PIRI PIRI CHICKEN & CAULIFLOWER PILAF

I was recently visited by a relative who had Type 2 diabetes and this prompted me to find some diabetic friendly recipes that were not only easy to make but also tasted great. I explored the recipe section on the Diabetes.org.uk website and found two recipes that I tried out and liked: Piri Piri Chicken and Cauliflower Pilaf. I’ve always thought of cauliflower as a boring vegetable but this pilaf has converted me into a cauliflower lover! The Pilaf has a similar texture to couscous and is quite filling, which was a relief because I’m a bit of a carb junkie and I often don’t feel full unless I’ve have some carbs. I really like the fact that these healthy and nutritious recipes are so easily accessible, so well done Diabetes UK for providing such a great resource!

Have a look at the instructions below on how to make these dishes; I did tweak both of the recipes to cater to my taste (I can’t live without a bit of salt!) and also to utilize what I had available in my kitchen, but if you want to follow the original recipes then click here for the Piri Piri chicken  and click here for the Cauliflower Pilaf.

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Piri Piri Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1kg Chicken thighs (skin removed and trimmed of visible fat)
• 5 Bird’s Eye chillies, finely chopped (you can omit this or reduce the amount)
• 4 Garlic cloves , crushed
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Juice of 1 Lime or Lemon

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken in a bowl and the chillies, garlic, paprika, salt and lime/lemon juice. Mix well so the chicken is coated. Set aside for 15 minutes or place in the fridge and leave overnight (I left mine in the fridge for 4 hours).
2. Preheat oven to 190ºC and place chicken on an oven tray lined with aluminium foil.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Cauliflower Pilaf

Ingredients:

• 1  Medium cauliflower
• 2 tsp Rapeseed oil
• 4 Spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 Garlic clove , crushed
• 1 Red pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp Ground cumin
• 1 Chicken Knorr Stock Cube (with no added MSG)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Good pinch of black pepper
• 150g Frozen peas
• 25g Craisins (or sultanas)
• 1 tbsp Coriander, finely chopped (but mint is also really good with this recipe)
• 1 Large handful of raw almonds

Instructions:

1. Wash the cauliflower first, then remove the stalks and roughly break into pieces. Hand grate or blitz in a food processor until it resembles couscous grains.
2. Add the cauliflower to a bowl, cover with cling film and pierce the film a couple of times. Cook in the microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. Once cooled, place the cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and squeeze over the sink to remove excess water ( I omitted this step because I wanted to retain as much moisture as possible).
4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the spring onions, garlic and red pepper, stirring for 2 minutes. Crumble the stock cube and add this to the saucepan. Then add the cumin, salt, and pepper and mix well.
5. Add the frozen peas and craisins and cook for a further 2 minutes.
6. Stir in the cauliflower and top with coriander and almonds.