Roast Chicken Thighs on Conchiglie Pasta in Balsamic Tomato Sauce

Roast chicken thighs on conchiglie pasta in balsamic sauce

Roast chicken is probably not something often associated with being served on pasta but this combination does work very well. The chicken thighs are roasted simply in the oven with some seasoning before being served on a bed of conchiglie pasta in a rich balsamic and tomato sauce. 

Prepared sauce ingredients

Ingredients (Serves 1)

2 whole chicken thighs (skin on)
Salt and black pepper
4 baby plum tomatoes
1/4 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Generous pinch dried basil
Generous pinch dried oregano
1 cup dried conchiglie pasta shells
Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Directions

Put your oven on to preheat to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

Season the chicken thighs on the under/flesh side with salt and pepper and with salt only on the skin sides. Lay them skin sides up on a lightly oiled roasting tray and place the tray in to the oven for thirty minutes, or thirty-five minutes for especially large thighs. After this time, pierce the thickest part of each thigh with a skewer (or fork) and ensure the juices run clear. If not, return to the oven for five further minutes and test again. Lift to a heated plate, cover with tinfoil and allow to rest for ten minutes.

Combining balsamic sauce ingredients

When the chicken thighs have been in the oven for about fifteen minutes, pour the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar in to a small saucepan. Wash and dry the tomatoes before cutting them in half down through the centre. Add to the saucepan along with the onion slices before grating in the peeled garlic clove. Add the dried herbs and season with salt and pepper. Stir well with a wooden spoon and place the pot on a low heat until the liquid just starts to simmer. Maintain as low a simmer as possible for about fifteen minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have broken down and a thick sauce is formed.

Drained conchiglie pasta

The pasta will take eight to ten minutes to cook, depending upon how al dente you wish it to be when it is served. It should be added to a large pot of heavily salted, boiling water, stirred briefly and left to cook for the desired period of time. It should then be drained through a colander or sieve and allowed to steam off and dry out for a couple of minutes.

Balsamic pasta sauce

When the sauce is ready, it will have changed colour, be really thick and gooey and the onion strings will be super soft.

Pasta is added to balsamic sauce

Tip the pasta in to the sauce and stir fold very carefully with a wooden spoon, so as not to break up the soft shells.

Pasta in balsamic sauce

Spoon the pasta in to a deep plate and spread out to form a serving bed for the rested chicken thighs.

Chicken thighs are laid on pasta in balsamic sauce

Lay the chicken thighs on top of the pasta and sauce, garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

Enjoying roast chicken thighs on balsamic pasta sauce

Thai Teriyaki and Sesame Chicken Soup

A Satisfying and Spicy Asian Themed Soup Experiment

Thai teriyaki and sesame chicken thigh soup

Do you like your soups thick, hearty and satisfying, as well as supremely tasty? What about a little bit of spiciness thrown in, especially on a cold winter's night? If so, I'm sure you will love this soup, which was very much an experimental idea I came up with last night. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I actually ate the whole lot myself last night in about three stages, having originally intended freezing some of it for a later date.

Skinned chicken thigh fillets

When I am going to be cooking with filleted chicken thighs, I normally buy them and bone/skin them myself. Why? Incredibly, they are almost twice the price if I buy them ready filleted! That to me is a nonsense. In this instance, however, these ready skinned and filleted chicken thighs were on special offer in my local supermarket.

Ingredients (Serves Four)

8 filleted and skinned chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil
1 medium white onion
4 ounce (120g) pack of mixed sliced bell peppers
1 sachet (around 5 ounces) teriyaki and sesame stir fry sauce
1 red chilli pepper and 1 green chilli pepper (optional)
1 pint fresh chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Diced chicken thigh meat

Directions

Chop the filleted chicken thighs in to approximately one inch pieces. Pour the vegetable/sunflower oil in to a large stew pot and bring up to a medium to high heat.

Thai stir frying sauce, onion and mixed bell pepper slices

Add the chicken pieces to the pot and stir fry for a couple of minutes to brown and seal all the pieces. Be sure to use a wooden spoon.

Browning chicken thigh meat in oil

When the chicken is sealed, add the bell pepper slices and the peeled and sliced onion. Stir fry for another minute or so, just to slightly soften the onion and peppers.

Peppers and onion are added to browned chicken thigh meat

The chilli peppers are entirely optional but I hope you will use them as they add a real extra little kick to the dish. These are of medium strength. I seeded them and very finely sliced them for inclusion.

Red and green chilli peppers

Add the chilli peppers (if using) to the pot and stir through.

Peppers and onions are stirred through chicken meat until softened

Pour the stir fry sauce in to the pot, followed by the chicken stock. Stir well and bring to a simmer - uncovered - for twenty-five to thirty minutes, until the chicken is both cooked and tender.

Stir fry sauce is added to chicken and vegetables

Taste the soup, season as necessary with salt and pepper and ladle in to bowls to serve.

Chicken stock is poured in to soup and brought to a simmer

 

Chicken Thighs Rogan Josh Recipe

Chicken thighs rogan josh on salad with naan bread

Rogan josh is a dish unquestionably more associated with lamb than chicken. The versatility of chicken being what it is, however, I had no doubt this variation on the theme would work. Rather than use chicken breast fillets, I decided chicken thighs (skin on, bone in) may make for an interesting combination and I was not disappointed. I also decided to serve the chicken with a simple mixed leaf salad rather than rice, with some mini naan breads on the side to scoop up the sauce.

Rogan josh sauce and chicken thighs

Ingredients (Serves Two)

4 chicken thighs, skin on
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 medium onion, peeled and sliced
1 pound jar of rogan josh sauce
2 generous handfuls mixed salad leaves of choice
4 mini naan breads
Freshly sliced basil leaves to garnish

Browning chicken thighs

Directions

Wash the chicken thighs carefully in a bowl of cold water, pat them dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and add the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook for a couple of minutes to lightly brown the skin.

Browned chicken thighs and sauteed onion

Add the onion, turn the chicken thighs and cook fro a further minute or so.

Rogan josh sauce is added to browned chicken thighs

Pour the rogan josh sauce in to the pan and carefully stir/turn everything around to ensure the chicken thighs are evenly covered and as deeply immersed in the sauce as possible.

Chicken thighs in rogan josh sauce is simmered

Turn up the heat just until the sauce reaches a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to achieve a very gentle simmer, cover the pan and cook for thirty minutes, turning the chicken thighs with cooking tongs half way through.

Salad leaves are washed thoroughly under cold running water

Put the salad leaves in to a colander or sieve and wash thoroughly under running cold water. Shake dry and divide between two serving plates, forming beds for the chicken thighs.

Chicken thighs rogan josh are laid on salad bed

Lift the chicken thighs from the sauce with tongs and lay two on each salad bed, skin sides up. Garnish with the sliced basil leaves. Heat the naan breads per the instructions on the pack, cut in half and arrange on the plates as shown.

Tucking in to chicken thighs rogan josh