Recipe: Paleo Chicken Schnitzel

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Chicken Schnitzel is pretty much the national dish of Australia (perhaps after pie?), which is funny, because if you ask for chicken schnitzel in the UK people think you’ve come straight from the 1970’s.

The only problem with chicken schnitzel is the ingredients. This is what’s in a fairly standard one I saw in the supermarket:

Chicken (52%), Water, Buckwheat Flour, Wheat Flour, Thickener (1404, 415, 1442), Salt, Dehydrated Vegetables (Onion, Garlic), Herbs (Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage), Spices (Pepper), Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Egg Albumen, Sugar, Colours (150a, 100, 160c, 160b), Dextrose (Tapioca, Maize), Mineral Salts (450, 500), Canola Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Soy Protein, Thickener (1404), Yeast, Vinegar, Iodised Salt, Soy Flour, Emulsifiers (411, 481, 472E), Vitamin (Thiamin, Folate), Vegetable Gum (412), Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein, Wheat Cereal, Flavour Enhancer (635)

Quite alarming when the chicken element in your chicken is barely 50%, don’t you think? Also “chicken” doesn’t really tell you too much, I think we can assume if it doesn’t say free-range, it’s almost certainly not the type of chicken I’d choose to buy. So you know what this means? Yes – it means a paleo chicken schnitzel recipe is called for!

Recipe: Paleo Chicken Schnitzel
Recipe type: Poultry
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Ingredients
  • 2 free-range chicken breasts
  • 1 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¾ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ tsp ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 230C (450F) if you’re going to oven bake rather than fry
  2. Slice the chicken in half width-ways, creating two thin pieces and pound with a rolling pin (or, if you have a better equipped kitchen than me, a meat tenderiser) until it’s super thin. If you don’t want raw chicken flying around your kitchen, you can wrap it in gladwrap/ cling film for this step. You can keep whole and have proper schnitzels, or slice into strips like I did.
  3. Put the Tapioca flour (or you can use arrowroot flour if you don’t have tapioca) in a bowl, and the egg in a separate bowl. Tip – fill up the Tapioca bowl as you use it to avoid waste.
  4. In another bowl, mic together the almond meal, coconut flour, seasoning and herbs/ spices. I tend to do this in small batches too, to avoid being left with an eggy mess of excess crumb mixture I’ll have to throw away.
  5. Now for the fun part. Dip the chicken pieces in each bowl, turn by turn: start with the tapioca layer, then the egg layer and end with the crumb mixture. Maybe it’s just me, but I find this turns into a huge mess, so small batches of the dry bowls will help here.
  6. You now have a choice and whilst most people will choose to fry, I find I get far better results oven baking. The crumb is evenly golden with the inside cooked but tender. But give both a try and see what works for you.
  7. If you’re oven baking, arrange on a baking tray and cook for about 20 minutes. I always cut into the chicken in a couple of the thickest places to ensure there are no pink bits left. If you’re going to fry about 8-10 minutes in a hot pan in some coconut oil should do the trick – just make sure you turn them a couple of times.

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Do you have a gluten-free paleo version of this recipe that you use? I'd love to hear your secret ingredients!

Stuffed Capsicum paleo diet recipe bell peppers dinner lunch chicken-min

Recipe: Stuffed Capsicum

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I usually only use green capsicum as they’re half the price of their red and yellow cousins, but when they were on offer this week, I thought it was high time to cook something capsicumy. What better than the classic stuffed capsicum? I’d usually make this with minced beef, but I fancied a change, so thought I’d give it a try with shredded chicken instead.

I always used to cut the tops of the capsicum, stuff them, put the lid back on, then cook them standing up. However, it’s not easy to find ones that will remain standing up and also I think they’re harder to eat and not so attractive on the plate this way. I served mine sliced in half lengthways and retained the stalk party to stop the stuffing falling out, and partly because it looks good! Unfortunately cutting them for this dish means I can't use my genius capsicum cutting technique.

