Firey Red Chicken

I woke up very hungry this moring having had a dream about a spicy red capsicum (pepper) sauce with chickien - of all the things to dream of!. I've been wanting to make making this recipe for a while and today is the day. Usually I would not post it on my blog before being tested but in my head, i think it will work. It's packed with flavor which I know to some people is a big no, no but I dont see how you can go wrong with this!.

I've called this red chicken - You'll see why. Dont be put off by all the ingredients. With both the pesto and the capsicum sauce you can make in bulk and will last in the fridge for at least a week drizzled with olive oil.

Firey Red Chicken

Red Pesto
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Oil-packed sun-dried tomato
1/2 Cup Pine nuts
3 Cups Fresh Basil
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves
Pinch Salt
1/2 Cup Fresh grated Parmesan
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly ground pepper

Method:
Drain and chop the sun-dried tomatoes. In a food processor process the sun dried tomatoes with the basil and garlic, pulsing the motor until the mix is chopped coarse. Add the Parmesan, pine nuts, and around 2 tbsp of the oil and process for 10 seconds. With the motor running add the remaining oil, little salt, and the pepper. Scrape down the side of the processor bowl, and process the mix until it is well combined.

Red Capsicum (pepper) sauce
Ingredients:
1 Small brown onion, chopped
2 small red chilli, chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Red capsicum
1 tbsp tomatoe puree
1/2 tsp smoked paprike
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
2 fresh tomatoes
Pinch saffron

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Wash the red capsicum and place into the heated oven to cook for around 30 minutes. Once softened and the skin balckened, remove and place into a bowl covered with cling film/glad wrap for around 10 minutes. Another quick alternative is to heat the gas cooker top if you use gas, place the capcisum on the gas and turn each time the skin blackens turn it around. Place in to a bowl, clover with cling film/glad wrap and leave to cool.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, garlic & chilli for 5 minutes until soft. Add the paprika, saffron, tomato puree and tomatoes. Cook gently until thickened then add the stock.

Once the capsicum is softened, peel off the skin, remove the seeds and slice. Add to the tomato mix and cook well. Leve to the side and allow to cool. Once cooled, transfer to a blender and blend to a smooth, thick paste. you can add more water is you like a slightly runnier sauce.

Chicken and Chorizo
Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts or Thighs with bone for jucier chicken
Seasoning
1 Good Quality Chorizo Sausage

Putting it all together
Method
Pre-heat the oven on 180 Degrees.

With a sharp knife slice the Chorizo into rounds and then cut into quarters. In a dry pan over a medium heat, add the chorizo and cook until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside but keep the pan with juices for later.

Take the chicken fillets, make a slit along the chicken fillet deep enough to fill without cutting all the way through. Spread a think layer of the red pesto into the cut, add the cooked small pieces of chorize and secure the chicken together with tooth picks, cooking string or you can even use a rasher of bacon to wrap but then your getting a little too carried away on flavor. Heat up the same pan used to cook the chorizo with the oil and fry the chicken until brown on both sides. Remove and place into the heated oven for 15 minutes to cook a little further. The fillets/thighs should be brown and crispy on the outisde and juicy in the centre.

Place the Capsicum sauce into a pan and heat through. Once heated, place around 4-5 tbsp of the capcisum sauce in the centre of a large serving pasta plate. Place the cooked chicken on the top. Sprinkle with a little parsley (optional) and serve with either baby roast potaotes or simply some green beans/monge tout.