This is another modified version of a Jamie Oliver recipe, the chicken skewers with satay sauce from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals. The original recipe includes a firey noodle salad as accompaniment but as I made this to fuel a 20 Mile race I decided to substitute the noodles for egg fried rice and some stir-fried vegetables. Also, as I was cooking just for myself, I didn’t bother with the skewers – instead preferring to cook the chicken in a baking dish.

Many people have commented that Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals actually take a lot longer than 30 minutes to prepare, but I whizzed through my modified version in just under half an hour (including a sidebar while I iced some cupcakes and did the washing up).

Ingredients (serves 1)

For the Chicken Satay:

• ½ garlic clove, peeled
• 2cm fresh ginger, peeled
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
• juice of ½ lime, freshly squeezed
• 6-8 coriander sprigs (stalks and leaves), chopped

• 1 skinless, deboned chicken breast

For the Stir-fried Vegetables

• ½ carrot
• ½ red pepper
• ½ green pepper
• ½ courgette
• ½ celery stalk
• healthy glug of soy sauce
• juice of ½ lime, freshly squeezed

• 2 tablespoons groundnut oil

For Egg Fried Rice:

• ½ cup of basmati rice
• 1 egg, beaten
• another healthy glug of soy sauce

Method:

• Rinse the basmati rice in cold water then add to a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Combine the satay ingredients in a food processor and whizz until a thick paste is formed. Add a bit of water until the sauce is spooning consistency.
• Pour half of the sauce into a bowl and set aside.
• Pour the other half into a roasting tray.
• Slice the chicken breasts into big chunks, place in a baking dish and coat in the satay sauce. Cook on Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes.
• Chop and slice the peppers, courgette, carrot and celery into 2cm strips
• Heat the groundnut oil in a wok or large frying pan, and once hot add the vegetables
• Add the soy sauce and lime juice, stir fry for 4-5 minutes for al dente vegetables or 7-8 minutes for more thoroughly cooked
• Place the vegetables in a bowl lined with kitchen towel and cover with a plate to keep warm
• Add the extra soy sauce and the beaten egg to the wok
• Stir the egg/soy sauce mixture rapidly as it begins to cook, then add the rice and continue to stir for a further 3 minutes
• Serve and enjoy!