This is a meal we often enjoy at home. It is easy to make and tasty and a favourite with all of the family. There are a lot of good chicken producers and I always look for Bord Bia and Irish chicken on the label. I am particularly fond of corn fed chicken. I love the flavour. I have used chicken breast in this recipe, but sometimes I use skinless thigh fillets, which take a little longer to cook. There are nice spices in this recipe which add lots of flavour.
There is a great spice maker in Athlone, Okho, and you can find their spices in the Simply Better range at Dunnes Stores. They are hard to beat.
A good Irish yogurt is Killowen from Wexford. I visited Nicholas, Judith and Paula Dunne when filming for RTÉ. They make great yogurt without added sugar. They are the middle generation of the Dunne family with parents and children also involved; a three generation family farm.
For summer outdoor eating, I particularly like Wexford Preserves condiments and always keep some in the cupboard. They are made by Tom and Laura Sinnott with their Irish grown onions, tomatoes and chillies. This business was set up in 1988 by Tom's aunt, Ellen O'Leary. Another great family business with delicious products. You could use one of their products instead of making the mango salsa.
Neven Maguire is chef proprietor of MacNean House & Restaurant in Co Cavan
SPICED YOGURT CHICKEN KEBABS WITH MANGO AND RED PEPPER SALSA
Serves four to six
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
14 bamboo skewers (if using on a barbecue, soaked in cold water)
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sea salt
Grilled pitta bread, to serve
Mixed salad leaves, to serve
For the marinade
200ml natural yogurt
2 tsp mild curry spice seasoning
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp harissa spice seasoning
Zest and juice of ½ lime
For the mango salsa
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 small roasted red pepper, finely diced (from a jar is fine)
Zest and juice of ½ lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil or coriander, chopped
Sea salt
Method
1 Carefully place the chicken on the bamboo skewers, approximately four to five pieces of chicken per skewer, and set aside.
2 For the chicken marinade: In a large shallow dish place all the marinade ingredients together. Mix well to combine. Add the skewered chicken to the marinade and coat each of the skewers. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for two to three hours or in the fridge, or overnight.
3 To cook the chicken: Heat two tablespoons of rapeseed oil in a griddle pan until smoking hot. Carefully add the chicken to the pan (cook in batches if necessary). Season with salt.
4 Reduce the heat to medium and cook for two to three minutes. Carefully turn them over and brush/spoon over a drizzle of marinade. Allow to cook for a further three to four minutes, adding a little more rapeseed oil if necessary. Turn over the skewers regularly to ensure an even cooking. The chicken should take approximately eight-10 minutes to cook fully, depending on the size of the cubes. If the marinade begins to catch on the pan add a tablespoon of cold water.
5 For the mango salsa: Place the mango in a bowl and stir in the roasted red pepper, olive oil, sweet chilli sauce, lime zest and juice and basil or coriander. Season to taste. Cover with cling film and set aside at room temperature until needed or if preparing a day in advance, place in the fridge and remove and serve at room temperature.
6 To serve, place two or three skewers on top of grilled pitta bread (if using) and spoon the salsa into a small dish and serve alongside. Serve with mixed salad leaves.
Kitchen Cabinet is a series of recipes from chefs who are members of Euro-Toques Ireland, who have come together during the coronavirus outbreak to share some of the easy, tasty things that they like to cook and eat at home #ChefsAtHome
