Italian Chicken Skewers

This is essentially a marinade utilising some fabulous Italian flavours; and it's absolutely mouth-watering delicious.

This recipe is to make the Italian Chicken Skewers, but just so you know, this marinade also works for roasting a whole chicken or chicken pieces, as well as stirred through just-cooked pasta and as a dip (a la tapenade) or even as a tasty salad dressing.  

The below serves four.

Italian Chicken Skewers

Here's how:

• 3-4 skinleks, boneless chicken thighs

For the marinade:

• 1 tbsp capers
• x3 sundried tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 50ml olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 40g Parmesan or Pecorino

Into a blender, place the capers, sun dried tomatoes, peeled garlic clove, basil leaves, dried rosemary, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add the salt and pepper.

Grate in the Parmesan, or if you are lazy, or cannot be bothered, chop it into small pieces and add to the blender or Nutribullet. Blitz well for a minute. When you remove the lid, prepare yourself as the smell is a little intoxicating!

For the chicken, cut into small bite-sized pieces, that will later be threaded onto skewers. Pop into a container that is big enough for all of the chicken and the marinade and has a lid. 

Pour over most of the marinade, but retain 2 tbsp to pour over or brush the meat with post-cooking. Use a spoon to mix the chicken in all of the marinade and ensure every piece is coated. Pop the lid on and put into the fridge for at least two hours. 

If you are using wooden skewers to cook the Italian Chicken Skewers, then place them into water at the same time that you marinate the meat. Make sure they are completely immersed in a roasting tin, or in a pint glass (you may need to rotate if using a glass). This is to prevent them catching alight on the BBQ or under the grill. I strongly recommend investing in some metal skewers though, you can pick some up for less than a fiver and we use ours all the time (plus they are more environmentally friendly too!)

Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to cook to allow to come back to room temperature. Now thread the chicken onto the skewers; you want to pack the chicken pieces on tightly if possible. 

Whether cooking on a BBQ or under a grill, make sure whichever one is very hot before you begin cooking and then cook for 4-5 minutes on one side without touching at all. 

Now turn onto the other side and cook for a further 4-5 minutes which should cook them all the way through. To check the meat is cooked through, remove one of the skewers and cut into the biggest sized piece of meat to ensure there is no blood or pink. If there is, then of course return to the BBQ or under to grill for a further few minutes, and check again. If they are cooked through, then remove from the heat, and allow to rest for a couple of minutes. 

At this point, brush each Italian Chicken Skewer over with the remaining marinade and serve. I serve with a Tricolore Salad and over just cooked pasta with a spoonful of the marinade stirred through just like a pesto.

Italian Chicken Skewers

If you love Italian flavours you may like these recipes:

Chicken Cacciatore
King Prawn Linguine with Chilli and Saffron
Vicky's Special Seafood Stew
Mediterranean Pork Belly Strips
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Three Cheese Topped Pork Lasagne
Tricolore Salad
Crab. Chilli and Asparagus Pappardelle
Walnut and Basil Pesto
Bruschetta Two Ways
Cod in a Mediterranean Tomato and Garlic Sauce
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Seafood Spaghetti with Saffron
Pork Fillet in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Turkey Meatball Bake
Mediterranean Soup
Reduced Calorie Bolognese
Chicken a La Milanese with Spaghetti

Chicken Cacciatore

Legend has it that the traditional version of this dish was made by the wives of Italian’s to greet them after a hard day’s hunting - cacciatore = ‘hunter’s style’.

In my house it is simply a wonderful and delicious dish to greet the entire family after a day of various activities.

The method and ingredients vary depending on different regions of Italy and mine veers towards Northern Italy with the use of white wine over red. I also invariably use smoked bacon when I don't have any pancetta in my fridge, and this works equally well. Recipes are invariably adaptable.

I use economic and flavourful chicken thighs and drumsticks here for a hearty dish, but you could just as easily use breast meat and rabbit is also often used in Italy.

You could serve with any rice, polenta or potato but I love this served on fresh tagliatelle - it's delicious, and the soft buttery ribbons soak up the sauce perfectly.

The below serves 3-4.

