A bit of a breast man.

That's me - I do like a bit of breast on my bird.  I've never been one to admire the alluring embrace of a thigh - I always found them too stringy and fatty.  The purity of the breast, how gentle you have to be with it and the reward, when you finally sink your teeth into one is unsurpassed.  I can manage a wing though, but only when they have been barbecued.


Cooking chicken breast is not a simple task.  It is deceptive how easy it can be to overcook and massacre a chicken breast - and let's not forget they are not cheap.  I paid nearly 8 quid for 2 breasts in my local butchers yesterday.


Chicken breast is best suited to quick exposure to high heats.  Searing on a griddle, skewering on the barbecue or blackening in a thick-based pan seems to be the best way to cook it.  You can curry it too, but you need to be extremely vigilant from the moment you dunk it into it's sauce.  I have lost count the amount of times I have overcooked my bird in a lal masale wali murgh (chicken in red pepper curry).  It was an education.


Mincing chicken breast is quite an uncommon occurrence outside of the Indian kitchen.  In fact, if my memory serves me correctly it was the Indian mother of a good friend of mine who first introduced me to home Indian cooking, and, in this respect, to minced chicken.  The Indians, and the Pakistani's are rather partial to their keema.  I once ate at a very tasty Pakistani restaurant in Manchester where they served me a hot curry made with a combination of lamb and chicken mince.  Sounds odd, tastes divine.


It is possible to mince chicken at home.  The Chinese method is to use two cleavers, one in each hand, and then gently pummel the breast into minced submission.  If you don't happen to have two cleavers at home (why would you?), then you can use a food blender.  You need to be careful when you use a blender - if you over-whizz it you end up with a chicken toothpaste.  Gentle pulsing until you have the right consistency is the correct method to follow when you use a blender.

Yesterday I had the luxury of a butcher at my dispense.  I asked him to bone me out some spare-ribs, and then to mince me 2 breasts.  I made sticky ribs (recipe has been mentioned before), and some spicy chicken burgers.  Here's how I made them:

Our BBQ yesterday!  Chicken burgers on the right.

Spicy Chicken Burgers

•   300g of minced chicken makes  4 decent-sized burgers. 
•   Add the mince to a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.
•   Add 1 teaspoon of regular paprika.
•   Add half teaspoon of chilli powder.

 

•     Add a good pinch of dried oregano.
•   Form into 4 balls, then, on a clean board, press them down with the heel of your hand to make patties.
•   Refrigerate for 1 hour.
•   When the barbecue is ready paint one side of the burger with olive oil and slap onto the grill.  it should take 4-5 minutes to be nice and golden, like mine above.
•   Whilst the first side is cooking, paint the other side with olive oil too (otherwise you'll get stuck).  Flip when ready.
•   Cook the other side for 4-5 minutes.

I am a bit paranoid with barbecuing - especially when chicken is concerned.  Salmonella does not feature highly on my list of things to do.  I always get a sharp knife and cut into one of the burgers, just to check it is cooked all the way through.