Neven Maguire: crowd-pleasing family favourites

These two recipes today are ones that bring back great memories for me. The sweet and sour chicken is from my mother, Vera, and I loved it as a child. The tradition is continuing as our twins love it. It is probably Lucia’s favourite meal.

This is a great sauce. It is not too sweet or too sour. The apple cider or balsamic vinegar gives it a nice balance. I use this sauce with monkfish, prawns, shredded roast chicken or just vegetables. It will keep for a week in the fridge.

Over the years we have often made this Cajun chicken melt recipe for the staff in the restaurant before a busy service. It is a simple baked chicken sandwich with a nice spin. It is delicious served with a baked potato.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Cajun chicken melts

Serves 4

4 chicken fillets (preferably corn-fed)

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 heaped tsp Cajun spice

4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

3 tbsp mayonnaise

4 small ciabatta rolls

150g extra-mature cheddar cheese, grated

2 tsp ready-made pesto

200g mixed green salad leaves

For the balsamic dressing

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).

2 Put the chicken in a baking dish and rub with the oil, then scatter over the Cajun spice and season with salt and pepper.

3 Pour about four tablespoons of water into the dish around the chicken to ensure it stays lovely and moist. Roast for 18 to 20 minutes, until just cooked through and tender. Leave to cool, then cut into slices.

4 Mix half of the sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl with the mayonnaise and season to taste. Slice the ciabatta rolls in half and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5 Spread over the chilli mayonnaise and arrange the chicken slices on top in an overlapping layer. Cover with the cheddar cheese and drizzle the rest of the chilli sauce on top in zigzag lines, then finish with the pesto in a similar fashion. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and lightly golden.

6 Meanwhile, to make the balsamic dressing, put the oil, vinegar, honey and mustard in a tall container with two tablespoons of water and blend until smooth, then season to taste. Put the salad into a bowl and use enough of the dressing to lightly coat the leaves.

7 To serve, cut each Cajun chicken melt in half again on the diagonal and arrange on plates with some of the dressed salad.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Serves 4

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

3 chicken fillets, cut into chunks

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 red peppers, cut into chunks

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

4 tbsp light muscovado sugar

2 tbsp soy and ginger sauce

2 tbsp apple cider or balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

1 small ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes

100g sugar snap peas, sliced

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

For the rice

200g basmati rice

A small knob of butter

1 Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat and cook the chicken cubes for three to four minutes, until just starting to colour. Stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds, then tip in the onion and peppers and sauté for another minute or two.

2 Add the tomatoes along with the sugar, soy and ginger sauce, vinegar and sweet chilli sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and simmer for five minutes.

3 Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a sieve and put in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in 400ml of water, add a good pinch of salt and the butter and bring to the boil.

4 Whisk the rice in the pan to make sure it’s well distributed. Put the lid on, turn the heat down as low as possible and simmer gently for eight minutes, then whisk briefly again, remove the pan from the heat and cover with the lid, leaving it to steam until needed.

5 Stir the cornflour mixture into the sweet and sour chicken, then add the pineapple, sugar snap peas and spring onions. Cover again and simmer for five minutes, until nicely thickened. Season to taste. The sweet and sour chicken and the cooked rice can be covered and kept in the fridge or frozen.

6 To serve, spoon the basmati rice into bowls with the sweet and sour chicken and scatter over the sesame seeds.

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