Lip-smacking, nutritious and quick, this grilled chicken is fit for a king!

This recipe ended up becoming one of my favourites simply because it is nutritious, easy and wonderfully flavourful.

Eating healthy can not only be boring, it can also be intimidating and expensive. However, if you minus the fancy stuff you see in trendy magazines, you will realise that good food is just simple food.

Thus, I came across a recipe which I ended up becoming one of my favourites simply because it is delicious, nutritious and a super quick fix.

The ingredients you will need are your everyday items lying around the house, and really, you can improvise with anything you like. The chicken breast, obviously, is the only real necessity, but the other ingredients can be a medley of whatever you prefer. This method below, though, is my favourite way to cook grilled chicken.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Preparations:

Cut the boneless chicken breast into one-inch thick slices and make a few cuts on the top and bottom (not very deep just a centimetre or so). I used two whole chicken breasts and I cut it in to four fillets. The quantity of the ingredients used is for four fillets and this recipe can easily feed two people.

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken fillets – 4

Chicken stock – ½ cup

Olive oil – for frying

Marinade ingredients:

This is my standard marinade — it’s easy and wonderfully flavourful. You can play around with coconut milk, lemon and pepper too, but this one below is the one I like best.

Crushed ginger – 1 tsp

Crushed garlic – 1 tsp

Chilli flakes – 1 tsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Black pepper – ½ tsp

Soy sauce – 2 ½ tbsp

Big pinch of mixed herbs (optional but it adds beautiful flavour)

Method:

1. Mix all the marinating ingredients together in a bowl. The ginger gives the chicken a lot of flavour, so don’t forget to add it. Add enough black pepper and chilli flakes since you will lose 30% of it when the chicken hits the pan, according to Chef Gordon Ramsay. Make sure the marinade is applied generously on each side of the fillets and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. In a hot pan, heat some olive oil and carefully add the chicken to the pan. The aim is to give a nice sear on both sides so don’t flip the fillets too many times; flipping it once should do the job. Cook each side for a minute and a half.

3. Once you have a lovely golden sear on the chicken, add the chicken stock to the pan and lower the heat to medium. Let it cook in the stock for around five to seven minutes. Adding the stock while the chicken is still cooking is a good way to ensure that your chicken is flavourful and moist since the chicken soaks up these juices while it is cooking.

4. Give your chicken a little press with a spatula and if it feels firm, your chicken fillets are good to go! From the time it hits the pan, it shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes for the chicken to fully cook. Be wary of overcooking because this will leave your chicken dry and chewy — a definite mood spoiler.

In case you are wondering what to do with the lovely gravy that is left over in the pan, drizzle it over the fillets when serving. Alternatively, you can also make a lovely white sauce to go with the fillets – pan fry some mushrooms, add the gravy and some milk, and voila, you have an appetising white sauce.

Some creamy mashed potatoes will be the perfect side to accompany your fillets. If not, and if you want a healthy option, you can use whatever vegetables you prefer as a side. I used spinach, mushroom and some cherry tomatoes.

There you have it, a beautiful and nutritious meal fit for a king!

This post originally appeared here.