Special K Crusted Chicken Sandwich

This was a super tasty chicken sandwich. I liked the crunch of the Special K in the sandwich and also the melty cheese on top.

Special K Crusted Chicken Sandwich (adapted from Simply Delicious)
(Serves 2)

60g flour

salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp buttermilk

50g Special K

2 chicken breasts, sliced in half, lengthwise

handful grated cheddar or mozzarella

4 slices bread

lettuce leaves

 

Preheat the oven to 200C.

 

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Mix together the egg and buttermilk. Put the Special K into a bag and bash with a rolling pin until you get crumbs. Then spread onto a plate.

 

Dip the chicken breasts first into the seasoned flour, then into the egg mixture and finally into the Special K crumbs pressing to make sure as many stick as is possible.

 

Lay the chicken onto a baking tray and bake for 10 mins until tender. Sprinkle over the cheese and back for another few mins until the cheese has melted.

 

Spread the bread with mayonnaise or barbecue sauce, lay the chicken on top of one slice of bread, top with the lettuce and then the other slice of bread. Serve.

Fish Finger Pie

I took the basic recipe and poshed it up a bit, out of necessity rather than by design. The original recipe is very simple; Frozen fishfingers, baked beans, potatoes and cheese. Out of those ingredients I only had baked beans and cheese, but what I did have was cod, a box of Special K, celeriac and swede, all viable substitutes. So using my initiative, I made my own fish fingers and made a slightly posher and less carb heavy version. I have to say it was delicious and definitely something I'll be making again.

Fish Finger Pie (adapted from This Mummy)
(Serves 4)

1/2 swede, cut into chunks
1/2 celeriac, cut into chunks
1 egg, beaten

85g Kellogs Special K, crushed

zest and juice 1 lemon

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp olive oil

400g skinless white fish, sliced into 12 strips

2 cans baked beans
50-100g cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Put the celeriac and swede in a saucepan full of water and cook for 20-25 mins.

Meanwhile, pour the beaten egg into a shallow dish. Tip the cereal onto a plate. Mix the lemon zest into the breadcrumbs along with the oregano and some salt and pepper.

 

Dip the fish strips into the egg, then roll them in the breadcrumbs.

Put the fish fingers in the bottom of a deep ovenproof dish and bake for 15 mins.

When the fish fingers are cooked, take the dish out of the oven and pour over the cans of baked beans. Return to the oven to warm the beans through for 3-5 mins.

When the celeriac and swede is done, mash with a knob of butter and a splash of milk and set aside.

Spoon the mash over the fingers fingers and beans and top with the grated cheese.

Return to the oven and cook for about 10 mins until the cheese is melted and going golden on top.

Scalloped Corn and Macaroni

Comfort food is the name of the game at the moment! This was definitely comforting. I ate this as a main dish and it was lovely and filling. I think the addition of tuna or chicken to it would work really well too and I may try that next time.

Scalloped Corn and Macaroni (from The English Kitchen)
(Serves 4)

1 340g tin of corn, undrained
1 418g tin of creamed corn
240g macaroni
115g cubed cheddar cheese
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
250ml milk
salt and pepper
handful crushed cornflakes
handful of grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Mix together the undrained corn, creamed corn, macaroni, cheese, onion and milk in a casserole dish, season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180C and bake for 25 to 30 mins. Uncover and stir, adding a bit more milk if it looks a bit dry. Cover and bake for an additional 15 to 20 mins until the macaroni is soft.

Cover with the cornflakes and grated cheese and then bake for an another 10 mins, uncovered, until lightly browned and the cheese on top is melted. Serve hot.

Cornflake Crumbed Plaice

This is a really easy and quick way to get breaded crunchy fish. The cornflakes give a different texture to breadcrumbs and also an extra crunch. I served it with new potatoes from the garden, mange tout, beans and tartare sauce.

Cornflake Crumbed Plaice (from Fish is the Dish)
(Serves 1)

1 plaice fillet, skinned and boned
salt and pepper
2 tbsp oil
50g cornflakes, crushed into small crumbs

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Take a large oven proof baking tray, and drizzle the oil over it. Put the plaice fillets on the baking tray and turn them over to coat in the oil. Season the plaice fillets with salt and pepper, turning over to season both sides.

Sprinkle the crushed cornflakes over the plaice fillets, turning them over to coat both sides.

Put the plaice in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until crumbs are crispy and the fish is opaque.

Turkey Lemon Cream Cheese Rolls

This turkey was delicious, a cornflake coating definitely adds that extra dimension of crunchiness and the turkey remained moist. I served it with baby new potatoes, asparagus, green beans and some mustard.

Turkey Lemon Cream Cheese Rolls (adapted from the Happy Lil Homemaker)
(Serves 4)

4-6 turkey breast steaks
100g extra light soft cheese

1 tbsp, chopped parsley

1/2 onion, finely chopped

squeeze lemon juice
30g flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper
1 egg, beaten
100g corn flakes, bashed into crumbs

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Place the turkey between sheets of greaseproof paper. Use a rolling pin, flatten to around 1/4 inch thick.

