5 spice chicken with cauliflower purée and baby spinach recipe

Yum! Here’s a recipe for when you don’t want to sacrifice flavour for health – five spice chicken with cauliflower purée and baby spinach.

I was lucky enough to attend a cooking workshop with Sue-Anne Allen, SA Masterchef runner-up, as part of an awareness-raising campaign about diabetes last week. After hearing from a dietician about the theory of managing diabetes, we heard about the practice first-hand from actress Keketso Semoko: Ma Agnes from Isidingo! It turns out that managing diabetes isn’t all about the drama of pretending to be a junkie and mainlining insulin. Mostly, the precautions that Keketso takes are ones that every healthy person should do: make sure you get enough sleep, exercise daily, and keep a packet of peanuts&raisins on you for emergencies. Oh, and take your meds.

Give this recipe a try: the spice mix is amazing. If you’ve had bad experiences with bone-dry grilled chicken breast before, never fear: the milk and honey marinade keeps everything juicy here. Even though watching Sue-Ann do everything with such flair was impressive, it’s really not difficult to replicate: and it’s quick, too!

5 spice chicken with cauliflower purée and baby spinach recipe

Ingredients – 5 spice chicken

4 skinless chicken breasts

2 tbs five spice powder

1 tbs honey

200 ml fat free milk

2 tsp salt

1 tbs black pepper

30g fresh coriander chopped.

45 ml Olive oil

200 g baby spinach leaves – washed and drained

Ingredients – cauliflower purée 

750g Cauliflower florets

100ml low fat cream

50ml low fat milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the purée:

1. Place the cauliflower in a medium sized saucepan with 100ml of water, replace the lid and steam over medium heat for 15 minutes until cauliflower is soft.

2. Remove the lid and allow the liquid to evaporate.

3. Add the cream and milk and allow to cook with the cauliflower for 2-3 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Season to taste. Replace the lid and keep warm.

For the chicken:

1. Butterfly the chicken breast and place in a flat baking dish, rub each breast with the five spice powder, ensuring it has been worked into each breast.

2. Drizzle with honey and then pour over the milk. Allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes. Do not leave it for longer as the chicken will go powdery when cooking as the proteins break down.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, and carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan. Fry the breast for 2 ½ minutes each side, they will start to take on a lovely brown colour and release juices into the pan.

To assemble:

Spread the  purée on the plate and arrange with the spinach leaves neatly, then place a chicken breast on top and drizzle with the pan juices. Garnish with the chopped coriander.

All photos courtesy of Novo Nordisk’s Changing Diabetes Campaign.

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