Cajun chicken and sweet potato wedges
It's an unbelievable 30 degrees in London at the moment and I will quite happily strangle the next person to call it 'glorious' weather. I've been keeping it ultra cool with smoothie bowls and homemade popsicles (on the blog soon) but I had this sudden urge to make Cajun chicken. So I did. And it was so worth it. The heat from the oven is the only bit you'll break a sweat over; this is as simple as coating the sweet potato wedges and chicken breasts in olive oil and spices and then roasting in the oven. A bed of lettuce, rocket or mixed leaves is all you need to round this meal into perfect sunny day fare. Pack it in a little cardboard takeaway box and it could even be your tasty answer to fish and chips in the sun.
Smoked paprika is the star here, bringing its sweet and smoky flavour and bright red colour. For the sweet potato wedges, I like them thick-cut and with their skin on. I drizzle with olive oil and season with smoked paprika, garlic, salt and some freshly chopped rosemary. These take ages to cook so I pop them in the oven while I get on with prepping the chicken. For this, it's olive oil, smoked paprika and garlic again with the addition of mixed herbs (mostly dried oregano so sub this in if that's what you have), chilli flakes for a little heat and freshly ground black pepper. And that's it! Richa recently bought a bottle each of chilli- and garlic-infused olive oil and I tend to use these interchangeably but honestly any good olive oil will do.
Honestly, this was so good I made it two days in a row. I'll show you how I switched things up and made the best chicken chilli ever tomorrow but if you happen to make a double batch of this juicy, flavour-packed chicken, try shredding your extra chicken for sandwiches, salads or wraps. It's so fingerlickin' addictive, you'll definitely want to have it again and again.
Paprika and rosemary sweet potato wedges
Serves two.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 small sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or 2 finely minced garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
- salt, to taste
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Wash and scrub your sweet potatoes clean and then cut into thick-cut wedges with the skin on*.
Add all the ingredients to an oven-safe dish and combine well.
Bake for 40 minutes, flipping the wedges halfway through.
Notes: For lazy days, use this instead ;)
Cajun chicken
Serves two.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs or dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or 2 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1/3 teaspoon each or to taste
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 190°C.*
In a roasting tin, combine all the ingredients. Ensure the chicken breasts are evenly coated with the spices on both sides.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts. Flip over and then bake for another 15 minutes or until the centre is fully cooked.
If you decide to shred the chicken, do it in the pan using two forks so none of the spices left at the bottom of the pan get wasted.
Notes: I have a fan/convection oven so I've suggested 190°C. If yours is a conventional oven, bump the heat up to 200°C.
