Stuffed and Crusted Chicken Fillets, with Roast Veggies and Sweet Potato Cubes

Today I made Paleo Stuffed and Crusted Chicken with Chunky BBQ Sauce

I was recently asked by a good friend of mine to do a healthy all homemade dinner with no use of packages or jars or anything. I never like to use jars so I was thrilled to take on this challenge. I got fascinated with the ins and outs of the "Paleo Diet" recently and did a lot of research on what you are allowed and not allowed to eat. The Paleo Diet is also referred to as the "Caveman Diet" This diet is based mainly on the concept that you eat all fresh including lean cuts of Meat, Fruit, Vegetables Nuts, Pulses, Seeds and a select amount of oils with an emphasis on Nut Oils and Coconut Oils. This dish consists purely of lean Meats, tonnes of Veggies, Sweet Potatoes and a yummy homemade BBQ Sauce. 

Chicken is one of the leanest meats you can choose while still being super tasty and really moist. All around a perfect meat in my eyes. This chicken is stuffed with a mixture I made for stuffing chicken or using as a sausage substitute. It's made from very lean Pork mince, Wild Mushrooms and Herbs all blitzed together - a great way to up the protein levels of the dish. The crust is made from breadcrumbs - I make a Paleo Friendly bread using Almond Flour and Coconut oil but you can use Gluten Free Bread to make your breadcrumbs. I mix the Breadcrumbs with Cracked Black Pepper, Paprika, Basil, Sesame Seeds and Shredded Coconut. 

This dish is served with yummy Roast Vegetables, Sweet Potato Cubes and the best BBQ Sauce ever. The fact it's Paleo and super healthy is just a brilliant bonus. There is very little fat in this dish as there is only a tiny amount of Walnut oil used. The sauce came about by accident one day. I was just making a normal tomato sauce and then I realised I had the ingredients to make a BBQ Sauce so I thought I'd give it a go. Then when I had it made, along with tasting amazing and undoubtedly BBQ-y I realised it just happened to be Paleo. I leave this sauce a little chunky so it adds a great texture to the dish. The Sauce has a great sheen to it and a tangy, sweet and zingy flavour.

Ingredients:

For the Crusted Chicken:

• 3 Chicken Fillets
• 60g Sausage Meat - Homemade
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika
• 1 Slice of Gluten Free bread, breadcrumb-ed - Homemade Paleo Bread
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Nuts
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
• 2 Tablespoons Shredded Coconut

For the Roast Vegetables:

• 4 Large Carrots
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Yellow Pepper
• Large Handful of Mange Tout
• Large Handful of Baby Sweetcorn
• Half a lemon

For the Sweet Potato Cubes:

• 3 Large Sweet Potatoes
• Tablespoon of Walnut Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika

For the BBQ Sauce:

• 1 Large Onion
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 300g Cooked and Crushed Tomatoes 
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika 
• Juice of Half a Lemon
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses 
• 1 Tablespoon Raw Honey
• 2 Teaspoon Cider Vinegar 

Instructions: 

1. Butterfly the three chicken fillets. Place the homemade Sausage Meat into the pocket in the Chicken Fillet and close over the side again and press secure. 

2. In a bowl mix together the Breadcrumbs, Paprika, Sesame Seeds, Chopped Mixed Nuts, Shredded Coconut and Cracked Black Pepper. In another bowl whisk the egg. Dip each Chicken Fillet first in the egg and then into your crust mix. Make sure you cover the chicken fillets fully with crust and then place on a baking tray.

3. For the Roast Vegetables: Dice your carrots on the diagonal - to make them look pretty, try keep them all roughly the same size and place them in a baking tray. Dice up the Red and Yellow Pepper and add to the carrots, finally add in the Mange Tout and Baby Sweetcorn. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and season.

