Summer is around the corner, the days are longer and the weather is getting warmer. ‘Tis the season for laid-back and easy cooking. No one wants to be stuck in the supermarket aisle or sweating over a stove while everyone else enjoys the sunshine. We’ve rounded up 5 recipes that only need 5 ingredients to cut down on time spent in the kitchen. They are simple, quick and epitomise the fresh flavours of the season.
The last thing you want to be worrying about as you embrace the frivolities of summer is nasty, harmful additives in your foods. Perdue Harvestland chickens are raised cage free and fed an all vegetarian diet. They are never given antibiotics or hormones which can trickle down into your system. Perdue’s Harvestland organic range means your chickens are as happy and free as a Bermudian on a long weekend. They make the perfect base from which to build these fresh and flavourful summer dishes.
Lemon Chicken with Asparagus
Nothing elevates a meal (or impresses a table of hungry people) like caramelized lemon slices. Chicken thighs are the juiciest meat you can get on the chicken and create a luxurious yet simple sauce that coats fresh asparagus.
Ingredients:
1 lb Harvestland Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Lemon pepper seasoning
¼ cup of flour
2 lemons
1-2 cups of chopped asparagus
This recipe assumes you have a couple pantry staples:
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Wrap the chicken thighs in Saran wrap and pound them to about ¾ inch thick. Place flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken through the flour to coat. Melt the butter in a large pan or cast iron skillet. Sauté the chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side seasoning with the lemon pepper as you go. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan. Add the chopped asparagus to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes until bright green. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lay the lemon slices flat on the bottom of the pan and cook for a few minutes. Don’t disturb the lemon slices between flipping to get a good sear. Remove the lemons from the pan and set aside. Place the chicken in the pan with the residual butter and lemon juice, surround with asparagus and top with lemon slices, and serve in the pan.
Shredded Chicken Taquitos
Mexican is the best warm weather food. Wash these super simple baked chicken taquitos down with an ice-cold juicy marg, we just so happen to have an amazing recipe for Pineapple Jalapeño Margarita.
Ingredients:
1 lb Harvestland boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans of refried beans
2 packs of small flour tortillas (20 tortillas in total)
2 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
3 cups of fresh guacamole
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a pot of chicken stock or salted water to a boil and poach chicken breasts for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Remove from the poaching water, pat dry and shred with two forks. Grease two large baking trays with cooking spray. Start prepping your taquitos, lay out a tortilla and spoon 2 tablespoons of refried beans down the middle. Top with guacamole, cheese and shedded chicken. Roll up the tortilla and place seam down on the baking tray. Repeat until the filling is done. Mist the tortillas with cooking spray to promote extra crispiness. Bake for 12-20 minutes a serve immediately.
BBQ Chicken Wings
Summer means bar-be-ques, beers and long evenings shared with family and friends. Chicken wings are fiddly and burn easily on the grill, but put them in the oven with a luscious, flavoursome sauce and you have a hands-free crowd pleaser.
Ingredients:
2 lbs Harvestland Chicken wings cut into 2 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
Directions:
The night before the barbeque in a glass mixing bowl combine the sugar, orange juice, soy sauce and garlic with ½ cup of water. Add the Harvestland chicken wings and cover with a reusable silicone lid or beeswax wrapper and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. 3 hours before serving preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place chicken wings in a glass baking dish and pour over the remaining marinade. Bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours until the marinade transforms into a sticky, delicious BBQ sauce and serve.
Skillet Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
A low carb twist on an Italian classic, this dish works great al fresco summer dining and pairs beautifully with a frosty glass of sauvignon blanc under the stars.
Ingredients:
1 lb of Harvestland Fresh Ground Turkey
1 Spaghetti squash, 2 ½ – 3 pounds
½ course breadcrumbs
½ cup mozzarella, grated
1 jar of marinara sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, cut the squash in half through the stem and scrape out the seeds. Drizzle the cut sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast for 40-60 mins. Scoop out the strands into a bowl and put to the side. In your ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add Harvestland Ground Turkey, season with salt and pepper. Sauté turkey, until its browning and break apart to cook evenly. Reduce to a low heat and add marinara sauce and simmer infusing with the flavourful turkey. Remove from heat, add the squash, half the cheese and combine. Top with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs, place in the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling. Serve in the skillet.
Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken Thighs
May is hot in Bermuda and kitchens don’t often have air conditioning. Even for those who love to cook, sweating over a stove in summer is an unappealing way to spend a beautiful Bermudian evening. Mongolian Chicken thighs in a slow cooker is our solution. Juicy, umami flavours delivered straight to the table.
Ingredients:
1 lb of Harvestland Chicken Thighs (skin-on, bone-in)
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoon ginger, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Sesame seeds and sliced green onions are optional garnish
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Season the Harvestland chicken thighs with salt and pepper, place the thigh skin side up in the slow cooker and pour the marinade over them. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Garnish with sesame seeds or green onions and serve on warm plates.
Perdue Harvestland products are available in grocery stores island-wide.
For more information regarding each product, visit www.perdue.com
