sweet chilli chicken

last weekend we invited friends round to help us turn our new house into a home. it‘s amazing but the simple act of welcoming our friends and spending time catching up over a plate of food and a glass of wine really has made the place feel different. it's now very definitely our home.

it was also a great opportunity to get myself out of the cooking rut i have been in, and back into my recipe books and kitchen.

like many foodies, i am constantly printing off recipes i want to try, or tearing them out of newspapers and magazines. these are stored in an ever-growing collection of files. there is also a large notebook which was the first place i started putting my recipes (while i was still at university) and it was from this that i chose what to cook.

this sweet chilli chicken is a recipe from an old sainsbury's magazine and is one i have made many times, either as skewers for the bbq, as suggested in the recipe below, or using chicken thighs for oven cooking. either way, the sweet chilli marinade is excellent.

sweet chilli chicken (serves 4)

4 skinless chicken breasts

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon grated ginger

4 teaspoons runny honey

2 teaspoons soy sauce

4 teaspoons lime juice

to garnish: sliced spring onion, chopped fresh mint and coriander

cut the chicken breast into strips/chunks. combine the marinade mixtures and pour all except 4 tablespoons over the chicken. mix and marinade in the fridge for 30 mins.

skewer up the chicken and grill for 8-10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes (alternatively, you can cook it in the oven on 200c for c15 mins). drizzle over reserved marinade mix, garnish with sliced spring onion and herbs and serve.

variation (as pictured above): i used twice the number of chicken thighs as breasts and did not reserve any marinade for drizzling. chicken thighs can be left to marinate in this mixture for 2-3 days.