Serving up delicious and easy chicken dinners does not need to take hours, especially with the right ingredients
The versatility of chicken lies in that it is a “let’s see what I have in the cupboard” kind of meat. There are so many opportunities to spruce it up, and the options for what to do with it are only as limited as our creativity. But life does not always give us the time to be creative, so we have done that bit for you with a compilation of jazzed-up easy chicken ideas using a few of the spice blends from our range.
There are so many family tales that can be told about chicken dishes coming out of all kinds of kitchens, the beauty of which lies in the diversity of all these stories and what this simple protein means to different people. For some, it is the memory of grandpa sneaking a piece of the crispy roast chicken skin or mama’s glow as she sets a pot of steaming chicken stew down. It is mopping up remnants of a popping chicken curry sauce with a soft pillow of roti or burning your fingers, flipping a chicken kebab on your outdoor grill because you forgot your tongs inside the house. It is the smell of chicken crisping in a pan or the anticipation of a Sunday roast chicken before it hits the table.
Beyond the weekend, though, is the reality of our weekday life and all the bustle and hustle that comes with it. With a bit of planning, weekday meals can be as joyful and delicious as what we produce when we have hours of preparation time. We have put together a few quick and easy chicken meal ideas, most of which are either one-pot wonders or can be served up in under thirty minutes which is sometimes all most of us can spare Monday to Friday.
Let crispy, creamy, saucy, spicy chicken dishes fill your home and bring joy to your table with these menu ideas. Our Big Bang Spices are here for it, of course, each developed with natural and pure ingredients set to deliver fragrance, flavour, and beautiful visuals to help you create new memories day in and day out of your kitchen.
Here are ten quick and easy ideas to draw inspiration from:
Honey Tikka Masala baked chicken thighs: Tikka chicken is a lifelong craving. You never get over this dish, and it never gets old. Our Tikka Masala blend is a 100% natural blend designed to deliver all the sweet and fragrant delight you dream about in a Tikka chicken dish.
Mix up a paste of our Tikka masala blend with some oil and soft honey for something a little different. This can then be rubbed onto skinless and boneless thighs (just before you cook them or the night before) and baked in the oven at 350°F for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve this tasty chicken dish with steamed Basmati rice, charred asparagus, and a handful of chopped fresh coriander. A little lime and fresh ginger-infused yoghurt on the side will be lovely.
Creole Butter Chicken Thighs: Staying with the deboned thighs is a one-pan cook-up. Combine our Creole ‘Old Bay’ Seasoning with a bit of brown sugar and oil, and rub this paste onto the thighs. Cook the thighs in a pan with a bit of oil and butter/ghee, allowing them to char slightly by not pushing them around in the pan. Give each thigh around 7-8 minutes a side or cook until no longer pink in the middle. Remove the chicken and set it to one side; add a little fresh chopped garlic to the pan and a cup of chicken broth. Simmer and reduce the liquid until a sauce consistency is reached. Add the chicken back and top with lovely fresh herbs. Serve with a side salad and crunchy bread.
Creamy lime chicken and kale with white butter beans: We love the idea of using our Green Pesto Seasoning as a rub on flattened chicken breasts and then letting those flavours infuse into a sauce created in the same pan. Dry and season boneless and skinless chicken breasts and rub them with our Green Pesto Seasoning. Brown the chicken breasts in a skillet with a little vegetable oil or ghee for 8 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan when just cooked through and add the chopped kale, and saute until it begins to soften.
For those who’d prefer, Swiss chard is a lovely option instead of kale. Add a can of drained baked beans and cook until the beans have warmed through; add a can of creamy coconut milk, the juice, and the zest of two plump limes. Simmer the sauce until it has thickened slightly, and then add it back to the pan. This dish can be served atop any pasta or noodle in your cupboard or even aside mash rice or potatoes.
Garlic and ginger chicken with potatoes and charred broccoli – One skillet. 30 minutes. Make a quick marinade of soya sauce, hot sauce (Tabasco or Sriracha will do nicely), pepper, and salt. Toss a few skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into strips and set these aside. These can be left in their marinade well before they’re cooked. Par-boil some yellow baby potatoes for 10 minutes, drain and set aside. Par-boil some broccoli or green beans until just cooked. When it’s time to eat, cook the chicken in the pan; once it’s cooked through, push it to one side and add back the potatoes and your choice of greens. When heated through, sprinkle the potatoes with our Roast Potato Topping – don’t be bothered if the seasoning gets on the chicken; it’s all good.
