Saturday, 31 July 2021

A variation on a theme …

 … and back to our friend Sally's recovery.

When you're recovering from serious illness, your palate changes – food that you loved previously no longer hits the spot and doesn't taste the same. This could be due to various elements, from medication you take to not being active and not wanting the red meat you used to enjoy.

Sally loves chilli con carne which I've made for her during her recovery. Sally happened to mention that she'd “gone off” red meat. Hmm, I can do something for her – not revolutionary but an adaptation of an existing recipe, hence chilli con pollo – in other words chicken chilli.

It's the same as my original “posh chilli” recipe - a fast chilli served in a bowl, topped with a spoonful of sour cream and baked bread on the side – or fries or wedges if that's your bag!

It can be made ahead in a large frying pan on the hob, requiring re-heating only and adding any variations of your choice. If you have a frying pan that is suitable for the oven too, then so much the better.

Chilli con pollo

Serves 4


500g diced chicken fillet

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed


tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder

(to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)


500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce


390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed


A word of warning – DO NOT slow cook tinned red kidney beans, they should be added at the final stage.

Method and optional extras up next


No comments:

Post a Comment