The way my whole family get excited for this Oven-Fried Chicken reminds me of when it was KFC night when I was a kid. But now we get mouthfuls of delicious flavour without that gross feeling afterwards. Blah.

And one of my biggest loves, no mess from frying either!

The mix of flour, spices and butter gives a fine crispy layer to the succulent chicken, and a burst of flavour with every bite. The little kick of curry is what makes this so delicious in my opinion.

Super easy to make, serve with oven-fried potato and sweet potato, steamed green beans and a green salad. Serve leftovers hot or cold the night after, or do as I do and pop in the kids lunchboxes the next day.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Ground tumeric
Garlic powder
Dried oregano
Sea salt
Black Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Spelt Flour or Unbleached Plain Flour 

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my recipe ebook which is getting rave reviews, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

Print

Oven-Fried Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1.8 kg mix of drumsticks and wings
• 1/2 cup flour (I use spelt flour or unbleached plain flour)
• 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
• Lots of cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup butter
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Heat oven to 180 C.
• In a large bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, curry powder, mustard powder and oregano.
• Place butter in either one large baking pan or two medium sized baking pans. Place the pans in the oven to melt butter.
• Coat the chicken with the seasoned flour mixture, putting 2-3 legs at a time into the bowl and making sure each piece is well coated before transferring to the prepared baking pans with the melted butter.
• Drizzle the chicken with a little olive oil.
• Bake the chicken uncovered in oven for 45 minutes - 60 minutes. Turn the chicken after 30 minutes and cook until tender and golden brown.

Notes

Serve with oven-baked potato/sweet potato fries, steamed green beans and large garden salad

If you make this recipe please take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life. 

And remember, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes here.

Other similar recipes you might like are Crispy Chicken with Garlicky Potato Cream Sauce and Easy Chicken and Vegetable Casserole. 

Bren x

And sharing the successful ones here on the blog with you guys ?

Here are the pre-requisites for all my dinner recipe creations …

✓ Can be made quickly on busy weeknights
✓ Simple
✓ Flavourful
✓ Healthy
✓ The whole family will enjoy
✓ Can double up for lunchboxes – you can reheat this one up and pop in a thermos for school. For more lunch ideas you may like to check out my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes ebook.

Despite the humble list of ingredients, the Easy Chicken Casserole sure does pack a punch of flavour, but feel free to experiment with more herbs and spices if you like.

If you have a flameproof casserole dish, you can cook the entire recipe up in it. I don’t have one, so I cooked everything up in a frying pan first (I had two going to cook the chicken), then transferred into a casserole dish before popping into the oven for another half an hour.

The result was a hearty and comforting bowl of deliciousness which hit the spot for the whole fam bam and could be heated up and taken to school in thermoses the next day.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Olive oil
Spelt flour
Sea salt
Black pepper
Thyme or oregano
Parsley

Print

Easy Chicken Casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 500 grams chicken thighs
• 1 brown onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 2 carrots halved lengthways and cut into discs
• 2 potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 2 tablespoons spelt flour
• 400 ml (2 cups) boiling chicken stock
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon thyme or oregano or mixed Italian herbs
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 zucchini diced
• ¼ broccoli cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons parsley chopped

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish or large frying pan to medium heat (I used 2 frying pans for this step). Season chicken thighs and brown and seal on both sides for few minutes each. Remove and set aside (I just put them in the casserole dish I was going to cook them in) Preheat oven to 200ºC fan oven.
• Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and potatoes to the pan, and cook, stirring, for around 10 minutes. Add the tomato and dried herbs and cook for further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the vegetables are cooking, chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and put back into casserole dish.
• Stir in the flour, cook for 2min, then pour in the stock and simmer for a few minutes (I heated up the chicken stock in one of the frying pans I had used to cook the chicken to save having to wash another dish). Season to taste, then pour over the vegetable/broth mixture. Add peas, zucchini and broccoli.
• Cover and cook in the oven 1 hr until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through and the sauce is piping hot and thickened. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.

If you make this recipe please do take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life. 

And remember, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes recipe book here. 

It contains 40 scrumptious sweet and savoury recipes which are nut and refined-sugar free and perfect for any time of day.

Other recipes you might like to try for dinner are Chicken Noodle Soup and Crispy Chicken with Garlicky Potato Cream Sauce.

Bren x

Meals that can be eaten for dinner straight out of the oven, or which are just as delicious eaten cold for those nights when one child is starving at 6pm and the other not home from training until after 8pm, meals which can double up for lunch boxes the next day (and day after that).