In a bowl, beat the cheese, parsley, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and lemon juice until blended.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each piece of turkey chicken. Coat the rolls with flour, dip in the egg mixture, then roll in the corn flakes.

Place the turkey in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until the turkey is cooked and the cornflakes look golden brown.

Cornflake Crusted Coley

So a little while ago I made Southern Baked Chicken which was covered in cornflakes and baked and was delicious. I had a lonely coley fillet in the freezer and really fancied fish and chips last Sunday but I had no breadcrumbs but I did have a small packet of cornflakes and as cornflake crumb worked with chicken I could see no reason why it wouldn't work with fish and it works fantastically with fish! It's also a good gluten free alternative to breadcrumbing.

I also had a saga with the chips. I thought as it was the day before school term started again I would treat myself with some fish shop chips, so I duly put my fish in the oven and run out to get the chips to fins that both the fish and chip shops near me are closed! So I then tried the fried chicken shop but I waited ages and there was no-one to be seen serving. As a last resort I went to Tesco and bought Microwave chips! Totally rubbish! Horrible, not crispy and mushy, but what did I expect?! I really should have just stayed at home and served them with boiled potatoes! So although the fish was delicious the accompaniment wasn't!

Cornflake Crusted Coley
(Serves 4)

4 coley fillets, skinned
1 egg, beaten
100g cornflakes, crushed and bashed with a rolling pin
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180C.

Spread the broken up cornflakes on a plate. Dip the coley fillets in the beaten egg and then into the cornflakes, pressing them, down a bit to make sure they stick and then place on a baking sheet, either covered in greaseproof paper or oiled.

Put the fish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until crumbs are crispy and the fish is opaque.

Southern Baked Chicken with Roasted Potato and Okra Salad

I have a love of the cooking of the Deep South, I would love one day to go over there and eat proper barbecue, shrimp and grits, mac and cheese, collard greens, gumbo etc. I have been watching episode after episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives to pick up tips for the best places to go! I've also been watching Cooking For Real and although I find Sunny Anderson really really annoying the food looks so good!

I thought I would have a go at making something vaguely Southern in my own kitchen. Now we all know how terrified I am of deep fat frying so I looked for an alternative to Southern Fried Chicken and it seems you can bake pretty much anything. This chicken is cornflake crumbed, ew right? Nope, it was delicious and crunchy, totally worked. I then served this with a roast potato and okra salad and an old bay and sour cream dip and it was fantastic. Will definitely be making the chicken again.



Southern Baked Chicken (from www.simply-delicious.co.za)
Serves 4

4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs
500ml (16.91 fluid ounces) buttermilk
1tsp salt
2tsp paprika
1tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cups cornflake crumbs (process the cornflakes in your food processor or place in a Ziploc bag and bash them with a rolling pin)
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp paprika

Coat the chicken with the buttermilk and spices and cover the bowl with cling-wrap. Allow to marinade in the fridge for up to 3 hours but no less than 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 220°c.

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture but don’t take off all the buttermilk, leave enough on so that the crumbs have something to stick to.

Combine the crumbs with the salt and paprika and coat the chicken.

Place the chicken on a wire rack over a roasting tray and place in the oven.

Because the heat of the oven is so high, you’ll have to check on the chicken every 7-10 minutes to make sure it’s not burning. If the chicken is browning too much in the first 10 minutes, turn your oven down to 180°c. The chicken should be cooked after approximately 25 minutes, just cut into a piece and make sure the flesh closest to the bone is not pink.

Serve immediately.


Roasted Potato and Okra Salad (from Gourmet Magazine July 2005)
(Serves 6 as a side dish)

2lb small potatoes such as fingerling, red, or yellow-fleshed
1 large bunch scallions, white parts halved lengthwise and remainder reserved for another use
2 large fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3/4lb small (2- to 3-inch) okra
2 cups shelled fresh broad beans (2 1/2 lb in pods) or shelled fresh or frozen edamame
1 cup fresh corn (from 1 to 2 ears)
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot

Roast potatoes and okra:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Halve potatoes lengthwise and toss with scallion pieces, rosemary sprigs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread potato mixture in a large roasting pan and roast, stirring once, 20 minutes. Stir potatoes and add okra to pan, tossing to coat. Continue to roast until okra and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes more.

Cook beans and corn while potatoes roast:

Cook beans in 1 quart (unsalted) boiling water in a 3- to 4-quart pot 3 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Gently peel off skins.

Return water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt, then cook corn until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain corn in a sieve and immediately transfer to bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain corn again.

Make dressing and assemble salad:

Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, chopped rosemary, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until combined. Discard rosemary sprigs, then add hot potatoes and okra to dressing along with beans, corn, and salt to taste, tossing to combine. Cool salad to warm before serving.