Published: 26 May 2011
by CLARE LATIMER

FOOD is going up in price all the time at the moment what with the cost of petrol and now the drought that has hit our farmers so hard there is no light at the end of the tunnel for us buyers, so we will have to be cunning. 

There is such a demand for chicken breasts that it does mean that the price of the other bits such as legs and wings are much cheaper. 

They are just as tasty if not more so due to being cooked on the bone which gives more flavour. 

Please do remember to buy free range chicken which will be a bit more pricey but they won’t have had awful lives crammed into cages. Just eat a little less if the price is still hurting.

Spanish chicken dish

This dish would go very well with boiled white rice with some fresh herbs chopped in at the last minute and a splash of olive oil.  

A green salad would also go well. Remember that a good glass of deep rich red Rioja would go a treat as well!

Ingredients • Serves 4
4 free range chicken legs
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
2 red peppers, topped, cored, deseeded and chopped
2 courgettes, topped and tailed and sliced
100g chorizo sausage, cut into small cubes
5 large ripe tomatoes,
1 glass of full bodied red wine
2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / gas 4.

Put the olive oil into a large heat proof casserole dish and add the chicken legs and smoked paprika. Fry over a high heat to brown the skin of the chicken on all sides. Reduce the heat and add the onions and garlic and fry gently until they are soft. This will take about five minutes on a low to medium heat. 

Add the thyme, peppers, courgette and the Chorizo and fry gently for a further few minutes to soften and infuse the flavours.  Meanwhile boil the kettle. 

Nick each of the tomatoes with a sharp knife and then place into a small heat proof bowl. Pour over the boiling water and leave for about one minute. 

Drain, rinse in cold water and then peel the skin off the tomatoes. Chop them up and add to the onion mixture.   

Add the red wine, sweet chilli sauce, salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir well to mix all the flavours.

Cover with a lid and then cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the chicken legs are cooked well.

Sweet and spicy chicken wings

This is a fabulous sticky gooey dish and best eaten with your fingers and a finger bowl. Also a great favourite with children but perhaps leave out the chilli. This will also work well on a barbecue if this weather lasts. Just remember lots of napkins.

Ingredients • Serves 6

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 good knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
Grated rind of 2 oranges
6 Spring onions, roots removed and then chopped
1 red chilli, topped, deseeded and chopped
1 kg free range chicken wings
1 tbsp runny honey
Good splash soya sauce
Freshly ground black pepper.

Method

Put the garlic, ginger, orange rind, spring onion and chilli into a small blender and wiz until well mixed into a paste. 

Put the honey and soya into a large bowl and add the blended paste. Mix well and then add the chicken wings. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least a few hours or over night. Stir occasionally.

Preheat the oven 200C / 400F / gas 6.  

Place the chicken wings into a large non stick baking tray and spread out. 

Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the wings are golden brown, sticky and cooked through. Serve hot or cold.