I used mushrooms, carrots and a zucchini for the stuffing, but this is a great way to use up whatever vegetables you happen to have.

Hint: Take care choosing your capsicums! You’ll find the ones with 4 points at the base will sit far better in the oven than those with 3 points.

I was left with loads of stuffing left over, so froze this in individual portions and will enjoy them for many lunches to come!

Recipe: Stuffed Capsicum
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
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This is a great winter dish served with cauliflower rice - or a simple salad.
Ingredients
  • 3 colourful capsicums (bell peppers)
  • Dash of coconut oil
  • 2 brown onions, diced into small pieces
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 bottle of pasata
  • 1 zucchini diced into small pieces
  • 6 mushrooms, diced into small pieces
  • 2 carrots, diced into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tsp of chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • Sea salt & black pepper to taste
  • Cooked shredded chicken
Instructions
  1. Cut the capsicums lengthways, ensuring the two halves will sit nicely, before making the cut. Deseed the capsicum and trim the insides and bottom of the stalk ensuring there is lots of room for them to be filled. Put the halves empty side up on a baking tray.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 175C
  3. Fry the onions in the coconut oil over a medium heat, until the soften.
  4. Add in the tomatoes and pasata, then stir in the veggies
  5. Allow the mixture to simmer for 20-30 minutes, then add the herbs, spices and seasoning.
  6. Add in the chicken to heat up, and once the carrots have softened remove the pan from the heat.
  7. Spoon the mixture into the capsicum halves and push down with the back of a spoon, ensuring they are completely filled.
  8. Put the stuffed capsicums in the oven and cook until the capsicum has softened to your liking, ensuring they don’t burn! I should just take a few minutes.

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Stuffed Capsicum paleo diet recipe bell peppers dinner lunch chicken-min

fail-proof poached chicken paleo recipe shredded poultry lunch dinner-min

Recipe: fail-proof poached chicken

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I don’t know about you, but I find chicken cooked in the oven can be a bit dry and fried chicken can be a little greasy (not to mention make an complete mess of the kitchen) , so lately I've been poaching chicken instead. This is my favourite way to cook chicken that I'm going to be shredding, or adding to a recipe that calls for pre-cooked chicken.

Recipe: fail-proof poached chicken
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Ingredients
  • Chicken (as much as your recipe calls for)
  • A splash of white wine
  • Water
  • A couple of bay leaves
  • A small piece of fresh ginger
  • A few black peppercorns
  • Sea salt
Instructions
  1. Dice the chicken up into roughly equal sized pieces.
  2. Arrange the chicken at the bottom of a pan, trying to make sure none of the pieces overlap
  3. Pour the wine over first, then add cold water until the chicken is completely submerged by about 5cm of water.
  4. Throw in the bay leaves, ginger, peppercorns, then season.
  5. Bring the water to a boil, then when it boils reduce the heat and allow it to simmer.
  6. If you’re going to use the liquid, you’ll want to spoon off the scum that will come to the top.
  7. Simmer the chicken for a few minutes until thoroughly cooked. Ideally, you’ll want to use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s cooked all the way through before removing from the heat, otherwise, test the largest piece to ensure it’s cooked all the way through, and the juices run clear.
  8. Once cooked, drain the chicken pieces and shred, or use as they are.

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fail-proof poached chicken paleo recipe shredded poultry lunch dinner-min

Recipe simple paleo stir fry-min

Recipe: Simple Chicken Stir Fry

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Sometimes it's nice to make something simple and easy for dinner. And it doesn't get much easier than a stir fry.

Whilst you can buy packets of ready to use vegetables to throw into a pan – don't do this! Where I live a packet of pre-prepared veggies is upwards of about $7.50 a kilo. Or you can buy your vegetables individually. I get carrots for about $1 a kilo and cabbage for about $3 a head. Cheaper, probably fresher and only the nice bits. The only difference is that the prepacked veg are drier which is better for stir frying. I just use a cheese cloth to remove the excess liquid from my freshly grated veg – and save lots of money in the process.

