Triple-Tested Recipes (Part 7) - Maple Chicken Traybake

Maple Chicken Traybake

Classic American flavours make a tasty glaze for this throw-together chicken dish,

Hands-on time 10 min. cooking time about 40 min. Serves 4

·         8 chicken drumsticks

·         3tbsp maple syrup

·         200g (7oz) smoked bacon lardons

·         50g (2oz) pecan nuts, roughly chopped

·         Large handful rocket

1. Preheat oven to 220⁰C (200⁰C fan) mark 7. Slash skin of drumsticks and put them in a roasting tin that will just hold them in a single layer. Drizzle over the maple syrup.
2. Roast in the oven for 15-20 min until drumsticks are beginning to colour, then stir in the lardons and pecans and cook for a further 20 min until lardons are crisp and chicken is cooked and golden. Toss through rocket and serve with crusty bread or rice.

Per serving 467 cals, 34g fat (8g saturates), 11g carbs (10g total sugars)

Chicken salad

Easy and elegant, this salad would also make a tasty starter for six.

Hands-on time 20 min. cooking time about 10 min. Serves 4

·         40g (1¹/₂oz) pinenuts

·         500g (1lb 2oz) asparagus, woody ends trimmed

·         2 x 70g bags rocket

·         4 skinless ready-cooked chicken breasts, ripped into bite-sized pieces

·         100g (3¹/₂oz) goat’s cheese, crumbled

For the dressing

·         2tbsp runny honey

·         1tbsp wholegrain mustard

·         1tbsp white wine vinegar

·         1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the pine nuts. Toast until golden (watch them carefull as they burn quickly). Empty on to a plate and set aside. Half-fill the pan with water and bring to the boil.
2. Meanwhile roughly chop each asparagus spear into two or three pieces. Cook the asparagus pieces in the boiling water for 2-3 min until just tender, then drain and run under cold water for 15 sec to cool down and set the green colour.
3. In a small jug, whisk together all the dressing ingredients with some seasoning.
4. In a large bowl, toss together the rocket, chicken, pine nuts, as paragus, crumbled goat’s cheese and dressing. Serve immediately.

Per serving 383 cals, 18g fat (3g saturates), 11g carbs (11g total sugars)