The outcome: my son loves it and my granddaughter, Isabelle, especially, loves it!

Of course, for now I’m losing the “kick of heat” for Isabelle’s sake. It’s a lovely recipe — the chicken breast is succulent and not dry. It’s also flavourful. The first time I made it, I didn’t pound the chicken breast as directed (because I didn’t read it !) Instead, I pricked each breast in a few places with a fork and I think it made the chicken more flabourful.

I served it with a medley of roasted vegetables and as a side, barley mushroom risotto!

Next time I will try serving it with cous cous.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 large chicken breasts (approximately 200g each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed (FOR KETO: use brown sugar substitute)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or thyme, parsley, rosemary)
1 teaspoon salt (use seasoned salt or chicken salt for extra flavour)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

For a kick of heat

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce / Gravy (Optional)

3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
Chicken cube or granules

Directions

Preheat oven to 220°C (standard ovens) or 200°C (fan forced or convection ovens).

Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound each chicken breast to 2cm at the thickest part. Make sure your fillets are all the same thickness to ensure even cooking.

Combine sugar, paprika, oregano, salt, powders, pepper and chili (if using).

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil (or parchment/baking paper). Add chicken to the pan and toss them in the seasoning. Drizzle with the oil and rub seasoning all over to evenly coat each breast. 

Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a meat thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 75°C. It should be golden with crisp edges.

Remove parchment paper. Grill on high heat during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking until golden and crisp.

While the chicken is in the oven, melt butter in a small skillet. Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds), and remove pan from heat. Stir in parsley, then pour butter mixture into pan juices, stirring well to combine all of the flavours together. Taste, and add chicken cube or granules for more flavour, if desired.

When chicken is cooked, remove pan from oven, transfer chicken to serving plates and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, drizzle the sauce or gravy over the chicken and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Calories per serving: 166kcal 

Carbohydrates: 1g
Protein: 24g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 72mg
Sodium: 713mg
Potassium: 435mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 1g

Vitamin A: 403IU 
Vitamin C: 1mg
Calcium: 14mg
Iron: 1mg

Slice sausages, pierce 6-8 raw spaghetti through each slice. Boil for required time like spaghetti. Drain and serve with desired sauce such as carbonara or tomato-based sauces.

Ingredients

100g butter plus a knob
2 shallots finely chopped
450 gms Arborio rice
750ml – 1 litre fish or light chicken stock (hot)
350 – 400 gms raw peeled prawns
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp mascarpone
12 scallops, orange roe and side muscles removed
1 bunch chives finely chopped
½ bunch basil chopped

Directions

Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pan and cook the shallot gently until soft but not coloured. Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated in butter.

Add the hot stock gradually, about 200ml at a time, stirring each addition in well, until the rice is just tender, this will take about 20 minutes. How much stock you need will depend on the type of rice you use. Add the prawns when the rice is done but still al dente, then season and add the lemon zest and juice. Turn the prawns over so they cook on both sides, and when they’re done, add the mascarpone and fold it in.

Leave the risotto to sit for 5 minutes while you fry the scallops for a minute on each side in a knob of butter in a frying pan. Add these to the risotto and sprinkle with chopped chives and basil.