Man Meal Of The Week: Rosemary Lime Chicken

Chicken is one of my favourite foods to cook, it is so versatile and when cooked properly, nothing can beat it. Most people I know aren’t fans of chicken breasts, as they have they have the tendency to be a bit dry. BUT, if you follow this easy recipe say goodbye to tough, dry chicken. The trick is to cook it until it is opaque.

Lime and rosemary sound like a weird combination but I only used the zest, it adds a beautiful zing to the meal.

INGREDIENTS

2 large free-range chicken breasts
1 fresh sprig of rosemary
Garlic & herb spice from Woolworths
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp chilli flakes
Zest of 1 lime
5-6 baby potatoes, parboiled
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 packet long stem broccoli
1 punnet of baby carrots
Course Sea salt
Black pepper
Olive oil

METHOD
Serves 2
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Boil the kettle and preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place a medium-sized pot on high-heat and add the boiling water, a large pinch of salt and the potatoes. Boil for 20 minutes.

Run the rosemary under hot water to release the flavour. Then, in a bowl combine the rosemary, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tsp of course salt, some black pepper, the chilli flakes, lime zest, the crushed garlic, and a large grind of garlic and herb salt.

On a plastic chopping board, score the chicken breasts (be careful not to go right through). Then, place the chicken beasts in the bowl and massage in all the flavours, making sure the seasoning gets in-between the scores. Cover, place in the fridge for 15 minutes. 

The potatoes should be boiled, drain them and then place them on an oven tray. Using a potato masher, gently smash the potatoes. Season with a generous lug of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. 

Place a griddle pan and  the same pot you used to boil the potatoes on high-heat. Add boiling water to the pot a long with long stem broccoli.

Once the griddle pan is piping hot, pour some of the olive oil from the marinating dish.  Place the chicken scored side up and cook for 7-10 minutes, I usually take a lid of a large pot and push down on the chicken so all of the meat cooks evenly.

While the chicken is cooking, take the potatoes out the oven and add 1 clove of crushed garlic and another lug of olive oil, place in the oven for another 5 minutes, or until crispy. And add the carrots to the broccoli.

Turn the chicken over and cook for another 5 minutes or until it is cooked through, check the inside of the thickest part of the scored meat. Drain the broccoli and carrots and you’re ready to eat.

Check out more awesome recipes on Young & Hungry.