Chez Darren Andrew

Tag Archives: Garlic


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Oven Baked Balsamic Chicken Thighs

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Serves 2

This recipe is perfect when craving salty tangy chicken wings, but when your conscious is telling you no. The rich flavor that comes from marinading boneless skinless chicken thighs satisfying the craving for the not so healthy chicken wing, while keeping the fat to a minimum.

For the marinade, in a large zip lock bag combine:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs; buy them that way or prep them yourself

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 small bunches of thyme, just toss them in the bag
Salt and pepper

Let the chicken marinade for half an hour, while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the thighs on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 35 minutes, flipping them at the 15 and 25 minute point. Serve with a salad to make it a complete meal.

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Summer Time Chicken and Veg Soup

On warm summer evenings soup may not be the first thing that comes to mind to make for dinner. But this chicken vegetable soup is light, tasty and will actually help cool you down and re-hydrate you after spending a day in the sun. Hot liquids actually work to help your body naturally kick into high gear and start sweating, which helps to lower your body temperature. Cool liquids actually do the opposite and make your body work hard to warm your core back to normal, making you feel hotter than before consuming the cool beverage.

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 3 ribs of celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1/2 red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced
  • 1/2 zucchini, diced
  • 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn
  • 2 cups of cooked chicken, leftover from a whole roasted bird
  • 1 litre of home made chicken stock
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about five minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and chili flakes, for about ten seconds. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for about five more minutes, continuing to stir frequently. Add the cooked chicken, stock, Italian seasoning and soy sauce, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes before serving.


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Black bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Black bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Honey Lime Vinaigrette

  • 3 tbsp liquid honey
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and core removed, finely diced
  • 1/2 white onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, lightly chopped
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups of peaches and cream corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 a red pepper, finely diced
  • 1/2  a zucchini, finely diced

In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, cider vinegar, salt, pepper and cumin. Stir in the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper and let sit for ten minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. This will allow the strong nature of these ingredients to mellow out and infuse the dressing with their flavors. Add the olive oil and cilantro before stirring in the beans, corn, red pepper, and zucchini to the salad. Cover and refrigerate for two to four hours, or overnight for best results.


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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Seeing as I’ve all ready typed this recipe out, I thought I’d better keep it in a safe place! This was probably one of the best soups I’ve ever made.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of whole milk
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of shredded extra sharp cheddar
4 cups of broccoli florets, pulsed 12 times in a food processor
Salt and Pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and sautee until softened. Add the garlic, cayenne pepper and flour. Whisk constantly for about two minutes to cook the rawness out of the flour. Whisk in the chicken stock and milk until it begins to thicken. Add the chopped broccoli. Whisk in 1/2 a cup of cheese at a time until it melts smoothly into the soup.


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Garlic-Ginger-Chili Soup

This may sound a little off-putting to some of you out there, however it is my honest opinion that there is something medicinal about this elixir I concoct; whether its purely in the mind I stir up a pot of this miso based soup every time I feel my body on the edge of collapse.

500ml water (or chicken stock / Dashi bonito stock)

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 thumbsized piece of minced ginger

2 tablespoons of Sambal Oelek chili paste (Depending on the state of my stomach I adjust the amount, Did I mention its great for hangovers as well!)

2 tablespoons of good quality organic shiro miso (Occasionally I like to mix Mugi and Shiro miso)

1 green onion sliced

optional: a few drops of toasted sesame oil for garnish

Place water in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger and chili paste. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in miso paste and green onions. Transfer to your preferred vessel for consumption and add a few drops of sesame oil for a pleasant aromatic addition.

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