This is one of those dishes that everyone has a recipe for and it’s always a huge favourite. This popular recipe is typically made with a packet of brown onion soup powder, lots of chutney and mayonnaise. Heleen Meyer loves to take a recipe like this and give it her healthy spin. This way, you are sure to avoid unhealthy sugars, additives and unhealthy fats, without sacrificing any of the flavour. The recipe is still quick and easy to make and will definitely be a regular on your menu.
Chutney is a true South African ingredient but contains a lot of sugar. Heleen made a few clever changes to the typical recipe, to reduce the sugar and make it lower in unhealthy fat while ensuring that it remains the comforting dish everyone knows it to be. She used much less chutney and plain low-fat yoghurt instead of mayonnaise. Then she adds cornflour as the thickener instead of soup powder to create the creamy sauce. The orange juice or Rooibos in the sauce may sound like a strange addition, but it combines so well with the chutney and chicken. That, together with the onion slices, adds lots of flavour. Do try this recipe; no one will even notice the difference, and it will be so much healthier for you.
Chutney chicken
Recipe by Heleen Meyer for Cooking from the heart SA
Serves 4 – 6
6-8 chicken portions e.g. drumsticks and thighs, skin and all fat removed
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 cup (250 ml) plain low-fat yoghurt
½ cup (125 ml) good-quality chutney
½ cup (125 ml) orange juice or Rooibos tea
½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt
2 tsp (10 ml) cornflour, mixed with water to make a paste
1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Place the chicken and onion in a large oven dish.
2. Mix yoghurt, chutney, juice or tea, salt and cornflour paste and evenly pour over the chicken.
3. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked.
4. Serve with small portions of brown rice or mashed potatoes and any green veggies of your choice. For an extra healthy version, enjoy the chicken as is, just with some lightly cooked green vegetables or a big salad.
Tip:
Pork chops with all the fat removed, can be cooked in the same way. Add cubes of butternut to the oven dish for extra flavour.
Visit Heleen’s website (www.heleenmeyer.co.za) for more recipes like this.
Image by Adel Ferreira