Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Cajun Spiced Chicken with Vegetables

Chicken is a great favourite with me because it's easy to cook and can shine on it's own without too much dressing up. I'm a great fan of the short cut and if there are products that can make life in the kitchen easier and with splendid results, I'm happy.

This Cajun spiced chicken is something I make very often. It's easy, it's delicious, and it's quite healthy too.

1 chicken
olive oil
Cajun spice powder
salt
pepper
2 large onions, sliced
chopped garlic
1 large potato, cut into large batons
2 carrots, cut into large batons


Take a large non stick pan and heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the potatoes and carrots and fry for a bit keeping the heat low. Once the edges begin to brown throw in the sliced onion and the chopped garlic. Stir nicely and cook covered for 5 minutes.



Start adding the chicken pieces. Put in the leg pieces first. Season well with the Cajun spice. Be generous! Cook covered for about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the breast pieces and mix well. Add more seasoning only if required. Let it all cook covered for another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the flame and make sure you don't burn the onions. Stir once in a way.

Cooking the legs and breasts separately ensures that you don't end up with chewy chunks of chicken. The breast pieces cook much faster and tend to become tough and inedible. So just cook them one after the other.



The chicken will release water and help the whole thing cook so you won't need to add any water. Add just a little if you think it's required. Add salt very conservatively as most spice mixes contain salt. Add pepper to heat up things a little!

Once the chicken and the potatoes are cooked through, boost up the heat and dry off any gravy. Let the chicken brown nicely. The onions will combine with the spice powder and become wonderfully flavourful.   Serve hot with bread or simply enjoy it as it is with a crisp salad.



You can add many other vegetables to this easy dish. Green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, capsicums, zuchini, whatever works for you.

You can buy Cajun spice mix at most supermarkets these days. Hyperciti, Spar, and even Godrej Nature's Basket carries this and many other interesting spice mixes.




Try this same simple preparation with any mix. It works really well!

No comments: