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The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G.K. Chesterton

Saturday 9 August 2008

A motley dish: Spicy Chicken, Olive and Capsicum Salsa

The other day for dinner, I made a dish that is not quite Spanish, Mexican nor Greek. Fortunately the combination of ingredients worked well, and it was pretty quick and easy to make - all the better for me because nowadays I want to avoid cooking laborious dishes over a hot stove. I also love the colours in this dish.

Chicken, Olive and Capsicum Salsa

Ingredients
500g chicken breast fillet, cut into bitesized cubes
1 teaspoon curry powder (I used Indian mix but it doesn't really matter what type - the idea is to get a variety of spices)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2cm length of ginger, chopped (or 2 teaspoon minced ginger)
3 cloves garlic, chopped (or 2 teaspoon minced garlic)
2 capsicum (I used the red and yellow variety), sliced
1x300g jar of spicy salsa
1-2 tablespoon of tomato sauce/ketchup
14 black pitted olives, halved

Method
1) Coat the chicken with the curry powder, spices and salt and pepper (if you have time, leave it to marinade for a few hours).
2) Heat oil in a pan on medium heat and saute the onion until softened (a couple of minutes).
3) Add the chopped ginger and garlic and stirfry for a minute until fragrant.
4) Turn up the heat to high and add the cubed chicken pieces and brown briefly (a minute or so) while stirring constantly to avoid burning the bottom of the pan.
5) Turn down the heat to medium, throw in the sliced capsicum, salsa, tomato sauce and the halved olives into the pan and stir (scraping up the browned roasted spices that may be stuck at the bottom of the pan).
6) Bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 5minutes or until chicken is cooked.
7) Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed (the spicy salsa, tomato sauce and olives should add plenty of salt and flavour to the dish already).

Serve with rice (or couscous) and vegetables (or salad) for a quick, easy and healthy meal.

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