Berbere chicken and lentils: for a protein kick packed with all the flavours and fragrances you could ask for, try our Ethiopian Berbere on any chicken cut. This aromatic blend with spice highlights such as cumin, chilli, coriander, cardamom, and ginger will have you giddy in the kitchen. This utterly addictive spice blend delivers a citrusy, warming note to your chicken dishes. Season a set of chicken fillets (bone-in or out) well with our Berbere blend for an easy Ethiopian-style chicken dish. Brown, the chicken in a pan in your preferred vegetable oil, season it with salt, and finish it in the oven. Simple as that! A lovely choice to serve this with would be lentils cooked in chicken stock and served with some sliced spring onions. A beautiful side salad will make for a perfect summer lunch or dinner idea.
Easy chicken Madras curry: this is the chicken curry recipe of your dreams, zesty and filled with all the dreamy delights of Chennai. For a fuss-free curry, fry off a little red onion, chopped coriander, grated garlic, and ginger in some ghee or oil until soft. Add your magical Madras blend and cook with the onion mix for a few minutes. Stir in some grated or chopped tomatoes (choose the reddest, ripest tomatoes on the block!), and stir in some creamy coconut milk. Next, add cubed chicken fillets into the sauce, cover and simmer until the chicken has cooked through; this should take roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze a little fresh lemon or lime juice before serving to balance the flavours, and sprinkle over some fresh coriander.
Chicken Baharat for busy folks: try this simple Arabic-style recipe for a delicious mid-week meal. Creating interesting dishes throughout the week doesn’t need to be a hassle when you have our selection of spices on your belt. The word “Baharat” means “spices” in Arabic, and it is also the name for this marvellous spice blend used commonly from North Africa to the Persian Gulf. Season a set of juicy chicken drumsticks (with or without the skin on) with our Middle Eastern Baharat Spice and some salt. Brown your chicken in a pan in ghee or vegetable oil and finish off in the oven. What can be easier than that? Serve your drumsticks with some couscous and a salad of diced tomato, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and chopped Italian parsley. You can cook your couscous in vegetable or chicken broth and add in a few slivers of almonds for crunch and soaked sultanas for a pop of sweetness. This spice can be rubbed over your Sunday night roast chicken for a whole new flavour experience in no extra time at all!
Best Jerk chicken with mango salsa: Enjoy the vibrant taste of the Caribbean with our Jerk Seasoning. We love the idea of charred chicken with the salty, sweet, and spicy addition of this jerk seasoning. Turn your humble Tuesday night dinner into something quite exciting. A crispy char is key to this classic Caribbean dish that delivers a bright and joyful plate of food. In a blender or food processor, blend up some onion, a deseeded green pepper, some jerk spice, fresh lime juice, and a little vegetable oil. Pour the marinade over your choice of thighs or chicken breasts and marinade for the day or overnight. When it comes time to cooking these beauties, all you need to do is pan-fry them or cook them on the grill outside for 10-15 minutes a side or until they are cooked. Get that skin charred beautifully and serve the chicken with a salsa of mango, corn, sliced spring onion, and a little dressing. This chicken will go well with a side salad and a savoury rice dish.
Moroccan-style juicy kebabs: Ras el Hanout hails as a spice from North Africa. In Arabic, Ras el Hanout means “head of the shop” which sets your expectations high for this spice. Pungent and versatile, this beautiful blend includes rose petals, making this fragrant and floral dish extra special. We love that chicken is a simple protein that allows the spices to show off against its mild flavour. Rub this spice onto chunky chicken cubes, thread them onto a kebab stick, and cook them on the barbecue or in a pan. Serve with a lovely chutney on the side and baked sweet potato, which you can drizzle with a little vegetable oil, chopped garlic, and ginger. Pop some steamed green beans alongside it all.
Fragrant Chinese 5 Spice Chicken: This beautifully balanced spice blend will hit you with the woodiness of fennel, cinnamon, and pepper. Roll a whole chicken before roasting it, or dip some tender chicken fillets into this powerful blend before frying them off. Serve with risotto or just rice cooked in mushroom stock and serve with mushroom gravy on the side. Steam some lovely bok choy or broccoli, and there is the most leisurely dinner you can imagine. To make a creamy version of this dish, dip the chicken in a combination of flour and our Chinese five spice blend before pan-frying them in a bit of oil or ghee. Remove the chicken and add a mix of a teaspoon of butter/ghee and flour with spice back into the pan, cook for a minute and then add milk slowly to create a white sauce. Allow this sauce to cook for a few minutes to ensure the taste of raw flour cooks out. This sauce can be flavoured with chicken stock and served over or alongside the meal. Chinese five spice is used in dishes across Asia – from Vietnam to Taiwan to China. Traditionally, this spice was used for medicinal purposes as it was believed to have healing properties and is now popular with foodies all over the world.
Wrapping it up
So, as you can see, there are so many easy ways of working with chicken during your busy week to create something special and exciting to end your day with. Weeknight dinners should be as special and memorable as our weekend dinners, and we hope our ten simple ways with chicken and our spice range have brought you some inspiration.