Chicken with basil and lime sauce

April brings at least a hope of spring and this recipe has the fresh, lively flavours you crave after the long winter months. It’s really easy to make and any leftovers are great in a salad to take to work the next day.

Info

Serves
4
Calories
224 per serving

Ingredients

  • ½ tsp ground cardamom1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp ground white pepper
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp finely ground sea salt
  • 4 skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

For the sauce

  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar
  • 100ml half-fat crème fraiche
  • small bunch of basil
  • flaked sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Mix the spices and salt in a large bowl, add the chicken and rub the spice mix into the chicken strips. Drizzle them with the olive oil, then turn the strips over and spread them out on a baking tray. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes in the preheated oven until lightly browned and cooked through.

  2. While the chicken is in the oven, make the sauce. Put the garlic, lime zest and cider vinegar in a small saucepan with a splash 
    of water. Bring the mixture to the boil, then let it simmer for a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to stand for a couple of minutes.

  3. Strain the contents of the saucepan into a bowl and discard the solids. Tip the liquid back into the saucepan, stir in the crème fraiche, then season with salt and pepper. Heat the sauce through until it is fairly liquid. Finely chop the basil and add this along with the lime juice, then whisk the sauce until frothy. 

  4. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve with some green vegetables or a salad.