Chicken nuggets are a perfect solution. And let’s be honest, what kid doesn’t love them?!

My recipe is super easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. I make a big batch for our big eating family , and it a makes enough for lunch boxes the next day or two. I just throw them straight into the lunchbox as is, or wrap them up in some Mountain Bread with some mayo and lettuce.

If you’re looking for more lunchbox recipes, check out my recipe ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved! It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

I’m not one for batch frying anything, I just don’t have the patience for it and I can’t bare the mess. These baked versions are just as good as the fried ones, but without the mess and they take a fraction of your time.

The seasoning can be left out of the breadcrumb mix if you prefer, or you can use any alternatives which you family prefers.  I often do a version with a Tex-Mex flavour which the kids just love. Or you can add in some parmesan cheese or lemon rind.

I like to serve the nuggets with oven-baked potato and sweet potato fries and a nice crispy garden salad and a squeeze of lemon over the lot.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Dulse flakes
Sweet Paprika
Smoked Paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Dried thyme 
Dried basil
Himalayan rock salt
Spelt flour 
Extra virgin olive oil

Print

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 16

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups breadcrumbs I just popped 2-3 pieces sourdough bread into the food processor
• ½ cup ghee or butter or mix of both
• 8 chicken thighs approx. 900 gms
• 2 teaspoons dulse flakes
• I teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Sea salt or Himalayan rock salt
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees C
• Spread breadcrumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 10 minutes, stirring breadcrumbs a couple of times to ensure they golden evenly
• Towards the end of breadcrumb cooking time pop the ghee and/or butter into a ramekin into the oven to allow to melt.
• While breadcrumbs are in the oven, cut chicken thighs into quarters
• Once lightly golden place breadcrumbs on dinner plate, allow to cool then mix through the dulse flakes, paprika, garlic and onion powder, thyme, basil, salt and slightly cooled ghee or butter
• Place flour on a dinner plate
• Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and lightly brush some olive oil onto the rack. Or you can just line a couple of baking trays with baking paper
• Set up an assembly line of chicken, flour, egg, breadcrumbs and proceed to dip the chicken into the flour (shake off excess), egg (allow excess to drip off) and finally the breadcrumbs and place on the wire rack
• Drizzle chicken with olive oil and bake until the chicken is cooked through, approx. 15 – 20 minutes, flipping half way through the cooking time

If you make this recipe let me know if your family loves it as much as we do, and please take photos and send them to me via Facebook, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek

You might also like these other family-friendly dinner ideas Tex Mex Burrito Bowls or Chicken Leek and Mushroom Pie

Bren x

This pie offers perfect healthy comfort food for those cold wintery nights or when teamed with a big, crispy salad is perfect for those warm summer nights too.

If your body does better without too much wheat or gluten, just keep a serving  of the chicken mix just for you before it meets the pastry. Enjoy it with the sides suggested in the recipe below. It’s truly delicious!

Print

Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• Olive oil or ghee
• 1 medium leek chopped
• 1 brown onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 600 grams chicken thigh diced
• 1/4 cup home-made chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons thick cream
• 300 grams mushrooms sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons spelt flour or rice flour if gluten free
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 1 teaspoon herbamare optional
• 1 teaspoon dulse flakes optional
• pinch of sea salt and pepper
• 1 sheet of shortcrust or puff pastry - I use the Careme brand or Pampas All-Butter pastry
• 1 small egg lightly beaten

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
• Heat some olive oil or ghee in a large frying over medium heat.
• Gently fry leek and onion for a few minutes until translucent, then add garlic and fry for a couple more minutes.
• Add the chicken and fry for approx 10 minutes or until just cooked, stirring it around intermittently.
• Add the mushrooms and fry for a few more minutes.
• Add spelt flour, stir in and fry for 1 minute.
• Gradually add the liquid, followed by the mustard, herbamare and dulse flakes, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Put the chicken mix into a baking dish ( I used was 29cm x 9cm) and cover with the pastry.
• Brush on the lightly beaten egg and using a sharp knife puncture a few slits through the pastry
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden.
• Serve with steamed vegetables, cauliflower mash or big garden salad

Enjoy!

While you’re here you may like to check out my popular recipe ebook , Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved! 

Other chicken dinner recipes you might like are Oven-Fried Chicken and Easy Chicken and Vegetable Casserole.

Bren x