4. For the Sweet Potatoes Cubes: Cut up the Sweet Potatoes into cubes and place in a baking tray - I like to leave the skins on for the extra fiber (nothing to do with the fact I'm lazy). Drizzle with a small amount of Walnut Oil and then sprinkle with the Paprika. 

5. Place the Chicken fillets, Vegetables and Sweet Potatoes into the oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes. While they are in the oven you can make the sauce.

6. Fry the finely diced Onion and crushed Garlic in a frying pan until soft - you don't need any colour on them. Add in the Cooked and Crushed Tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add in the Paprika, Lemon Juice, Molasses, Honey and Cider Vinegar and simmer for a further 8-10 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken as it starts to reduce leaving a thick, glossy, tangy and sweet healthy BBQ sauce. 

7. When the Chicken Fillets are golden brown and the Vegetables and Sweet Potatoes have softened slightly you can take up your yummy healthy meal and slather with your yummy BBQ Sauce.

"Following the Paleo Diet has become much easier with the news the earliest known Winery was in a Cave "

Parma Wrapped, Stuffed Chicken Fillets with a Mushroom Sauce, Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potato Wedges

Today I made Parma Wrapped, Stuffed Chicken Fillets with a Mushroom Sauce, Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potato Wedges

I really think everybody should have a recipe up their sleeve that they can use if they ever have to make dinner for somebody and really want to impress but are no Jamie Oliver. The star player of this dish is definitely the Mushroom and White Wine Sauce. You could literally drink this sauce by itself, it's creamy and rich and the White Wine cooks off so you're left with this intense flavour. Then the wild Mushrooms sweep in and lifts the sauce to a whole other level. The chicken fillets are stuffed with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Black Pudding and Goats Cheese. These three ingredients go amazingly well together. You have the creaminess of the Goats Cheese, the intense tomato flavour from the Sun-dried Tomatoes and the rich meaty flavour of the Black Pudding

This dish is served with Sweet Potato Wedges and Grilled Asparagus. Seeing as the sauce is quite rich, you want to keep your accompaniments as light and simple as possible. You can find the recipe for the Sweet Potato Wedges here. The Asparagus is kept pretty simple as the original taste of Asparagus is so good you don't need to play around with it too much. This dish is like a funky cousin to the Chicken Pascal. In the way that the chicken fillet is stuffed and wrapped. I find when chicken is breaded so heavily it's very filling, using only the Parma Ham in this recipe means you're staying away from all those extra carbs and the Parma Ham crisps up lovely .

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

For the Chicken:

• 4 Chicken Fillets
• 10 Sun-dried Tomatoes
• 50g  Black Pudding
• 70g Goats Cheese
• 8 slices Parma Ham - wafer thin
• Olive Oil

For the Sauce:

• 100-150g Wild Mushrooms
• 50-70mls White Wine
• 100g Cream Cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

For the Asparagus:

•  Large Bunch Asparagus
• Drizzle of Olive Oil 
• Juice of half a Lemon
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. Butterfly the chicken fillets by slicing down one side of the chicken fillets 3/4 of the way through so it creates a little pocket in the chicken fillet. Set out all chicken fillets.

2. Cut up the Goats Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Black Pudding. Divide out the filling into the four chicken fillets. I normally start with the Black Pudding and then followed by the Goats and then the Sun-dried Tomatoes.

3. Close up the pocket, securing all the filling inside, take two slices of Parma Ham and lay them out so they're overlapping slightly. Then wrap the Parma Ham around the chicken fillets. If you are worried that the cheese might escape you can place a toothpick through the side that is open. I normally place a few crushed Garlic Cloves and Sun-dried Tomatoes around the Chicken Fillets and drizzle with Olive Oil but this is optional.

 

 

4. Place the stuffed Chicken Fillets into the oven at 190°C for 20-25 minutes. While the Chicke Fillets are cooking you can make the Mushroom Sauce. Saúte the mushrooms in a drizzle of Olive Oil, Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt. 

