Devilled Chicken

You would have to be living on the face of another planet right now, not to have realized that the price of food is sky-rocketing. Recent studies show that spiralling food costs have driven the annual cost of a family's groceries up by £1,100 a year, and there is no relief in sight. Unfortunately the costs of everything else are going up as well . . . petrol, heating fuels, electricity, clothing etc.



About the only thing most people have any control of in the case of rising costs, is the food budget, and it has been reported that some people are now cutting back to only one meal a day, whilst the higher end grocery shops (including the big wig Tesco's) are losing out to cheaper shops such as Aldi, Lidl and Asda, as families seek to make their food dollars go a bit further.



We, too, feel the pinch, even though there are only two of us . . . and a dog. Mitzie is eating a lot more table scraps these days and I am trying my hardest to not let anything go to waste. On the menu more often than not are inexpensive, economical meals such as this tasty chicken dish shown here today. It uses the cheaper cuts such as thighs and legs . . .



What I do to save money is I buy whole chickens and cut them into my own pieces, freezing each cut individually, so that I have bags of thighs, breasts and legs in my freezer at any given time. I also have bags of wings and backs, just perfect for making delicious stocks and soups. I do buy only free range chicken because I have a conscience, but even so, you will find that buying whole chickens and cutting it up yourself will save you a bundle on your food dollars, conscience or not!



Here's a great video by Pampered Chef which shows you how to do just that! Cut up your own chicken. With a good knife and a set of kitchen shears, it's really very easy to do.



Once my chicken is all cut up, I lay all the pieces out onto baking trays and freeze them. Once frozen, I then pop the individual cuts into heavy freezer bags. Freezing them individually like that means that I am free to take out as many or as few as I need at any given time!



This is one of my economical dishes. Cheap cuts of chicken marinated in a tasty spicy sticky marinade and then baked in the oven until they are scrummily glazed. I serve it with rice and a vegetable and it always goes down a real treat. If you are afraid of too much spice, cut out the cayenne pepper!



*Devilled Chicken*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Scrummy chicken that has been marinated in a delicious marinade spices and chutney and then grilled baked until glazed and succulently yummo!

6 chicken drumsticks
6 chicken thighs
1 TBS oil
3 TBS chutney, finely chopped or mashed
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp English Mustard (hot)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

With a sharp knife make several slashes deep into the chicken pieces, cutting down to the bone. Mis the oil, chutney, Worcestershire Sauce, mustard, cayenne, ginger and seasoning together in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces, tossing to coat them well with the marinade. cover and let stand for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.

Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet, brushing them with any extra marinade. Bake in the heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp, deeply golden, sticky and the chicken is cooked through. (The juices should run clear if pricked with a fork.) Serve hot or cold, as desired.



Are you really proud of all that you accomplish daily in your kitchen? Are your friends and family always "waxing" poetically after eating your home cooked food, begging for seconds . . . drooling after thirds??? Do you regularly prepare wholesome, delicious and nutritious food on a budget, whilst keeping the whole family happy???

If the answer is yes, then the Morphy Richards Home Made Cook of the Year competition might be for you! The folks at Morphy Richards are running a contest at present whereby they are looking for quality home cooks who not only cook delicious food, but who can also do it within a strict budget. They will be shortlisting three lucky cooks who will then be invited to the Women’s Institute’s Denman College on 5th December 2011, where they will have the opportunity to meet celebrity chef Brian Turner, and cook their dish for him.



(Image of Chef Brian Turner courtesy of Morphy Richards)

The cook that rustles up the food that Brian judges as the best will not only walk away with the prestigious title of ‘Home Made Cook of the Year’, but will also win a £1,000 Morphy Richards kitchen makeover, a Stoves Mini Range cooker, a Roberts DAB radio and a one day Women’s Institute cooking course for them and a friend. For more details be sure to check out the contest page with all the in's and out's and rules HERE. The winner could be YOU! Wouldn't that be fabulous!! Good Luck!!



Cooking in The Cottage today, a delicious Aubergine, Courgette and Tomato Gratin!