Preparation and cooking times

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10-12 mins

Method

1. Dry chicken with kitchen paper, then cut diagonal slashes over the smooth side. Mix spices with seasoning, then tip onto a plate.
2. Brush the chicken on both sides with the oil, then coat all over with the spice mix. Heat a barbecue, griddle pan or grill, then cook the chicken for 5-6 mins on each side until cooked through. Serve each portion with a dollop of guacamole.

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 20 mins

Cook 20 mins

Method

1. Put 8 wooden skewers in a bowl of water to soak. Mix the yogurt and curry paste together in a bowl, then add the chicken (if you have time, marinate for an hr or so). In a large bowl, toss together the cucumber, red onion, coriander and lemon juice. Chill until ready to serve.
2. Shake off any excess marinade, then thread the chicken pieces and cherry tomatoes onto the pre-soaked skewers. Cook under a medium grill for 15-20 mins, turning from time to time, until cooked through and nicely browned.
3. Stir the lettuce or pea shoots into the salad, then divide between 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 chicken tikka skewers and serve with the warm chapatis.

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 15 mins

Cook 40 mins

Method

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200/gas 7. Wipe the chicken thighs with kitchen paper. Finely grate the zest from 1 lemon and squeeze the juice from both. Mix in a shallow dish with the tarragon, 1 tbsp of the oil, and some salt and pepper. Slash the skin of each chicken thigh three times, then turn in the marinade. The chicken pieces can be cooked immediately or left in the fridge for up to a day.
2. Cut the potatoes into wedges and spread over a roasting tin. Toss in the remaining oil and sprinkle with paprika. Set a rack on top and arrange the chicken pieces on the rack. Bake for 30-40 mins, until the chicken is well browned and the potatoes tender. Serve with a simple green salad.

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 30 mins

Cook 30 mins

For the BBQ Chicken

• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 8 chicken drumsicks, preferably organic

For the Coleslaw

• ¼ white cabbage
• 1 small red onion
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• heaped tbsp Greek yogurt
• 2 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 large carrot
• 1 red-skinned apple
• 1 celery stick

Method

1. Mix the BBQ sauce: Open out the freezer bag, then spoon in the ketchup, honey, chilli sauce, soy sauce, oil, vinegar and spice. Close the bag and squidge the ingredients together to mix them.
2. Add the chicken: Make 2 or 3 deep cuts in the meaty part of the drumsticks with a sharp knife (this helps them take on lots of flavour from the sauce). Put the chicken in the bag with the sauce and tie shut. Wash your hands. Squidge everything together again so all the drumsticks are well coated. Leave out for 1 hr, or in the fridge overnight, to marinate.
3. Prepare the veg: Thinly slice the cabbage on a clean chopping board with a clean, sharp knife, then put it in the mixing bowl. Now prepare the other vegetables, adding them to the bowl as you finish preparing them. Peel the onion and finely chop. Thinly slice the celery stick.
4. Grate the apple and carrot: Take the apple (keep it whole and with the skin on) and grate up to the core. Turn the apple a quarter turn and grate again. Repeat until you are left with just the core. Be careful not to grate your knuckles. Peel, then cut the stalk end off the carrot. Grate the carrot and add to the bowl.
5. Cook the chicken: Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the chicken and sauce into a large roasting tin and space the drumsticks apart. Carefully put the roasting tin in the oven using oven gloves, then set the timer for 20 mins. When the time is up, carefully take the chicken from the oven. Brush the chicken with the glaze in the roasting tin, then return to the oven for 15 mins more.
6. Mix the coleslaw: While the chicken is cooking, mix the veg together with clean hands or a spoon. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard into the vegetables, then season with salt and pepper. Stir well. When the chicken is cooked through and golden, serve with the coleslaw.

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 5 – 10 mins

Cook 30 mins

For the Spare Ribs

• 4 x 500g packs pork spare ribs
• 1 bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped (green stems and all)
• 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 6 tbsp Appleton rum
• 6 tbsp demerara sugar
• 6 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 6 tbsp clear honey
• 6 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp ground allspice

Method

1. Tip the ribs into a big bowl (not a metal one) and throw in the spring onions, chilli and garlic. Now spoon all the remaining ingredients over the ribs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Get your hands in the bowl and turn the ribs over and over again until they’re coated in the sauce. (You can keep the ribs uncooked – tightly covered – in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for several months.)
2. Cook the ribs over a moderate barbecue for 20-30 minutes depending on their size, turning them over frequently and brushing with sauce each time. The turning and brushing is important, so that all four sides of each rib get encrusted with the sauce, which builds up like a lacquer. If you have any leftover sauce at the end, heat it up in a pan and pour it over the ribs just before serving.

Preparation and cooking times

  Prep 10 mins

FOR THE STEW

• 1 egg white
• 5 tbsp finely grated Parmesan
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 400g new potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 140g frozen peas
• good handful baby spinach leaves
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil

Method

1. Heat grill to medium and line the grill pan with foil. Beat the egg white on a plate with a little salt and pepper. Tip the Parmesan onto another plate. Dip the chicken first in egg white, then the cheese. Grill the coated chicken for 10-12 mins, turning once until browned and crisp.
2. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 10 mins, adding the peas for the final 3 mins, then drain. Toss the vegetables with the spinach leaves, vinegar, oil and seasoning to taste. Divide between four warm plates, then serve with the chicken.