Peri Peri Chicken Chow Mein

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7 Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over medium-high heat Once hot, add the chicken thighs, skin-side down and cook for 8 min or until the skins have slightly crisped

Step 2

Meanwhile, peel and chop the brown onion[s] into thick slices Top, tail and slice the carrot[s] finely on the diagonal, then slice each carrot disc into matchsticks Once the skin has slightly crisped, transfer the browned chicken to a baking paper-lined tray (reserve the pan) and sprinkle over half the smoked paprika, the dried oregano, 1 tsp [2 tsp] sugar, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of vegetable oil

Step 3

Give everything a good mix up until well coated Put the tray in the oven and cook for 15-20 min or until cooked through and slightly charred (no pink meat!) – this is your crispy chicken Return the reserved pan to a medium heat and once hot, add the sliced onion and carrot matchsticks to the pan with a small splash of cold water Cook for 10 min or until the onion has softened and the carrot is tender

Step 4

Meanwhile, boil a kettle Trim, then chop the spring onion[s] into large pieces Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic Cut half the red chilli[es] in half lengthways, deseed (scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon) and chop finely Slice the remaining red chilli finely

Step 5

Add the medium egg noodles to a pot and cover them with boiled water until fully submerged Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 5-6 min or until cooked with a slight bite Once done, drain and set aside

Step 6

Roll the lemon[s] with your hand on a hard surface (to release more juice) and cut into wedges Combine the tomato paste and chipotle paste (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) with 100ml [175ml] cold water Add the soy sauce, the juice of 1/2 [1] lemon and the white wine vinegar – this is your peri-peri sauce

Step 7

Once the onion is softened, add the chopped garlic and the remaining smoked paprika to the pan with the chopped chilli (not a fan of spice? Just add a little!) and the chopped spring onion and cook for 1 min or until fragrant Once fragrant, add the peri-peri sauce and cook for 3 min or until thickened Once thickened, add the cooked noodles and mix everything together – this is your peri-peri chow mein Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer it to a chopping board and cut into strips – these are your crispy chicken strips Serve the crispy chicken strips over the peri-peri chow mein Garnish with the sliced chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and a lemon wedge Enjoy!