Chicken Cacciatore

Here’s how:

• 6-8 chicken pieces (I use thighs and drumsticks) 
• 1 large carrot 
• 3 cloves garlic 
• 5 spring onions 
• 2 rashers of smoked bacon, or 3 pancetta slices (you could also use cured ham such as Prosciutto) 
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes 
• 100g mushrooms 
• 1 large glass of white wine 
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary 
• Sea salt 
• Black pepper 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• Handful fresh parsley 

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees (if you need to speed up the cooking process then 180).

Now drizzle the olive oil into a pan and place on a medium heat.

Generously season the chicken pieces all over and place into the hot pan to sear. Ideally you want them to be a little brown, turn them over to sear all round.

In the meantime finely slice the spring onions and garlic and place into a casserole dish.

Peel and finely dice the carrot and add to the dish.

Slice the mushrooms and set aside for now.

Also roughly chop the parsley and also set aside.

Once seared, add the chicken to the casserole dish.

Cut the bacon or pancetta into small squares and add to the chicken fat to cook for 3 minutes, turning once. Now add to the casserole dish.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, white wine and rosemary to the dish and stir well.

Give a final seasoning of black pepper, place the lid on top or cover with a tight foil lid and place into the oven for 1 hour and forty five minutes. Cooking at a low temperature for this long, yields really juicy, tender chicken that falls off the bone with a simple prod of the fork. As I mentioned, if you’re struggling for time, you can speed things up and turn the oven onto 180 degrees and cook in 45-50 minutes, but a longer approach gives a better, richer and more intensely sweet flavour.

For the final 15 minutes of cooking time, remove the dish from the pan, add the sliced mushrooms and stir well then return to the oven without the lid.

Serve the chicken cacciatore on top of fresh tagliatelle and throw over the parsley as a final flourish.

Bruschetta Two Ways

On Monday I had a couple of friends, Stephanie and Jemma over for a meal and whipped up a couple of fail-safe bruschetta choices as part of our antipasti - or starter.

Bruschetta is a beautiful, beautiful thing and yet so often I've had bland versions and been disappointed. When the three of us, and our jet-setting friend Jade, were in Rome earlier in the year, we attended a pasta making class and I asked the chefs about the perfect bruschetta (theirs was insanely good). As ever in Italian cookery, the key is using the best possible ingredients - quality is mandatory. Also they told us to never, ever put tomatoes into the fridge as this takes away from the flavour - a rule I've stuck to since, and can genuinely taste the difference.

Here are two ways to top bruschetta Italian style - the second is a creation of my own made simply to use up the last of my homemade Walnut and Basil Pesto. The below makes about 6-8 slices for each topping and they are suitable for all the family.

Bruschetta - tomato and Pesto and Mascarpone

Tomato Bruschetta

• 1 ciabatta (or other crusty fresh bread) Couple of large tomatoes (room temperature)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Italian preferably
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Tsp sea salt
• Tsp black pepper
• Optional: few basil leaves

Firstly slice up the ciabatta and set aside. Peel a garlic clove and cut in half, now rub all over the bread slices using the 'wet' part of the garlic to impart some great flavour. Lay flat on a plate or a board and season with sea salt and black pepper, then turn over and do the same. Set aside for the minute.

Cut the tomatoes into small chunks, removing most of the seeds and place into a small bowl. Top with the olive oil and balsamic and stir. Leave to stand for a good half an hour.

Now lightly toast the slices of ciabatta under the grill on both sides. Remove from the grill and top with the tomatoes.

You can of course add a final flourish of basil to add another classic Italian taste, but these are great as they are.

Pesto & Mascarpone Bruschetta with Mozzarella

• 2 tbsp Walnut Pesto (homemade pesto is always better but jarred is fine if that's all you have)
• 1 tub mascarpone cheese
• Half a ball of mozzarella
• Grating of fresh nutmeg
• Black pepper

Repeat step one from the Tomato Bruschetta to get the slices ready for the topping.

Simply combine the pesto and mascarpone and mix really well with a wooden spoon until completely combined and a minty green hue. Add a generous pinch of black pepper and mix some more.

Spread over a generous spoonful onto each, and then grate over a little nutmeg onto each.

Tear the mozzarella and add a small piece to the top of each slice.

Tip: any leftover topping makes a fantastic alternative dip for blanched asparagus spears, sliced peppers or carrot batons.