving. Enjoy!

Salt & Pepper Chicken (1 syn)

If you love a Chinese fake-away on the healthier side then I have included eight other Chinese-inspired recipes with the Slimming World syns per portion included. 

• Chilli Crab Noodles  (1.5 syns)
• Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles  (1/2 syn)
• Sticky Asian Salmon (2 syns)
• Chicken Satay Noodle Salad (6 syns)
• Vegetarian Peanut Noodles (7 syns)
• Asian Tuna Fishcakes (3.5 syns)
• Chinese Style Roast Chicken (5 syns)
• Fake Away Char Sui Pork (5 syns)

Chicken Tikka Kebabs

I've been making a ton of different kebabs recently while we've had the warmer weather; they are so good on the barbecue, but you can also cook them under the grill. They're really delicious, family-friendly, pretty healthy and a great Indian fake-away option.

I served these Chicken Tikka Kebabs with a simple salad of lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato and coriander, some mango chutney and a naan bread which used as a wrap.

The below serves 4.

Chicken Tikka Kebabs

Here's how:

• 3-4 chicken thighs (or if you prefer 3 chicken breasts)
• 100g fat free natural yoghurt
• 100g fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp olive oil, rapeseed oil or vegetable oil

In a bowl or plastic tub, place the natural yoghurt, the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, paprika, garam masala, salt and pepper and oil inside. 

Cut the lime in half and squeeze in as much juice as you can, then throw in the body of  half the lime, put the other half to the side for later.

Peel the garlic cloves and put through a mincer or finely chop and add to the marinade. 

Finally peel the ginger and grate into the marinade and give a quick stir to mix the flavours together.

Now cut all of the chicken into slightly bigger than bite sized chunks and place into the marinade, use a spoon to mix everything up and ensure each piece of chicken is fully coated in the marinade. Now cover with clingfilm or a lid and place into the fridge (or on the kitchen counter if it's cool enough) for at least a couple of hours. 

At this point, if you are using wooden skewers, immerse them into water until cooking time, which will prevent them from setting alight under a grill or on a barbecue.

When you are ready to cook, take four skewers, and thread on each piece of chicken. Pack them quite tight and close together until all of the chicken is on

Cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through and slightly charred. Check the chicken is cooked through, by cutting into one of the biggest pieces and ensuring there is no pink. 

Remove from the barbecue or grill, and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. Squeeze over any remaining lime juice before serving.

If you want more Indian fake-away inspiration here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

• Chicken Biryani
• Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
• Chicken Dhansak
• Sag Paneer
• Beef and Lentil Curry

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

I only made this for the first time last weekend, and I never normally post recipes until I've tried them a few times, but this was an absolute triumph with all of the family.

It is an ideal Indian fake-away meal; it's mild enough to appeal to the younger family members but so delicious; I would usually go for something much spicier such as a Dhansak, madras or jalfrezi, but this was so nice, I genuinely didn't miss the chilli heat. 

Making it in the slow cooker is a double bonus - one is that the slow cooker does all the hard work for you (thank you Crockpot) two is that the house will smell incredible all day as this cooks.

The below serves four and we had with these quick and easy BBC Good Food Naan Breads  which were brushed with a drop of melted butter with minced garlic and coriander and some rice. 

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Here's how:

• 4-5 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3cm piece of ginger
• 1/2 jar of Korma paste (I just used one from Lidl)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 tin of coconut milk
• 2 tbsp fat free or low fat natural yoghurt (you can use full fat this is just quite a calorie-laden dish)
• 2 tbsp butter or ghee
• 1 lime

Firstly make the base. Peel the onion and slice it, or if you have fussy little ones, dice it and add to the slow cooker. Peel and mince the garlic and do the same. Peel and slice the ginger and add to the slow cooker.

Now chop the chicken thighs into large chunks - don't go too small as you don't want the meat to dry out; and add to the slow cooker.

Now add the fats; the butter or ghee, the natural yoghurt and the coconut milk.

Finally it's time to layer the flavours. Spoon in half a jar or 3 heaped tablespoons of Korma paste.  Add the tomato puree and then the garam masala, paprika, cinnamon stick, cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric and cardamom pods. 

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Now give the mix a good stir, place the lid on and cook for a solid 4 hours on the lower setting. Try not to open the lid for the first hour to allow the heat to build up. After that, you can give it a stir every 30-60 minutes of cooking time if you like, but it will be fine if left to it's own devices too. 

When the butter chicken is cooked and you have dished it up, squeeze over the juice of the lime for a final flavour hit. Enjoy!

If you want some other Indian fake-away inspiration here a few other ideas:
Chicken Biryani
Sag Paneer
Chicken Dhansak
Beef and Lentil Curry
Chicken Tikka with Lentil Dal

Chicken Biryani

If like us, you’re craving an Indian takeaway, but aren’t keen to order in at the moment until Covid-19 is a little more under control, then why not try this stunning Chicken Biryani fake-away at home?

It’s an Indian-takeaway favourite and has become a staple meal at our house since I started cooking it last year.

It’s not a difficult dish at all and if you want some tasty dishes to run alongside it to make it like a real takeaway, try this Chicken Dhansak, Sag Paneer or Chicken Tikka with Lentil Daal, but rest assured the below serves 4-5 comfortably as a main dish. 

