Cranberry chicken with sticky sprouts and red cabbage fried rice
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4–6
- Dietary
- Dairy-free
This festive dish takes the flavours of Christmas but presents them in a totally unique way.
Ingredients
For the sausage meat
- 4 sausages, casings removed and meat crumbled
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch mace
- pinch mustard powder
- 1½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chicken
- 2 chicken thighs, boneless and skin removed, thick parts slit with sharp knife
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 100g/3½oz plain flour
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- 150g/5½oz panko breadcrumbs
- groundnut oil, for deep-frying
- small bunch fresh chives, finely snipped, to garnish
- pinch golden pepper, to garnish
For the cranberry sauce
- 200g/7oz cranberries
- 1 orange, juice only
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
For the sprouts
- 500g/1lb 2oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 75g/2½oz dried cranberries, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Seville orange gin
- 1–2 tbsp light soy sauce (ideally low sodium)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch dried chilli flakes, to garnish
- small handful chestnuts, toasted and chopped, to garnish
For the rice
- 1–2 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 250g/9oz unsmoked bacon lardons
- pinch Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
- handful red cabbage, finely shredded
- 500g/1lb 2oz cooked Jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce (ideally low sodium)
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1–2 pinches cracked black pepper
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced
Method
To make the sausage meat, place the meat in a bowl and add the nutmeg, mace, mustard powder and Chinese five-spice powder. Season with salt and pepper and mix. Set aside.
To make the chicken, place the chicken in a bowl and mix with the salt, black pepper and Chinese five-spice powder.
Completely encase each chicken thigh with the sausage meat mixture.
Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs separately in three wide, shallow bowls.
Dip a chicken thigh into the flour, then into the egg, coating it well. Dip the thigh into the breadcrumbs, coating it well. Repeat with the other thigh.
Pre-heat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Fill a deep frying pan or large wok with 2.5cm/1in groundnut oil. Heat the oil to 150C or until a piece of bread turns golden in 15 seconds. Gently lower the chicken thighs into the oil and cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Turn to cook on the other side for 2 minutes. Keep cooking and turning occasionally until golden.
Place the chicken in a baking tray and cook for 8–10 minutes. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
Remove from the oil and transfer to drain on plates lined with kitchen paper.
To make the cranberry sauce, place the cranberries, orange juice, star anise, cinnamon, sugar and 500ml/18fl oz water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes and carefully strain. Add the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce until glossy and shiny.
To make the sprouts, bring a saucepan of water to boil, add the sprouts and par-boil for 2–3 minutes. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat and fry the cranberries and sprouts for 20–30 seconds. Add the gin and cook to infuse the flavour.
Add the soy sauce and maple syrup and cook for 1–2 minutes until sticky.
Garnish with the chilli flakes and chestnuts.
To make the rice, heat the oil in a wok over a high heat until smoking and fry the onion for less than 2 minute. Add the lardons and Chinese five-spice powder and cook for a few seconds. Pour in the Shaoxing rice wine and dark soy sauce. Add the red cabbage and toss for 20 seconds.
Tip in the rice using a wooden spoon or metal spatula and stir to separate the grains. Toss for 1–2 minutes.
Drizzle in the light soy sauce and toss to coat the rice. Mix in the lemon juice, sesame oil and black pepper. Sprinkle over the spring onions.
Serve the chicken dressed with the cranberry sauce and garnish with the chives and golden pepper. Serve with the sprouts and rice alongside.
