Quick & Easy Family Meals

Sticky Chicken & Rice – A favourite at Ginger Towers!

Easy family meals are my holy grail and I’ve long battled with fussy eaters at my dinner table – although Harry’s palate has become far more mature in the last couple of years, he and Dominic can still be as picky as the next boys.

In Harry’s younger years, I was the stereotypical Annabel Karmel devotee, snapping up every book she churned out, thrilled to meet my heroine and have her sign one of her books for Harry at The Baby Show where I was running an event for a brand.

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He loved my take on many of her fussy-proof dishes but they weren’t all a big hit, even Annabel couldn’t penetrate his picky taste buds at times. Cue Dominic and he doesn’t take any prisoners when it comes to his likes and dislikes – Second Child Syndrome anyone? – he is the feisty one!

So when I hear about a dish they gobble up and ask for seconds, I’m on it like a car bonnet and today’s is one such fail safe recipe, which I must share with you all!It’s a standing joke in our house that left up to me, we would survive solely on chicken and rice, twice! And this dish is no exception.

Stolen brazenly from my dear, darling friend and confidante who happens to be Dominic’s outstanding childminder too, Kate cooks up this dish among others to plaudits every time.  Other easy family meals we love are Paella (recipe here) & Sicilian Caponata with Herbed Pork and Garlic Ciabatta (here)

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Easy peasy to make, and as with all good dishes, open to interpretation on what to add in to suit your own tastes, this is a good one to throw together in the morning and is happy to be left to marinade beautifully throughout the day while you head out to work.

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts diced, quantity to suit (I use 4 large ones for 4 of us, we love our chicken plus is shrinks in cooking of course)

2-3 tbsp Sesame Oil

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

3 tbsp Maple Syrup

3 medium garlic cloves crushed

1 tsp ground ginger

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Method

Throw it all together in bowl or freezer bag and squish it all together until all chicken is coated thoroughly. Let i tmarinade in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Later, cook for approximately 40 minutes in an ovenproof dish and cook up some rice and broccoli as accompaniments, or for bolder tastes, a nice winter slaw.

Et voila, a child-friendly, easy family  meal which covers all bases and creates barely any dishes to clear up. Wine o’clock anyone?

 

Have you made sticky chicken before? Do you have any other serving suggestions?

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