Recipe simple paleo stir fry-min

 

 

Recipe: Simple Chicken Stir Fry
 
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Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
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Sometimes it’s nice to make something simple and easy for dinner. And it doesn’t get much easier than a stir fry. Whilst you can buy packets of ready to use vegetables to throw into a pan – don’t do this! Where I live a packet of pre-prepared veggies is upwards of about $7.50 a kilo. Or you can buy your vegetables individually. I get carrots for about $1 a kilo and cabbage for about $3 a head. Cheaper, probably fresher and only the nice bits. The only difference is that the prepacked veg are drier which is better for stir frying. I just use a cheese cloth to remove the excess liquid from my freshly grated veg – and save lots of money in the process.
Ingredients
  • Large spoonful of coconut oil
  • Chicken breast (free range, obviously)
  • 2 carrots
  • Half a head of cabbage
  • Dash coconut aminos
  • Sea salt
Instructions
  1. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat
  2. Cut up the chicken as you like it (strips or diced) and throw into the pan
  3. Grate the vegetables in a food processor*, or using an old school grater. In a clean tea towel or cheesecloth, wring out the excess liquid. I used cabbage and cauliflower – but throw in whatever you have!
  4. Once the chicken starts to look golden and is cooked through, add in the grated vegetables.
  5. Add the dash of coconut aminos for flavouring and season to your taste. You can also add in some herbs and spices if you want to change it up.
  6. *I usually prepare a lot of veg to take make enough for several meals. If you’ve got the food processor out, you might as well get good use out of it!

Recipe paleo Slow Cooker Chicken Coconut Veggie Stew-min

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Coconut Veggie Stew

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Despite having bought a far too small slow cooker (seriously, why make enough for one meal, when for the same effort you could have enough for several freezer meals?), I've recently been using my slow cooker a lot more. I love being able to put in a bit of effort in the morning, then coming home to smell a delicious dinner ready and waiting. I've found with this one it’s best to wait until right at the end of cooking to add in the coconut cream, but even so, it’s still next to no effort to have a nutritious dinner cook itself for you!

Serves 4 (but if your slow cooker is big enough make as much as you can and save the extras for later!)

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Coconut Veggie Stew
 
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Recipe type: Dinner
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Ingredients
  • 3 organic free range chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 2 parsnips, diced
  • 500g (1 lb) celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 30ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 30ml (2 tablespoons) minced fresh ginger
  • 15ml (1 tablespoon) curry paste*
  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) ground turmeric
  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) ground chilli
  • Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
  • 300ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock
  • 200ml (7 floz) coconut cream
  • Chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the chicken until brown and cooked through.
  2. Put the parsnips, celeriac and carrots in the slow cooker
  3. Meanwhile, add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pan, and cook for a further five minutes, stirring until they soften.
  4. Into the pan, stir in the paste, turmeric, chilli and seasoning.
  5. Add the stock to the pan, and bring it to the boil, stiring occasionally.
  6. Transfer the contents of the pan into the slow cooker, and with the lid on, cook on a low heat for 6-8 hours.
  7. In the last hour add in the coconut cream to add the creaminess to the dish
  8. Just before serving, add the coriander garnish.
  9. *This is so easy to make instead of buying – I’ll type up my recipe and link to it – watch this space!

Recipe paleo Slow Cooker Chicken Coconut Veggie Stew-min

Recipe Garlic and Tamarind Chicken Thighs-min

Recipe: Garlic and Tamarind Chicken Thighs

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If you’re looking for a ‘stir fry’ recipe with maximum flavour, look no further. This recipe is quick, easy, and comes with incredibly deep and complex flavours. Garlic, Tamarind, Mushrooms, Fish Sauce, Peppers, Shallots and Ginger all work in harmony and make this stir fry incredibly unique. As you’ll know if you've used tamarind before, it can be very sour – so if you’re cooking with it, you’ll need a little sweetness just to balance it out. I find a 1:1 ratio works well, but you may need to adjust this depending on your palate.

