Southern fried chicken, rice and greens is one of our all time family favourite, go big or go home meals, it’s real comfort food for all the year round.  Inspired by our time spent in Georgia (USA); where we literally scoffed our way through an entire honeymoon. It was before kids, we were skinny back then and ate food before it got cold!  Although, this dish works just as well cold and served up for a packed lunch or picnic.

Southern Fried Chicken:

PREP TIME:
10-15 mins

COOK TIME:
5-10 mins

Ingredients:

*(To serve 4)

• Washed and filleted chicken (V: also works well with Quorn fillets)
• Tea spoon of salt
• Cup of flour
• Half a tea spoon of pepper
• Sunflower oil

Instructions:

• Fill a standard sized saucepan 1/3 the way with sunflower oil and put on the stove to heat
• While the oil is heating up place all your dry mix into a bowl and stir
• Fill a second bowl 1/4 the way with water
• Dip each fillet into the water bowl before placing and turning it through your flour mix, then place on to a plate
• once your oil has started to spit, reduce the heat and add in the chicken
• Fry the chicken until golden brown
• Try not to fry more than two fillets at a time and make sure to put the cooked chicken on a separate plate (covered with kitchen towel) to rest-do NOT reuse the plate you had it sat on whilst raw!

Mushroom Risotto:

PREP TIME:
20 mins

COOK TIME:
45 mins- 1 hour

*Ingredients:

• 3 x cups Risotto rice
• 1 x clove of garlic
• 1 onion
• Half a punnet of mushrooms
• Small pot of cream
• olive oil
• 150g butter
• chicken/veg stock cube
• glass of white wine

Instructions:

• Prep your veg by slicing and dicing everything
• Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan or deep frying pan over a medium flame. Add the onions and garlic, then fry for about 5 mins until soft. Stir in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for another 5 mins or the mushrooms have softened
• Tip the rice into the pan and cook for 1 min. Making sure to to stir and fold into the contents of the pan
• Bring the heat up and pour over half a cup of white wine (to deglaze the pan), let it bubble so the alcohol evaporates.
• Reduce to a medium heat
• melt the stock cube in a cup of hot water and add to the pan, increasing the heat and bringing the stock up to boil again stirring and folding the contents
• Pour in 4 glasses of water
• Reducing the heat slightly, let it simmer as you stir, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
• Add the same amount of water again and continue to simmer and stir
• Once the rice starts to become fluffy mix in the butter until it melts
• Fold in the cream
• Again let simmer as you stir and allow the cream to slowly absorb into the rich
• Turn off the heat, cover and leave for five minutes before serving.

Greens:

PREP TIME:
5 mins

COOK TIME:
3-5 mins

For taste, speed/convenience and high nutrition (really great for upping your iron and folic if you are pregnant), we choose to make spinach and brocolli as our green veg accompaniment to this rich dish.

*Ingredients:

• 1 head of broccoli
• Half a bag of pre-washed spinach
• olive oil
• lemon
• salt to season

Instructions:

• Wash and cut up your broccoli into nice manageable chunks
• Add one cup of water to a pan and bring to the boil
• Chuck in your broccoli, place the lid back on to the pan and bring the heat right down; you basically want to steam the broccoli and leave it with some bite
• after 3 minutes, add your spinach, turn the heat off completely and place the lid back on the pan, leave the spinach to wilt over the top of the broccoli (with the lid on) for 1 minute
• While still hot dress with half a lemon and a good guzzle of extra virgin, cold-press olive oil (making sure to toss the greens and gently mix and coat everything in your dressing).
• Season to taste with salt

Enjoy!