mango chutney chicken pilaf

… as part of the incredible Farmison meat and cheese delivery I received last week I was sent a stunning herb-fed free-range chicken… she’s a real beauty, nice and plump and perfect for a big family roast.  Now, as you know, it’s just little old me who eats meat at Belleau Cottage so sometimes I need to be creative with the meat I buy and eat… unless I have plans for meat-eating friends to visit I like to portion my food so that it lasts and is less wasteful… this is particularly easy with a chicken that can be spread over a few meals and for this particular chicken I had plans to spread it as wide as possible which began with an interesting and very sweet roast…

… the very good people at Geeta’s sent me a mesmerising pot of award winning Mango Chutney to encourage me to enter their Chutney Challenge… it’s pretty simple really, I have to get creative with the chutney and share my recipe with all my lovely blogger friends…so last weekend I made a very simple marinade by combining half the jar of mango chutney with a few tablespoons of Greek yoghurt and let the chicken marinade for an hour or so before roasting… the resulting chicken was golden and glorious and much lighter in flavour than the Mango Chutney Chicken Thighs I baked a month or so ago… however, it was swiftly divided into portions, most of which headed for the freezer whilst a good quarter made it into this rather wonderful and very aromatic mango chutney chicken pilaf…

mango chutney chicken pilaf with orange zest
when you want something that is less cloying and thick than a risotto but still need a meal that is simple to cook but filling to eat a pilaf is a good answer… you can add any veg you like and infuse it with any number of spices but when your chicken is as good and flavoursome as this, keeping it simple with just a dash of curry powder and some orange zest at the end, is an excellent idea… oh and it’s all in one pot too so there’s no big mess either…

for the marinade
4 tablespoons greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons Geeta’s Mango Chutney
1 chicken or 4 chicken portions

for the pilaf (serves 2 people)
4oz basmati rice or brown rice
1 medium onion – very finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon medium curry powder
1 carrot – very finely chopped
1 stick of celery – very finely chopped
1 portion of roasted chicken – shredded or cubed
a handful of peas or any other frozen veg
1 pint vegetable stock
the juice and zest of half an orange
olive oil and seasoning

firstly you need your roast chicken… i’ve combined the yoghurt and Geeta’s mango chutney into a marinade and rubbed it all over the chicken and then roasted it slowly until golden and succulent.  Shred the left-overs for the pilaf.

heat some butter and olive oil in a heavy pan, saute the onions, carrots and celery until soft, then add the curry powder and saute for another five minutes or so.

throw in the chicken followed by the rice and stir, then add the stock and cover.  Simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the pot is dry and rice is fluffy… add the peas, orange juice and grated zest at the end and stir.

serve with a little extra dollop of mango chutney and some Greek yoghurt

eat and of course, enjoy!