The key to this recipe is the gentle cooking. Don’t go mad and raise the heat too high, or the garlic will burn and turn bitter.

Recipe: Garlic and Tamarind Chicken Thighs
 
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Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, diced
  • 3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3cm chunk root ginger, finely chopped
  • 4 shallots, finely sliced
  • 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and slices
  • 8 mushrooms
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 2 tsp tamarind paste
  • 2 tsp raw honey
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)
  • Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
  1. ) Gently heat the coconut oil in your largest wok. Add the chicken thighs, garlic, ginger and shallots, and cook gently for around 10 minutes, until the chicken is browned and the shallots start to caramelise. Add the peppers and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  2. ) Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a saucepan. Add the tamarind, honey, fish sauce and sesame, and mix together until thoroughly combined. Keep on the heat for a few more minutes, until it starts to reduce down. Taste, and adjust to your liking.
  3. ) Check the chicken is thoroughly cooked through. Add the tamarind sauce to the pan, and toss the ingredients together. Serve garnished with a little fresh coriander.

Next on my list is using fresh tamarind fruit, rather than the paste. I’d love to know if you've ever tried it, and how it turned out!

Recipe Garlic and Tamarind Chicken Thighs-min

Chermoula Chicken Legs with Cumin Roasted Beets and Tomatoes paleo recipe-min

Recipe: Chermoula Chicken Legs with Cumin Roasted Beets and Tomatoes

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Chermoula is a North African flavour blend traditionally used for fish, but it’s zingy and fragrant flavours mean it is also the perfect accompaniment for roast chicken. My chicken recipes are always popular, so I thought I'd create a chicken version. Both the chicken and the vegetables rely on the cumin, which makes this dish wonderfully earthy and aromatic. The chicken is best if marinated overnight, but it’s not essential.

Recipe: Chermoula Chicken Legs with Cumin Roasted Beets and Tomatoes
 
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Recipe type: Dinner
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Ingredients
  • 2 large chicken legs
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ small white onion
  • 1 large handful coriander
  • 1 large handful parsley
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 4 medium beets, chopped into quarters
  • 1 large red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Juice half lemon
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • Salt and pepper
  • 10 – 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
  1. Lightly toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Grind them in a food processor, before adding the garlic, onion, coriander, parsley, lemon, pepper and paprika. Spoon the marinade (chermoula) over the chicken and massage it in. Leave to marinade for as long as you can – preferably overnight, but a couple of hours will do.
  2. When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 180C / 375F. Transfer the marinated chicken to a foil lined roasting dish, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, basting once or twice.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the beets and onion in a roasting dish. Toss in the olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle over the cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, before adding the tomatoes for the final 10. Serve alongside the chicken.

Have you tried many North African recipes, like this Chermoula? I'd love to hear how you got on, and which are your favourite flavours!

Chermoula Chicken Legs with Cumin Roasted Beets and Tomatoes paleo recipe-min

Paleo recipe Shredded Chicken with Courgette Ribbons, Kalamata Olives, Sundried Tomatoes and Lemon dinner lunch-min

Recipe: Shredded Chicken with Courgette Ribbons, Kalamata Olives, Sundried Tomatoes and Lemon

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There are plenty of reasons I love this recipe, but there are two that stand out way above the rest. Firstly, it's ready in under 5 minutes, and secondly, it looks like it’s taken you all day! It’s perfect for summer BBQs where you’d much rather be spending your time with friends and family rather than in the kitchen peeling more vegetables or prepping more salad. The contrast in colours and shapes on the table make it a visually stunning dish – and it’s super tasty too!

