Summer is barbecue season, and this healthy recipe might just be the perfect alternative to the usual sausages and steaks, for when you want something that’s big on flavour but lower in fat — especially saturated fat. Chicken breasts are a very lean protein source, and this peri-peri marinade gives them a real kick. Feel free to reduce the number of chillies if you’d prefer a milder heat, and if barbecuing isn’t an option these cook just us well on the stovetop or under a hot grill.
Makes six burgers. Each serve (of one burger) is approximately 2485 kilojoules (594 calories).
Ingredients
6 small skinless chicken breasts
1 small red onion, peeled and quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup bird’s eye chillies, stems removed
1 red capsicum, seeds removed and roughly chopped
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeds removed and quartered
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1 tb white wine vinegar
1 tb honey
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
To Serve
6 wholemeal burger buns
Mixed salad leaves, rinsed
Natural yoghurt, reduced fat
Method
- Use a rolling pin to flatten the chicken breasts until they are 2-3cm thick. Cover and refrigerate.
- Combine the peri-peri marinade ingredients — that’s the onion, garlic, chillies, capsicum, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, paprika and oregano — in a blender and process until smooth.
- Transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat until it’s just simmering and leave to reduce until thick, stirring regularly.
- Taste, and season with a little sea salt and black pepper.
- Once the marinade is cool, pour it over the chicken breasts in a large bowl or container. Make sure the chicken is evenly coated, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Remove from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you’re ready to cook them. Get the barbecue nice and hot and cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side, brushing halfway through with a little extra marinade. Check that they’re cooked through, then leave to one side to rest for a few minutes.
- To serve, halve a chicken breast and layer the pieces on your burger bun. Top with a good handful of fresh salad leaves and a tablespoon or two of low-fat natural yoghurt.
