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Sydney recipe writer Nicole Maguire’s speedy weeknight lifesavers and low-cost family favourites have earned her more than a million followers at her online hub Simple Home Edit.
Now she’s released her debut cookbook, The Simple Dinner Edit, a collection of more than 80 easy and achievable dinners using everyday ingredients.
Here, Maguire shares three easy one-pot recipes to try at home.
This rich and saucy one-pan peanut chicken needs only some accompanying greens.Jeremy Simons
One-pan peanut chicken
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A couple of months ago I had some coconut milk in the freezer that I needed to use up, and a hankering for chicken satay. I made this amazing one-pan peanut chicken and we haven’t been able to stop eating it since. Chicken thigh cutlets are an excellent quick dinner fix at the best of times, as they’re inexpensive and relatively hands-off to prepare. In this recipe, the luxurious peanut and coconut sauce is poured directly onto the chicken, which is roasted until juicy and crispy skinned. It’s outrageously delicious and I’m left with only one pan to wash up. The sauce is rich and there’s a lot of it (high sauce-to-chicken ratios are non-negotiable at my place!), so a big plate of steamed greens is the perfect accompaniment. I’ve gone with bok choy; choose whatever’s in season.
INGREDIENTS
1.2 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh cutlets (5-6 pieces)
1½ tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
Sauce
1 tsp freshly grated garlic
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
250ml (1 cup) coconut milk
90g (⅓ cup) natural smooth peanut butter
½ tsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime
juice (or rice wine vinegar)
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To serve
crushed peanuts
coriander leaves
sliced bird’s eye chilli (optional)
steamed bok choy
steamed jasmine rice
lime wedges
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (220C conventional).
Pat the chicken dry using paper towel. Place it in a large bowl and sprinkle it with the salt, paprika, onion powder and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and use your hands to ensure the chicken is evenly coated.
Arrange the chicken on a large, deep baking tray and bake for 35 minutes. Spoon out/drain away any excess fat in the tray.
For the sauce, combine the ingredients in a bowl, then pour the mixture into the pan around the chicken. Bake for a further 15 minutes.
Top with the peanuts, coriander and sliced chilli (if using). Serve with the steamed bok choy and jasmine rice with the lime wedges on the side.
Serves 4
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One-pot Greek chicken and rice: quick and delicious.Jeremy Simons
One-pot Greek chicken and rice
I’m not one to spend hours in the kitchen. As much as I enjoy leisurely cooking, most days I’m focused on getting dinner on the table before I’m too tired to cook or the kids are too tired to eat! I factor that in when I’m meal planning, and meals like this one swoop in and save the day every time. Chicken fillets are marinated in classic Greek flavours – think garlic, lemon and oregano – before being cooked in one pan with rice. The rice steals the show, being cooked in garlic and chicken stock while mingling with the chicken juices. Generous handfuls of spinach top it off, so there is no need to fuss with any additional sides. This is my favourite kind of home cooking. Anyone who eats this stares at me bewildered at how delicious it is, and I stare back at them knowingly, already getting ready to pass on the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
600g chicken thigh fillets, skin on (about 5-6 chicken thighs)
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp sea salt flakes
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
zest of 1 lemon, plus 3 tbsp
freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
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Rice
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
300g (1½ cups) white rice (jasmine or basmati)
750ml (3 cups) chicken stock
130g (2 cups) roughly chopped spinach leaves (see note)
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
To serve
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or oregano leaves
lemon slices and lemon zest (optional)
crumbled feta (optional)
METHOD
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Place the chicken thigh fillets in a large bowl with the garlic, dried oregano, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Use your hands to coat the chicken evenly.
Heat a large, heavy-based oven-proof sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 5–8 minutes until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
For the rice, add 1-2 tablespoons water to the same pan and stir to deglaze and loosen all the sticky bits, then add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, until softened. Add the rice, chicken stock, spinach and pepper.
Return the chicken to the pan. Cover, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let stand with the lid on for 10 minutes. This will allow for any residual liquid to be absorbed.
Top the chicken and rice with the parsley or oregano, lemon slices, lemon zest and feta (if using), then serve.
Note: You can substitute the vegetables to suit your family’s tastes. Spinach, kale, silverbeet, sliced green beans, diced zucchini, peas or broccoli florets all work well.
Rich red wine and tomato beef ragu: high wow factor, low maintenance.Jeremy Simons
Rich red wine and tomato beef ragu
I am a massive fan of one-pot recipes as they mean less washing up, which I always appreciate. But this one is extra special. Beef ragu has a wow factor. Beef is slowly cooked in a luscious tomato and red wine-based sauce before being piled on top of pasta and sprinkled with (a lot!) of parmesan. The best part about this dish is that there are no complicated instructions or specialty ingredients needed. I choose to make this on days when I’m pottering around the house. I can put this on and have it blipping away in the background and then come back to a big, delicious bowl of comfort. A bonus is that this beef ragu can be made in bulk and frozen in batches, ready for whenever it is needed.
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INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely diced
2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
800g-1kg chuck steak, cut into roughly 2cm cubes
125ml (½ cup) red wine
125g (½ cup) tomato paste
700g jar passata
500ml (2 cups) beef stock
1 tsp sea salt flakes
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
cooked pasta of your choice, to serve
freshly grated parmesan, to serve
METHOD
Heat the olive oil in a deep, heavy-based frying pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3–5 minutes until softened.
Increase the heat to high, add the beef and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until browned. Add the red wine, tomato paste, passata, beef stock, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves and stir them through.
Bring the ragu to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 2½ hours or until the beef is tender enough to be easily shredded with two forks (see Note below). Shred the beef and serve with your favourite cooked pasta and the parmesan.
Note: If the beef is still tough after 2½ hours of cooking, it needs to cook for longer. Make sure the sauce is bubbling gently (you should still be able to see bubbles appearing in the sauce – if not, the heat is too low, and the beef will take a lot longer to cook). The beauty of chuck steak is that it is almost impossible to overcook. The longer it cooks, the more it will soften and break down into the sauce. Continue cooking in 30-minute intervals; if the sauce seems too thick and is sticking to the base of the pan, add 125ml (½ cup) of water.
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Photo:
This is an edited extract from The Simple Dinner Edit by Nicole Maguire, published by Plum/Pan Macmillan Australia, RRP $39.99. Photography by Jeremy Simons. Buy now
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