Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Serves 2

Extra Easy - 0 syns, HEXa

Ingredients
150g Risotto rice (Arborio)
1 pt Chicken Stock (more if needed)
4 Chicken thigh fillets, chopped into chunks and excess fat removed
Couple of handfuls of Chestnut mushrooms, sliced
4 shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tbsps grated Parmesan (HEXa)
1 tsp thyme
Salt & Black Pepper
Frylight

Method
1. Fry the shallot in a frying pan sprayed with frylight until slightly softened.
2. Add the garlic, mushrooms and chicken, then add the thyme and seasoning and fry until the chicken has whitened. Spray the pan with more frylight if needed and add the rice and stir through.
3. Add a glug of the hot chicken stock at a time, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and repeat. Keep doing this until the rice is cooked and the stock has run out. If needed, add more hot water to the pan until the rice is cooked through.
 4. Take it off the heat and stir through half of parmesan. Serve with the remaining parmesan sprinkled on top and a grinding of black pepper.

Singapore Noodles

Here is a recipe from October's Slimming World magazine that I've decided to put on here for ease of access. I decided to add some chicken and prawns, as well as the recommended pork, in order to make the dish more like one you'd get from the takeaway!

Serves 2

Extra Easy - syns negligable

Ingredients
2 Sharwoods dried egg noodle nests
2 lean pork loins, fat removed and sliced into strips
1 chicken breast, cut into chunks
Handful of raw King Prawns
1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
Handful of mangetout, sliced diagonally
Handful of babycorn, diced
Small bunch of Spring Onions, diced
100g beansprouts
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Very Lazy Ginger, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp Asda Sweet Chilli sauce (0.5 syns)
3 tbsps Soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
Frylight

Method
1. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.
2. Stirfry the pork and chicken in a wok sprayed with frylight until cooked through, and remove from the pan.
3. Respray the wok with frylight and stirfry the onion, red pepper, mangetout, babycorn and spring onions until softened.
4. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the curry powder and tumeric and stirfry for a further minute.
6. Add the pork, chicken, prawns, beansprouts, noodles and 2 tbsps water to the wok and mix through. Then add the chilli sauce and soy sauce and stirfry for 1 minute.
7. Push the mixture to one side and pour in the eggs. Stir them continuously until they are scrambled and cooked through, then combine with the noodles.

Chicken & Chorizo Paella

I came across this on Minimins but couldn’t find it again to let you know the author. This is really yummy and would be great with prawns and mussels. Experiment with different vegetables, meats and seafood to get your perfect combination.

Serves 2

Extra Easy – Approx 5.5 syns per portion (dependent on the brand of Chorizo using)

Ingredients

2 Chicken fillets, sliced and seasoned

50g Chorizo ring, sliced (approx 11 syns)

1 large Red Onion, diced

1 Red or Yellow Pepper, sliced

2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped

150g Paella rice

Handful of Frozen Peas

1pt Chicken Stock

Pinch of Saffron

Dried Herbs
Chicken Seasoning (or something similar)

Salt and Black Pepper

Frylight

Method
1. Add the saffron to the hot chicken stock and leave to infuse. Put the raw chicken in a bowl and coat with chicken seasoning, the garlic and mixed herbs.
2. Meanwhile, fry the onion and red pepper in a deep frying pan sprayed with frylight until soft.
3. Add the garlic and chicken and fry until the chicken is sealed.
4. Add the chorizo and rice and fry until the rice has been mixed through.
5. Add the stock, saffron, herbs and peas and season.
6. Stir everything through and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave for 20 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked through. Do not stir the mixture once it is simmering!

Chicken & Bacon Pasta Bake

I had some leftovers to use up and so created this tasty pasta bake.

Serves 2

Extra Easy - 0 syns, HEXa

Ingredients
200g Dried Fusilli Pasta
250g Passata
100g Fat Free Fromage Frais or 0% Greek Yoghurt
2 Chicken breasts, sliced
2 Bacon rashers, fat removed and sliced
1 Red onion, sliced 
1 Red Pepper, sliced
1/2 Courgette, sliced and halved
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
60g Reduced Fat Cheddar, grated (HEXa)
Mixed Herbs
Salt & Black Pepper
Frylight

Method
1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
2. Add the vegetables and garlic to an ovenproof dish and spray with frylight. Cover with the mixed herbs and season. Put into a hot oven at 200C for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Season the chicken and fry in a frying pan sprayed with frylight, along with the bacon, until cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, mix the passata and fromage frais (or greek yoghurt) in a bowl and season. Add the cooked chicken and bacon and coat with the sauce.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the ovenproof dish containing the vegetables. Pour over the tomato and chicken mixture and combine with the pasta and vegetables until everything is covered with the sauce. Sprinkle over the grated cheese and season. Bake for 15 minutes and serve.

