Palaver Chicken Recipes

PALAVER

Steps:

• Rinse the spinach thoroughly; stem and tear into 3-inch pieces.
• Set aside.
• In a non-aluminum saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium heat.
• Cut the onion in half, then quarter.
• Separate layers, and add to oil.
• Crush cloves and sprinkle over onion, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften.
• Add ginger and stir.
• Add tomato sauce, 1 cup water, and cardamom.
• Cook at a bubbly simmer for 4 minutes to merge flavors.
• Add cayene, stir, then add spinach, a handful at a time, stirring after each addition.
• Cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes, or until spinach is tender.
• Add salt to taste and serve warm.

CHICKEN PALAVA

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine garlic and chicken. Add salt and pepper.
• Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the chicken over low heat, turning the pieces over. Set aside.
• In a saucepan, heat the oil. Sauté the onions and tomatoes over medium / high heat for 5 minutes, until they soften.
• Reduce heat and add peanut butter and half of the chicken stock. Stir well.
• Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the peanut butter from burning, then pour the remaining broth, thyme, ginger, spinach, Jew's mallow, ground peanuts and chili pepper. Add salt and pepper.
• Add the chicken to the mixture and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. If necessary, increase the heat toward the end to reduce the liquid.
• Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds before serving.

PALAVER CHICKEN

Steps:

• cut chicken into thin slices, place in a bowl and stir in garlic and a little salt and pepper.
• melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the chicken over medium heat, turning once or twice to brown evenly.
• transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
• heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion and tomatoes over high heat for 5 minutes, till soft.
• reduce the heat, add the peanut butter and half of the stock and blend together well.
• cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent the peanut butter burning, then add the remaining stock, thyme, spinach, chili and seasonings.
• stir in the chicken slices and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes till chicken is cooked through.
• pour the chicken mixture into a warmed serving dish and serve with boiled yams and/or rice.

FANTASTIC ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven and an appropriately sized roasting tray to 425 degrees F. Wash your chicken inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using your fingers, part the breast skin from the breast meat. It's important to try to push your hand gently down the breast, being careful not to rip the skin. With a peeler, remove and chop the fragrant yellow skin of the lemon, keeping the peeled lemon to one side. Chop prosciutto and add to the bowl with the lemon skin, garlic and thyme. Season, with salt and pepper and then mix it all into the butter. Push this into the space you have made between the meat and the skin -- rub and massage any that's left over in and around the bird. It's all tasty stuff. I could tell you to tie the chicken up but I've decided it's a palaver and not worth it in this case. Slash the thigh meat to allow the heat to penetrate a little more, which makes it taste better. Cut the peeled lemon in half and push it into the cavity. Then put chicken in the hot roasting tray and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• While the chicken is cooking, parboil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes and drain. Cut the celeriac into irregular chunks around the same size as the potatoes. Remove the chicken from the oven, by which time the tasty butter will have melted, flavored and cooked out of the chicken into the bottom of the tray, awaiting your potatoes and celeriac. Normally I put a fork into the cavity of the chicken and lift it off of the tray for 20 seconds while I toss and coat the vegetables in the butter. Put the chicken back on top of the vegetables and cook for around 40 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Once the meat and vegetables have been removed, a little light gravy can be made in the tray with a splash of wine and stock, a little simmering and scraping.