Grilled Orange Garlic Chicken, with Orange Broccoli

You will need

• chicken tenderloins
• 3 garlic cloves
• sea salt
• 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
• zest of one orange
• oil
• one head of broccoli
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• juice from orange
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• handful peanuts

Directions for chicken

1. Crush garlic cloves with the blade of a knife, peel and roughly chop.
2. Sprinkle chopped cloves with a pinch of sea salt and then grind with side of knife until garlic moistens and begins forming a paste.
3. Combine garlic with basil, orange zest and oil in a bowl.
4. Place chicken in bowl and ensure it is covered with marinade. Leave for 30 minutes.
5. Grill chicken on hot grill pan, until fully cooked.

Directions for broccoli

1. Chop broccoli into florets.
2. In a bowl, combine broccoli florets with sesame oil, orange juice and sweet chilli sauce.
3. Lay flat in one layer in a roasting pan and roast for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.
4. Remove from oven and sprinkle peanuts over broccoli, then put dish back in oven and roast for 5 more minutes.

Serve with roast vegetables and pita breads.

I'm not a fan of cream, so in the past this would have lead me to foolishly pass over recipes requiring cream, when really it's the flavour of straight cream that I don't like. My aversion to cream as an ingredient has fallen away thanks to Nigella's Tarragon Chicken from Kitchen.

Tarragon Chicken with Garlic Roasted Broccoli

adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe in Kitchen

For the tarragon chicken you will need:

• olive for frying
• 2 spring onions thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• slightly less than 1/2 cup cream
• 1 tsp dried tarragon

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a casserole dish with a lid and then fry spring onions and 1/2 tsp dried tarragon for a minute or so.
2. While that fries, remove any visible fat from the chicken breasts and use the flat side of the knife to bash the breasts to thin them out.
3. Put the chicken into the pan and cook for 5 minutes without turning. You want them to develop a bit of a golden tinge.
4. Turn over the breasts and add the white wine. Let it bubble up and then add the salt.
5. Put the lid on and leave to simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Remove the chicken breasts and set aside.
7. Bring the liquid to the boil, add the cream and more dried tarragon, and stir until thickened.
8. At this point I add the chicken back to the casserole and coat it in the sauce, but you could just pour it over the top as Nigella does.

For the Garlic Roasted Broccoli you will need:

• 1 head of broccoli, washed
• 3 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces, discarding the stalk.
2. In a casserole dish, combine the broccoli, garlic, sugar and oil. I do this with my hands, making sure the broccoli is thoroughly coated.
3. Roast in a 180 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly blackened on the ends and is slightly crispy.

The sugar combined with the garlic gives the broccoli a savoury caramelised flavour, which complements the creamy chicken nicely.