So once again it has been ages since my last recipe post, but somehow time has gone by much quicker than I would like to acknowledge. I started mid-year exams this week and after the weekend there will only be two weeks left between me and a two month much deserved Winter holiday!
My Dukan diet has been going very well. I find it so easy to follow and generally very satisfying. Of course there have been a few cheats and naughty treats, but I've lost 6.7 kg (about 15 pounds) in the first 5 weeks and some of my clothes that I haven't been able to squeeze into since the beginning of last year fit comfortably now so I am still very positive and motivated, even if I still have a looong way to go. Chris has lost almost 10 kg (22 pounds) in the same time. I must admit that I'm a little jealous of this, but I suppose it is natural since he is a man and he has been saying no to a lot more treats than I have :P
In other (very exciting) news I won an essay writing competition that was run by the French Institute of South Africa. I had to write an essay (in French) about the challenges for Human Rights in the twenty-first century and my prize: a 10 day trip in Paris, France from 6-16 July! I don't have much information about the trip yet, but from what I can gather by browsing blogs and photos from previous winners I will be experiencing Paris with young people from more than 80 different countries and everything is paid - flights, accommodation, visa, food, transport in Paris and admission for sightseeing. I've been doing French classes for more than 7 years and of course travelling to Paris is an absolute dream come true for me, even more so with everything being paid for!
But enough of my lifestory, now for the food:
The boyfriend and I made some buttermilk marinated fried chicken and creamed spinach for dinner. I suppose it's not all 100% in the Dukan diet regulations, but it's Friday and after a long, dedicated week of dieting and studying we definitely deserve a treat :) The buttermilk marinade makes the meat extremely tender and juicy, but in all honesty it is probably optional if you don't want to waste a lot of buttermilk or if you stumbled upon this recipe and need your dinner to be ready pronto! Feeling a bit guilty after such a hearty meal, but it was definitely worth it!
Buttermilk marinated, fried chicken and creamed spinach
Ingredients (this makes enough for two people, but could easily be halved)
2 chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded until flat
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
a pinch of mustard powder
2 teaspoons mustard
salt
pepper
250 ml vegetable oil
1 cup + 3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
250 g baby spinach
1 onion
1 garlic clove
Instructions
1. Marinade the pounded chicken breasts in the following mixture: 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons mustard, a pinch of mustard powder, a sprinkle of pepper and a teaspoon salt. It should preferably be marinated overnight, but we only marinated it since this morning.
2. Take the chicken out of the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Dip it in half a cup of milk and let the excess milk drip off as well.
3. In a large flat dish, make a flour coating mixture with 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. This might seem like a lot of cayenne pepper, but it isn't spicy at all. After dipping the chicken pieces in the milk, drench it in the flour mixture until well coated.
4. Dip the flour coated chicken pieces in the beaten egg and again in the flour mixture until it is entirely coated. Leave it in the flour mixture until it is frying time.
5. For the creamed spinach, finely chop one small onion and a large garlic clove.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon butter on medium heat until melted.
7. Fry the chopped onion in the butter until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 2 or 3 more minutes.
8. Wilt the spinach by putting it in a colander and then pouring a kettle of boiled water over it.
9. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the fried onion and garlic, mix and cook 2-3 minutes to avoid a raw flour taste. Stir continuously.
10. Add the remaining cup of milk bit by bit, stirring it until the flour and butter dissolves. The mixture will thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. When slightly cooled, roughly chop the wilted spinach and add to the creamy milk mixture. Veggies done!
12. Heat 1 cup of oil in a small pan to medium high heat. The chicken will be shallow fried so take care not to use too much oil.
13. Once the pan is heated, fry the chicken pieces 4-5 minutes on each side. It should be golden brown. Take care not to overload the pan.
14. Place the chicken pieces on a paper towel and season with salt if needed.
15. Serve and enjoy!
This chicken will go really well with a sweet chilli or hot sauce. I had neither of these so I made a mixture of some mayonnaise and Tobasco, but in all honesty the chicken is so good it doesn't really need a sauce!
Time to hit the books again! :)
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