Spicy crispy ‘no fry’ chicken, potatas bravas & cavolo nero.

Serves; 2.

Cooks in; 50 mins.

Preparation time; 20 mins.

Difficulty; medium.

This recipe comes to your rescue on a Friday or Saturday night when your looking for something a little more ‘indulgent’. A great replacement for fried chicken and chips (lets face it, we all crave it sometimes). This is a great recipe to awaken chicken and potatoes in the fridge that you might be wondering, what else can I possibly do with them. This meal is also a great post workout meal packed full of protein, carbs and leafy greens.

Why cavolo nero?

It’s high in fiber and nutrients like vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, iron, and manganese.  Cavolo nero also contains antioxidants, including flavonoids that may help with inflammation and heart health.

Why cayenne pepper?

Cayenne pepper is rich in compounds called polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties that maintain the health of the heart, brain, and blood vessels. Studies suggest that consuming antioxidant-rich foods may lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack, cancer, and stroke.

For the ‘no fry’ spicy crispy chicken;

2 chicken breasts (I use one chicken breast per person, cut into large chunks)

200g of ground almonds

2 tablespoons of paprika

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

1 Egg

Handful of parsley (roughly chopped)

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

For the potatas bravas;

Half a tin of chopped tomatoes (I use Dr.Organic)

10 vine cherry tomoatoes

Half an onion (diced)

2 garlic cloves (diced)

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Half of teaspoon of cumin

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

4 large potatoes (I use 2 large potatoes per person, chopped into medium size shapes)

For the side veg;

Pack of cavolo nero (roughly chopped)

For serving (optional);

Spinach (roughly chopped)

Ingredients.

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, chop your potatoes into medium size pieces, place on a lined tray and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until cooked and crispy. I tend to like mine crispy so may often bake slightly longer.

  2. While the potatoes are cooking in the oven, you can begin to prepare your spicy crispy ‘no fry’ chicken. Place your ground almonds, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and chopped parsley into a flat bowl to form the crumb coating.

  3. Then chop your chicken into chunks in another bowl. Crack and whisk your egg and then cover the chicken with it. Mix the chicken in the egg so all chunks are fully coated. Then start by taking one chunk at a time and rolling in your crumb coating mixture and then place on tray ready to go into the oven.

  4. Place your crumb coated chicken in the oven with around 20-25 minutes left on the potatoes. Cook for longer if needed.

  5. As your chicken and potatoes are cooking you can prepare your bravas sauce. In a frying pan add your onion and cook for two minutes, then add your garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add your cherry tomatoes and cook until they soften and skins crack. At this point use a masher and gently press down on the tomatoes. This will then create a chunky liquid sauce.

  6. Add your chopped tomatoes, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper. Cook through for 10-15 minutes and then place in a blender (I use my nutribullet) to smooth out into your potatas bravas sauce.

  7. Bring to boil a pan of water. Cook your chopped cavolo nero in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes.

  8. Plate your cooked chicken and cavolo nero. Then throughly mix half the bravas sauce with your hot potatoes. Adding your fresh chopped spinach on top. Leaving the other half of the sauce to dip your chicken in or to add more to your potatoes if desired.

Method.