There is something fresh and lively about the tastes of the med. The flavours of herbs and citrus seem to call up the idea of the ocean breeze, and a warm sun. Bright blue waters and white sands come to mind, when I cook with Mediterranean flavours.
I am originally from a Mediterranean country so these flavours are close to home. Bright salads, grilled fish or chicken, spices and herbs combined in just the right way so that you end up with a light happy dish instead of a warm, heavy one.
The Sleekgeek competition inspired my recipe. The ingredients and method of cooking was very precise and I am so not used to it but I had fun doing it. Although I didn’t win the competition, I did win a delicious dish to add to my collection.
There are small changes I would make from the original recipe and I will note them in the instructions. I will leave them in their original form too. That way those who would like something tasty and low-cal, can go ahead and have just that.
The recipe
Mediterranean chicken bites with quick pickled salad and yellow rice
Ingredients
For the yellow rice:
- ½ cup brown rice
- Water according to packet instructions
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tbs shaved almonds
- ½ medium onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste.
For the chicken bites:
- 290 g chicken
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For the quick pickled salad:
- 4 courgettes
- 2 colourful peppers
- Juice of half a lemon
- ½ tsp thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the yellow rice:
- Get the rice cooking first.
- Rinse your rice until the water runs clear.
- Place into your rice cooker or pot
- Add water, turmeric, salt and pepper
- Cook the rice according to the rice cooker or packet instructions.
For the chicken bites:
- While the rice is cooking, chop your chicken into bite size chunks and put into a bowl
- Peel your garlic, place it on a chopping board and using the flat of a knife and the palm of your hand crush the clove.
- Chop up the crushed clove.
- Sprinkle the tsp of salt onto the chopped garlic and using the very edge of your knife scrape the garlic toward you in a downward motion, using the salt as an abrasive to crush it.
- Alternatively, use a garlic crusher or grater.
- Add the garlic to the chicken.
- Clean your knife and board
- Squeeze the juice of half your lemon into the bowl.
- Add the herbs, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Set aside to allow the chicken to marinade.
- Side note: Do not be alarmed by the chicken going white. The acidity of the lemon will slightly cook the chicken.
For the quick pickled salad:
- Using the vegetable peeler, slice the courgettes into strips.
- Slice your peppers as finely as you can.
- Put all the vegetables in a bowl and add the other half of the lemon juice, herb and seasoning.
- Taste it for seasoning.
- Side note: The courgettes will taste bitter at this stage but the pickling process will eliminate this.
- Set aside to pickle.
For the chicken bites:
- Slice up your onion and garlic.
- Heat up your non-stick pan on a high heat(I used the same pan for all the cooking done)
- Throw in the shaved almonds and toss them regularly until they brown
- Put the almonds aside.
- Throw the onions into the pan and dry fry them for about 30 seconds (you can use olive oil at this point for extra flavour)
- Add the garlic and then half a cup of water.
- Hint: adding water to the onion and garlic prevents them from burning and allows you to get the same caramelised effect as using oil, just takes a bit longer, first boiling them until translucent and then the dry heat coaxing out the natural sugars.
- If the onions stick to the pan, deglaze with a little bit more water.
- Once browned. Add the almonds back into the pan for 10 seconds and then put the mixture into a big bowl.
- Once the rice is cooked, add it to the onions and almonds.
- Take the chicken pieces out of the bowl and put them in the hot pan making sure they are spread out.
- When they brown on the bottom flip them over and let them brown there to.
- Remove from the heat.
- Optional changes:
- You can put the chicken onto skewers and braai them or cook them on a griddle pan
- Make a dipping sauce with yogurt and herbs or serve with tzaziki
- If you don’t eat nuts you can leave them out.
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