Syrian Chicken

- 1 kg chicken, cut in cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon tumeric                                        
- 1 teaspoon ground chilli
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 small can crushed tomatoes
- 2 pinches of safron threads
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- chicken stock

1. Put the salt, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, tumeric and chilli into a large plastic bag and add the chicken. Toss well to coat and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a frypan. Add the chicken and cook until browned. Remove and set aside. Add the onions, ginger and garlic to the pan and cook until onion is softened.

3. Add the tomato, saffron, cumin seeds and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4. Return the chicken to the pan and add the lemon juice, honey and enough chicken stock to just cover the chicken. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through, and the sauce is slightly reduced.

Butter Chicken

I decided to try and make a butter chicken from scratch. I had no idea what it was supposed to taste like when made from scratch, as I have only tasted the butter chicken from a jar. I fochilliund it was quite tasty. This recipe asks for a cinnamon stick as well. When I saw that, I got so excited, I've had a packet of cinnamon sticks for a couple of weeks I've been hanging to use, this time I finally got to try them out.

- 1/2 cup yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon tumeric

- 1 teaspoon cumin                             
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chilli
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 kg chicken breast
- 125g cashews
- 60g unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoons paprika
- 425g tomato puree
- 150ml chicken stock
- 1 cup cream


1. In a bowl, mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, tumeric, garam masala, cumin, chilli, ginger and garlic together. Add the chicken and coat well. Cover and leave it in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.

2. Process half the cashews with a food processor until it's finely ground.

3. In a large frypan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onion, caramom, cinnamon stick and bay leaf for around 2 minutes or until the onion softens.

4. Lower the heat and add the chicken and marinade, paprika, puree, cashew powder and stock. Simmer until cooked.

5. Stir in the cream and cook for 10 minutes.

Paprika and Sour Cream Chicken

When I made this, I had left over mushrooms from the night before, so I thought I'd add them into the dish as well. I had around a couple of handfuls of mushrooms. Also, I didn't measure the ingredients exact, and it turned out quite tasty.

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter                       
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- a couple of handfuls of mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons chopped oregano
- 150ml chicken stock
- finly grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- 140g sour cream

1. Heat oil in a large frypan and cook chicken until golden. Set aside

2. Add the butter, onion, garlic, and mushrooms (if using) and cook until tender.

3. Stir in the paprika, oregano, stock,  and some salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

4. Stir in the zest and sour cream. Serve over pasta or noodles.