 

 

5. Add in the Cream Cheese and mix it around with the Mushrooms, the Cream Cheese will start to melt. It's at this point you can add in the White Wine. This will thin out the sauce which will have been quite thick due the the Cheese.

 

6.The flavours of the sauce will start to develop as the Alcohol in the White Wine cooks off. At this point you can taste the sauce to see if it needs any more seasoning. If it seems a little thick you can thin in out slightly with a dash of cream or milk.

 

 

7. To prepare the Asparagus you must hold one with your two hand and snap it, below where it breaks naturally is quite woody and you want to get rid of this part. Line the one you prepared with the other stalks and cut all of them at the same point - to save time. I normally dress the Asparagus in a bowl or pan - drizzle the Olive Oil, a squeeze the Lemon Juice and season with Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste.

 

 

 

8. I normally cook my Asparagus for this dish on a George Foreman as it doesn't remove any of the nutrients and it leave a lovely mark on the stalks.  Move the Asparagus to the Grill and cook for 5-8 minutes. You want the stalks to have softened but not gone limp.

 

 

9. Take the Chicken out of the oven, the Parma Ham should be after crisping up and the Chicken should be cooked through. Continue to cook if the Parma Ham hasn't crisped up yet.

 

 

10. Take up the chicken fillet straight away. Finish the Asparagus with with a final squeeze of Lemon Juice and pile up beside your Sweet Potato Wedges. Top with lashings of your Mushroom Sauce and enjoy. 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

"Wine improves with age... The older you get the more you like it."

Spicy Sweetcorn and Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Wedges

Today I made Spicy Sweetcorn and Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Wedges

Nothing beats a good burger. Now  I'm not taking about the fast food joint burgers where the meat is wafer thin and the source is questionable. I'm talking proper homemade, meaty, sky scraper burgers the kind you struggle to get your mouth around. Once you've made your own burgers you'll never choose shop bought ever again. Not only do they taste miles better in flavour and texture but you actually know what goes in to them. You can play around with the ingredients and can make them as healthy or naughty as you like. This option uses lean Turkey mince which contains half the fat and calories of normal beef mince. Also Sweet Potato contains less Carbohydrates than regular potatoes and play a major part in the Paleo Diet.    


                                                                                                                                         

                                                                          Some people have the perception that Turkey meat can be quite bland and dry but these burgers are juicy and packed with flavour. I infuse the meat with a variety of different herbs and spices which really brings the flavour of the meat to a whole new level..The sweetcorn really adds little bursts of flavour and moisture to the burgers. The flour sprinkled on the surface of each patty results in the burger being crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The Chutney I use for the Burger is by "Tastefully Yours", a handmade preserves company based in Waterford and stocked in Ardkeen Quality Food Store. I honestly can't go past this Irish company for any of my preserve needs. 

The herbs and spices I use are Fresh Rosemary, Dried Basil, Paprika, OHCo Cajun Spice, Salt and Cracked Black Pepper. This mix of spices creates an almost addictive taste and really lifts the burgers. Rosemary works really well in this recipe as it gives a great taste and the bits that are on the outside get really crispy during the frying. The OHCo Cajun Spice really delivers a sweet and spicy punch. I use these same herbs and spices on the Sweet Potato Wedges along with lemon juice and crushed garlic. You can feel free to add any herbs or spices to the wedges as you like, sometimes I like to add some chili flakes for an extra kick of heat. The Wedges are a great accompaniment to the Turkey Burger along with a fresh Rocket Salad.





I chose not to use the conventional Seeded Burger Bun for this recipe. Instead I use a "Blaa" The Blaa is a soft bread roll dusted with flour, they can be soft and chewy or crispy and are exclusive to The Déise. The Blaa was introduced to Waterford by the French Hugeunots who settled in Waterford in 1693.

