Ready Steady... COOK!

Baked Fried Chicken, Rice & Sweetcorn, Sweet Stew Chicken Gravy and Citrus & Spice Coleslaw

I'm so happy to be blogging again guys. It's what I love. Sharing moments with you where my thoughts are challenged and inspired. And as some of you may or may not know, one of my biggest hobbies is FOOD (Whether it be cooking, eating, watching, reading.. anything really lol).

In this post I wanted to share a few of my favourite dishes I've cooked recently. Starting with a Jamaican influenced dish, a regular thing in my house, chicken and rice. But what makes it so special and what gives it the Jamaican touch is the type of chicken your having with the rice...

"Stew chicken, Curry chicken, Jerk chicken, the list goes on...But in this case I made Baked Fried Chicken with White rice & sweetcorn and citrus & spice coleslaw."  

I always have fun making this! Something about fried chicken with rice that gives you a whole different type of meal. And what makes this even more special is the fact that we haven't had to fry the chicken, saving time and calories! I sometimes add sweetcorn to my white rice, it adds more texture and a touch of sweetness to contrast the spices in the gravy and chicken.

"The gravy brings the fluffy rice to life!"

Speaking of the gravy, this was left over from some stew chicken I'd made previously. I used it as a stock, putting it back in the pan with some ketchup and cornflour to thicken and sweeten it up!

Now...for the chicken. Using a blend of chicken seasoning, all purpose seasoning, thyme, paprika, ginger and black pepper, I seasoned the prepped and cleaned chicken 'drumettes'. After leaving it to marinade for an hour, I used my own seasoned flour to coat the chicken (For this method, I didn't coat in egg because we are baking the chicken in the oven, I'll explain why this is important) 

I then got a oven tray and covered it with a piece of greaseproof paper. After spraying it with olive oil, I placed the pieces onto the tray, putting them in an oven at 180c for 50 mins (190c for the last 10 mins) turning half way. 

Baked Fried Chicken, Rice & Sweetcorn, Sweet Stew Chicken Gravy and Citrus & Spice Coleslaw

This method of baking the chicken is easy, although for those of you that like to coat your chicken with egg, doing this in this method will not making the coating as crispy as if you were frying it in oil. 

"Coleslaw, you either love it or give it to the person your with!"

As for the coleslaw, this is a pre-made one from Lidl. I gave it my special touch by adding some lemon juice and Nando's Perinaise (Hot) this really gave the meal a nice finish. Complimenting the crisp caramelised chicken with the fluffy rice seeping with the succulent gravy.  

Do you guys think I should start dropping full recipes and tutorials? Hmm.