Serves 4

Shredded Chicken Ingredients:

  • ½ medium chicken, pre roasted and cooled
  • 4 large zuchini/ courgettes
  • A large handful Kalamata (or any other meaty black olives), roughly chopped
  • 6 – 8 Sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • Juice and zest 2 lemons
  • A good splash olive oil
  • 1 tsp raw honey
  • A small handful fresh basil, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Shredded Chicken How To:

1)    Using a fork, finely shred half of the chicken, leaving the other half to snack on later! Set aside.

2)    Using a vegetable peeler, ribbon the courgettes lengthways. Work your way around the vegetable and into the middle, to create elegant spirals. Transfer to a large salad bowl and combine with the chicken. Mix in the olives and sundried tomatoes.

3)    Sprinkle the lemon zest over the salad before squeezing over the juice. Combine the olive oil with the raw honey (to cut the acidity of the lemons and the olives) before drizzling over the salad. Toss well, before adding your chopped herbs and seasoning to taste.

Paleo recipe Shredded Chicken with Courgette Ribbons, Kalamata Olives, Sundried Tomatoes and Lemon dinner lunch-min

Citrus Chicken, Parsnip and Swede One Pot paleo dinner recipe-min

Recipe: Citrus Chicken, Parsnip and Swede One Pot

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Perfect for those long, lazy Sundays when there isn't anything to do but sit and wallow in the wonderful fragrances spilling out from your oven, this no fuss ‘One Pot’ is about as simple and as satisfying as it gets. The unique flavours of the root vegetables marry together perfectly with the light citrus ‘zing’ – and best of all it saves on the washing up!

Citrus Chicken, Parsnip and Swede One Pot Ingredients:

  • 1 medium (approx. 1.5kg) chicken
  • 3 red onions
  • 2 oranges
  • 3 / 4 medium sized parsnips
  • 2 medium sized swedes
  • 3 / 4 carrots
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 large handful fresh lemon thyme
  • Half a lemon
  • 1 glass of white wine (or stock / water if preferred)
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

 Citrus Chicken, Parsnip and Swede One Pot How To:

1)    Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Take your largest lidded ovenproof cooking pot, halve two of the onions and one of the oranges and lay them at the bottom of the pot before resting the chicken on top.

2)    Peel and roughly chop the remaining onion and the rest of your veg. Nestle them in the pot along with the chicken.

3)    Stuff the chicken with the garlic cloves, bay leaves, half of the thyme and the lemon. Squeeze over the juice of the remaining orange and scatter the rest of the thyme into the pot. Season well, before pouring in the white wine / stock.

4)    Cover and bake for an hour, before removing the lid and raising the heat to 220C / 450F / Gas Mark 7. Cook for a further 25 minutes, until the chicken is nicely browned. Baste the meat and stir the veg once or twice if needs be.

5)    Check the chicken if fully cooked through by piercing the breast with a knife. If the juices run clear, then you’re ready to serve. Enjoy alongside your favourite greens or a fresh salad.

Citrus Chicken, Parsnip and Swede One Pot paleo dinner recipe-min

Recipe Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs schnitzel paleo network 680 min

Recipe: Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs

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The clue is in the name – these chicken thighs are suitably spicy and oh so satisfyingly crispy, thanks to a mix of ground almonds and desiccated coconut. Throw the soggy, batter coated, southern fried chicken portions in the bin – these are where it's really at. I used ginger, cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick and garam masala – but highly recommend experimenting and finding your favouite blend of herbs and spices. I used chicken thighs, but you can use the coating on wings – or whichever piece of chicken you prefer!

Recipe Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs schnitzel paleo network 680 min

Recipe: Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Southern
Prep time: 
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Everyone in the family will love these spicy chicken thighs!
Ingredients
  • 8 free range chicken thighs
  • 200ml thick coconut milk
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 50g desiccated coconut
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • Pinch salt
Instructions
  1. ) Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4
  2. ) In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk with all the spices. Stir in the almonds and coconut.
  3. ) One by one, add the chicken thighs to the mixture, ensuring an even coating covers each piece of meat. Arrange on a roasting dish, then transfer to the oven.
  4. ) Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with a fresh green salad.