They brought the plain "Blanc" which was then adopted by the Waterfordians and after what only I can imagine as many poor attempts at French pronunciation we renamed this Holy Grail "The Blaa" And to this day it plays a huge part of all of our daily lives. Mostly eaten with butter or filled with bacon or ham but I decided to take this local staple one step further and discovered it really acts as a perfect burger bun.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

Sweet Potato Wedges

• 4 Large Sweet Potatoes - Skins on
• Half Lemon
• 2 Teaspoons Chopped Rosemary
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 2 Teaspoon OHCo Cajun Spice
• 2 Teaspoon Basil
• 3 Crushed Garlic Cloves

Turkey Burgers

• 500g Lean Turkey Mince 
• 1 Egg
• Pinch of Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon OHCo Cajun Spice
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Rosemary
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Flour
• 100g Sweetcorn

Garnish

• 4 Teaspoon "Tastefully Yours" Chutney
• Cheese infused with Cranberry 
• 1 Bag Rocket Duo Salad
• 4 Large Blaa's
• 4 Teaspoons Mayonnaise 

Instructions:

Sweet Potato Wedges

1. Slice Sweet Potatoes length-ways into wedges, try to ensure you keep the wedges the same size so they cook at the same time. Place wedges onto a large baking tray.

2. Drizzle on the Olive Oil and sprinkle with the Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper. Shake the tray to coat evenly. Add in the roughly chopped  Rosemary, Cajun Spice, Basil and crushed Garlic Cloves. With your hands move around the wedges so they get coated in all the seasoning - The oil will allow the herbs and spices to stick to the wedges.

3. Cut three or four slices off the half lemon and places these onto the tray with the wedges. Squeeze half the juice out of the lemon and shake one last time. Make sure the wedges are dispersed evenly on the tray. Place in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes at 180°C.

4. While the wedges are cooking you can make and cook the burgers. When the wedges are cooked, using a thongs to squeeze the garlic and lemon to get the last bit of flavour out of them.

5.  Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and shake the tray so the wedges are tossed in remaining infused oil.

Spicy Sweetcorn and Turkey Burgers

1. Put the Turkey Mince into a large bowl and break up with a wooden spoon. Firstly season with Salt and Pepper.

2. Roughly chop up the Fresh Rosemary and add to the mince, then add in the Cajun Spice, Basil and mix again. When all the spices are incorporated add in the Sweetcorn, it's at this point I like to switch to my hands to work in the Sweetcorn, I do this by squeezing the mixture.

3. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk slightly. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in half the egg. Work the egg into the mixture with your hands - the egg helps all the ingredients to bind together. You may or may not need the remainder of the egg.

4. Sprinkle in some of the flour as you don't want the mixture to be too wet. If you fry the burgers and they are too wet the mixture will fall apart and you will lose the all important patty shape. 

5. I like to chill the mixture in the fridge for a few minutes before I shape the burgers. Take up a quarter of the mixture into your hands and roll it around into a ball. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and place the ball onto the floured surface. Press down slightly to flatten the top and bottom of the patty. Form the other three patties in the same way. 

6. Fry the burgers in a little Olive Oil till golden brown on either side and crispy to touch, flipping them over every few minutes. While they are frying you can get everything else ready.

7. Cut the Blaa's in half, spread a teaspoon of Mayo on the bottom of each Blaa then put a small handful of Rocket Salad on each bottom bun - The Mayo helps the Rocket from falling out of the burger when you're eating it. Make up a small salad beside the bottom bun - I like to use some of the Rocket with quartered Cherry Tomatoes and a sprinkle of sweetcorn. But you can use any kind of salad you like. Spread some of the Tastefully Yours Chutney on the top bun.

8. When the burgers are cooked take them up and place a patty on each of the bottom buns. Break up some of the Cheese with Cranberry and put on top of the burger - The heat from the burger will start to melt the cheese - I like to use cheese infused with Cranberry as everybody knows how well Turkey and Cranberry goes together. 

9.Place the top of the Blaa's on each burger. Take up the Sweet Potato Wedges and place along side the burger and then run to the dinner table...

"Do you want Sweet Potatoes Wedges with That?"