Hunters Chicken

Since the OH has been doing SW with me I've been making an effort to make "boy-friendly" meals. This one went down a treat and it will now be a firm favourite in our house!

Serves 2

Extra Easy - 1 syn per portion, HEXa

Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts
2 tbsps BBQ Sauce (2 syns)
40g reduced fat Cheddar (HEXa), grated
2 Bacon medallions
Mixed Herbs
Salt & Black Pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a oven proof dish with tin foil.
2. Place the chicken breasts in the dish and sprinkle with mixed herbs and seasoning.
3. Top each breast with 1 tbsp BBQ sauce then sprinkle on 15g of reduced fat cheddar onto each breast. Place a bacon medallion on top of the cheese and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken has completely cooked through.
4. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place back in the oven until the cheese has melted. Serve with SW chips or wedges and vegetables.

Chicken Dhansak with Cinnamon Rice

These dishes are inspired by the recipes in the Takeaway Faves recipe book that came with the latest Slimming World magazine. I messed around with the recipes to suit what I had in my cupboards and added some extra spices to make it my own and suit my tastes.

Serves 2 

Extra Easy - 0 syns

Ingredients (Chicken Dhansak)
2 Chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Onion, sliced
1 Red Pepper, sliced
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp Very Lazy Ginger, finely chopped
2 tbsp Curry Powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of green Lentils, drained
1 Chicken Stock cube
Frylight
Salt & Black Pepper

Method
1. Cook the onion and pepper in a frying pan until softened.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a further minute.
3. Transfer to a saucepan and stir in the raw chicken, tomatoes, lentils, stock cube and spices. Season and bring to the boil.
4. Leave to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Ingredients (Cinnamon Rice)
150ml dried Rice measured in a measuring jug
300ml boiling water
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground Tumeric
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
Frylight

Method
1. Fry the onion until soft and add the tumeric and cinnamon.
2. Add the dried rice to the onion and add the 300ml boiling water and bring to the boil.
3. Cover and simmer until the rice is cooked and the water has been absorbed. Stir and serve.

N.B. Serve with 1 tbsp of Mango Chutney and add 2 syns

Chicken Kiev

A Slimming World classic that uses half of your HEXa and HEXb, but with zero syns!

Serves 1

Extra Easy - 0 syns, HEXa, HEXb

Ingredients
1 Chicken Breast Fillet
35g Philadelphia Light, Garlic & Herb (half HEXa)
1 slice Nimble wholemeal bread (half HEXb)
1 Egg, beaten
Salt and Black Pepper
Frylight

Method
1. Blitz the bread in a food processor until it becomes fine breadcrumbs and transfer to a deep bowl. Season.
2. Make a pocket in the chicken by slicing into the side of the breast and opening up the inside, being careful not to tear through to the other side. Spoon in the Philadelphia and close the hole.
3. Put the beaten egg into a shallow dish and place the chicken breast in it. Coat the chicken completely with the egg.
4. Transfer the chicken into the breadcrumbs and coat it all over until the breadcrumbs have covered the fillet.
5. Spray a baking tray with frylight and place the Kiev on top. Place in a hot oven for 30 minutes of until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with SW Chips and vegetables.

Sticky Chicken

This is another fantastic recipe courtesy of MiniMins. Perfect served with Egg Fried Rice to sate that Chinese takeaway craving!

Serves 1

Extra Easy - 2.5 syns per portion

Ingredients
1 chicken breast,cut into chunks
1 tbsp runny honey (2.5 syns)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
Frylight

Method
1. Put the honey, vinegar and soy sauce in a bowl and stir until combined.
2. Add the chicken to the bowl and coat in the mixture.
3. Cover the bowl in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes, or overnight.
4. Spray a frying pan with frylight and fry the chicken until cooked through.