Spicy Chicken

Do you like spicy food are you the type that goes to Nando's and asks for lemon and herb (in order words you are as chicken as what you are about to eat)?

If you are adventurous and like to try out different things, here is something tropical for you...



Spicy Chicken

This is kind of similar to Jamaican Jerk chicken. You have to marinate the chicken so it's best to start early with this. Marinating allows the chicken to fully absorb the flavour of the spices.
The best thing to do with any recipe (or anything in fact) is to transform it into yours otherwise we'd all end up being the same everywhere so feel free to add and subtract to create your own.


Ingredients:

• 8 small shallots
  
• 5 lemon grass stems
  
• 50g ginger
• 50g garlic
• 100g chopped coriander
• 4 mixed chilli (be careful here)
• 350g chicken niblets (or thighs)
  
• 1 large red pepper
• 1oog chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon sunflower oil (optional)
  
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 4 Maggi cubes (OXO is the equivalent)

Method:

• Peel and cut the shallots, garlic and ginger. Halve the tomatoes,pepper and chilli (remove the seeds).
  
• Blend it all together with the lemon juice and honey to make a sauce.
  
• Chop the lemon grass into 3cm lengths. Do not dice or chop any smaller than this or else the lemon grass will dissipate in the sauce.
• Add the lemon grass to the sauce.
  
• Leave the chicken in the sauce for a couple of hours- overnight. The more you leave it, the tastier it becomes.
  
• Pre-heat an oven at 200C for 10 minutes.
  
• Add the sunflower oil to an oven tray. Sunflower oil is optional because the chicken will release its own fat. Pour in the sauce and chicken. Add the chopped coriander and maggi and cover with a foil paper.
  
• Leave to cook in the oven (convectional fan setting) for 35 minutes.
• Remove the foil paper and cook for another 15 minutes (grill) to allow the chicken to brown.
• Serve with whatever you like and garnish with coriander/mint. I used something called pounded yam, a complicated African way of making yam. You can use mashed potatoes or rice instead.