Tapas and other treats
A variety of snacks, starters and mains can be made with chicken products
Chicken is one of the healthier options for non-vegetarians, and new, imaginative chicken products now available in stores, such as Zorabian’s ready to cook ones, provide scope for greater variety. Here are some quick and easy recipes from Zorabian using smoked chicken ham for tapas, which are Spanish style starters, while chunks and chicken breasts are used for mains.
TUSCAN CHICKEN SKILLET WITH EGGPLANT
Chicken breast fillets (2 — thawed and cut into strips)
Onion (1 large — chopped)
Tomatoes (3-4 large — diced or 1 can of tomato pulp)
Garlic (5 cloves — chopped)
Sundried tomato (½ cup — chopped)
Eggplant (1 medium — diced)
Button mushrooms (5 — sliced)
Green chilli (1— chopped, optional)
Oregano (1 tsp)
Thyme (1 tsp)
Honey (1 tbsp)
Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley to garnish
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat one tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and brown the chicken for three minutes. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and cook the mushrooms and eggplant for a few minutes until brown. Add onions and sauté for three minutes. Add garlic and sundried tomatoes and sauté for another two minutes. Stir in the tomatoes or one can of tomato pulp and season with oregano, thyme, green chilli and honey. Stir and transfer the chicken to the skillet and cook for about eight-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble. Take off heat and garnish with parsley.
Bread (1 loaf — whole wheat, sliced)
Smoked chicken ham (1 slice — cut into small squares of 1 inch)
Zucchini (1 — sliced)
Mushroom (1 — stalk removed)
Halloumi cheese (1 slice)
Sundried tomato (1 chunk)
Honey mustard (1 tsp)
Mixed herbs (½ tsp)
Olive oil or sesame seed oil (1 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the zucchini into slices. Place one slice on whole wheat bread and cut the bread in the same round shape as the zucchini. (It’s easier when the bread is cold, so place it in the fridge before starting.) In a pan over medium heat drizzle some olive oil or sesame seed oil and sauté the zucchini, mushroom and ham with some mixed herbs, salt and pepper. After five minutes take off heat. In the same pan grill the Halloumi cheese on both sides until slightly brown.
Toast the bread. Apply a thin layer of honey mustard on the bread, followed by the zucchini, Halloumi cheese, ham and then the mushroom. Right on top place a thin slice of sundried tomato. Hold it together with a toothpick.
SMOKED CHICKEN HAM AND CHEESE MINI SANDWICH
Whole wheat bread (2 slices)
Low fat mayonnaise (1 tbsp)
Smoked chicken ham (4 slices — cooked as per instructions on packet)
Cheddar cheese (1 slice)
Tomato (4 slices)
Iceberg lettuce leaves (2)
Plum sauce (1 tsp — optional)
Toast the two whole wheat bread slices. On one side apply a good serving of low fat mayonnaise or fat free cream cheese. Top with four slices of smoked chicken ham, cheddar cheese slice and tomato slices, followed by two lettuce leaves. Place the other toasted slice on the top and cut the sandwich in half.
Smoked ham and cheese tapas
GRILLED ASPARAGUS, SMOKED CHICKEN HAM AND PARMESAN CHEESE
Asparagus (3 spears)
Smoked chicken ham (1 slice — cooked as per instructions on packet)
Parmesan cheese shavings (1 tbsp)
Olive oil (½ tsp)
Oregano (1 tsp)
Thyme (1 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut off the end stalks of the asparagus. Season with oregano, thyme, salt and pepper and pan grill until the asparagus is soft. Wrap each asparagus spear with a slice of smoked chicken ham while still hot and grate some Parmesan cheese on top.
SMOKED CHICKEN HAM AND CRANBERRY RICOTTA CHEESE
Smoked ham (1 slice — cooked as per instructions on packet)
Dried sweet cranberries (1 tsp — chopped)
Ricotta cheese (2 tbsp — low fat)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop a few dried sweet cranberries and place in a bowl. Add two tbsp of Ricotta cheese and mix well with the cranberries. Apply a generous amount of the Ricotta and cranberry mix on the ham slice and roll it up.
SMOKED CHICKEN HAM, WATERMELON AND FETA CHEESE
Smoked chicken ham (1 slice — cooked as per instructions on packet)
Watermelon (1 slice — 1 inch thickness, seeds removed)
Feta cheese (1 chunk — 1 inch)
Balsamic vinegar (½ tsp)
Watermelon seeds (a few, or any other seeds)
Black olive (1 — cut in half)
Mint leaf (1)
Salt to taste
Place the Feta cheese in the center of the chicken ham slice and roll up the ham. Place the watermelon on top of the rolled up ham — make sure you sprinkle a bit of salt over the watermelon to bring out its sweetness. Top with half a black olive, mint leaf and hold the roll together by piercing a toothpick through it. Sprinkle some toasted watermelon seeds for crunch.
PAHADI CHICKEN IN PITA BREAD WITH GREEN MINT CHUTNEY
Pita stuffing
Wheat pita bread (whole)
Pahadi chicken (half a tray — thawed)
Lettuce leaves (4-5, ends cut off)
Cucumber (½ — diced with skin)
Tomato (½ — seeded and diced)
Red onion (½ — cut to thin slices)
Rocket leaves (1 bunch — shredded and chopped finely)
Oregano seasoning and garlic powder
Green low fat yogurt mint chutney
Coriander (½ cup — chopped)
Mint leaves (½ cup — chopped)
Green chillies (3-4 chopped — depending on how spicy you want it)
Garlic (2 cloves — chopped finely)
Lime juice (from 1½ limes)
Low fat yogurt (3 tbsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
Put all the chutney ingredients in a blender and blend. Place in a bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator.
Pahadi chicken stuffing
Thaw half a tray of Pahadi chicken and cook as per instructions on the package. Once done, let it cool a bit and then dice the chicken into cubes. Heat the whole wheat pita bread slightly on a non-stick pan or toaster.
Slit open the bread from one side. Spread a good portion of the green mint yogurt chutney at the bottom. Arrange the lettuce leaves and top with shredded rocket leaves. In a separate bowl, season the diced cucumber, tomatoes and onions with the oregano and garlic powder and place on top of the rocket leaves. Finally add a good portion of Pahadi chicken pieces. Drizzle some more of the mint yogurt chutney and you have a complete nutritious meal.
POTATO SKINS — SMOKED CHICKEN HAM AND CREAM CHEESE
Potato (1 medium size — boiled with skin on)
Smoked chicken ham (2 slices — diced)
Philadelphia fat free/low fat cream cheese (3 tbsp)
Spinach (½ cup — chopped)
Garlic (1 tsp — chopped)
Olive oil (1 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish
First boil or steam the potato. Let it rest for a while until cool enough to handle. Cut it in half leaving the skin on as the maximum nutrients are in the skin. Scoop the center of the potato so it looks like a bowl leaving a bit of the potato on the sides.
Meanwhile, in a pan heat the olive oil and saute the garlic for about one minute on medium heat. Add the spinach and smoked ham. Season with salt and pepper. After two minutes take off heat and mix with low or fat free cream cheese. Season the potato with salt and pepper, drizzle some olive oil on it and place it on the hot pan. Cook it for about two minutes on each side until crispy. Take off heat. Place a spoonful of the spinach and ham filling in the potato.