Chicken Biryani

Here’s how:

• 350g basmati rice
• 300-400g chicken thighs  
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger
• Handful cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 heaped tbsp Korma Paste (I use Patak’s)
• 1.5 pints chicken stock
• 2 tbsp frozen peas
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 1-2 heaped tbsp crème fraiche
• Handful fresh coriander leaves
• Drizzle olive or vegetable oil

Firstly rinse the basmati rice in cold water in a sieve until the water runs completely clear – this will avoid it becoming starchy and gloopy and is really important.

Now in a sturdy bottomed pan (preferably one which has a lid) add the knob of butter.

Cut the onion in half, and then dice one half and slice the other half. Set the sliced onions aside for now. Add the diced onion to the pan.

Mince the garlic and either finely chop or grate the ginger and add both to the pan to gently soften with the onion.

Now add in the spicing by adding the turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods to the pan. Mix gently and allow the spices to cook out for a minute or two.

Now chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan to sear. Move the chicken around to ensure all pieces get seared on each side.

At this point add the Korma paste to the pan, stir and then the rice. Allow the rice to cook in the pan for a minute or two, stirring to get a good coating in all the flavours in the pan. Add the frozen peas and raisins and then cover with the chicken stock, season with salt and black pepper and pop the lid on.

Bring this up to the boil and then cook for about 9 minutes, until almost all the water has been absorbed by the rice. Stir gently and then remove from the heat and leave to stand for ten minutes with the lid on, where the rice will continue to cook and absorb any remaining water.

In the meantime, heat the oil in another sauce pan on a really high heat and fry the onions until really dark and charred; these will work as a garnish for your Chicken Biryani. Once darkened, place onto a plate on top of some kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

Now remove the lid from the Chicken Biryani and scatter over the fried onions, add the crème fraiche, either in little flourishes or one mound in the middle, and scatter over the coriander leaves and you’re ready to serve at the table. Enjoy!

Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

I'm as guilty as anyone else of loving my takeaways, and I always think if we have a Turkish takeaway it's healthier than most - although probably not when we have the chips to go with it all! I've been having a go for the last couple of months at different versions of a homemade chicken shish kebab, and this is where we've landed with it. Our very own fake-away!

I always serve it as a platter for the family, as it's just fun; it looks great to look at, and we all love digging in and sharing off of the same platter. I do have to do some plainer chicken, not for the baby, who will literally devour the chicken on these kebabs, but for Bridget who says these are too spicy! They are very mild, but that is toddlers for you! Luckily she does eat everything else on the platter! 

The recipe here is just for the chicken shish, but I serve with toasted pitta, a tomato, red onion and cucumber salad (literally as simple as that with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of black pepper), tzatziki, and either white rice, or couscous, or in this case, both! I'm obviously watching my calorie and carb intake, so couscous is a good option, but Bridget and Beatrice love their white rice, and Glen prefers it over couscous too! For my couscous, I use a basic one, and add parsley, mint, dill and chives plus some chopped up dried apricots - it's delicious with the chicken shish.

The below makes 5 healthy sized skewers and the trick is to marinate the chicken for as long as possible, if you can do overnight for the following evening meal, the chicken will be so flavourful and tender, it's well worth the wait. 

One final note - this is by no means an authentic Turkish recipe, it is in fact, an amalgamation of me trying tons of recipes and experimenting, and this is simply the one we've settled on as our favourite. 

Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

Here's how:

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 5 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 large lemon
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves garlic

Firstly open up the container you're using to marinate the meat, this can be a plastic container, a zip up bag, or you can use a large yoghurt container, as I have - I save these for such occasions! 

Pour in the olive oil, yoghurt and tomato puree. 

Now you need to grate the onion, and throw in the result, including the juicy pulp, into the marinade. 

Mince the garlic and add to the mix. Slice the lemon in half and then squeeze out as much of the juice as you can then throw the lemon halves into the marinade. 

Finally add all of the herbs and spices and give a really good stir. 

Now dice the chicken into decent sized chunks, this doesn't have to be exact, but try to get similarly sized pieces where possible. Throw all of the chicken into the marinade, and use a spoon to mix so all of the chicken is fully immersed in the yoghurt mix, then pop the lid on and place back into the fridge. 

Chicken Shish Marinade

Try to leave to marinade for at least four hours, but overnight is better. 

If using wooden skewers, soak these for an hour or so in water before cooking. 

To cook, simply load the marinated chicken pieces onto the skewer, pack them pretty tight together, and leave a good gap at either end of the skewers, and place under the grill for about five minutes, then turn and cook for a further five minutes. If you like a more charred chicken shish, increase the cooking time slightly. Before serving, just use a sharp knife and make an incision into one of the biggest pieces of chicken into the centre, to ensure the chicken is cooked through. If so, turn off the grill, and leave the chicken to rest for a few minutes, before serving.

Serve with your choice of accompaniments: pitta, rice, couscous, tzatziki, hummus, salad, chilli sauce, feta, halloumi - all will work a treat! If cooking for the family, do try and serve on a board to add a bit of theatre and fun to your evening meal, pile it high and let everyone dig in! Enjoy!