A party in your mouth! - Ceili Chicken. Spring Onion Boxty Potato Cakes

So what exactly is a 'Ceili'? and why are the Irish so fond of them?

A Ceili is an Irish dance.. a big party where there's lots of dancing in the traditional folk style with groups of people jumping about all over the place, swinging each other around by the arms and stomping their feet on the floor..... and if you have ever even been lucky enough to go to an Irish Ceili you'll know how much fun it is and how the Irish enjoy a good party!......and the same goes for my Ceili Chicken......it's a party in your mouth and you will enjoy it!

The chicken fillets or thighs are left to marinade in spices, at least overnight, in the refrigerator, or I store them coated in spices, in the freezer, for a later date....which means they could be in there for a few weeks, and all the while those delicious flavors are developing.

So for this tasty Ceili Chicken dish, you will need....... feeds 4 people

1 chicken fillet or thigh with leg attached, per person....I like them with the skin left on, but you of course can have them skinless if you like.
2 tablespoons of Spice blend 1 see HERE! per each chicken portion

1 medium red onion
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 green pepper
1 clove of garlic
400 mls sieved tomatoes
1 pint water
100 g chorizo sausage or salami
100 mls soured cream

How to:

• massage the spices all over the chicken then place the chicken pieces in a suitable food bag or freezer bag and seal tightly, or you might like to use a suitable container with a tight fitting lid such as a ceramic casserole dish or food grade tupperware
• place your chicken in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to help those spices do their job

Cooking the chicken.......

• peel and cut the onion and carrot into thin slices
• clean and slice the celery
• crush the garlic
• trim and de-seed the green pepper, cut into strips or chunks
• dice the chorizo or sausage into nice even chunks and fry in a non stick pan until lightly browned and just beginning to crisp, drain on kitchen paper.....we want to render some of the fat out of the sausage and so avoid an oily casserole, but we still want to keep a lot of the flavor
• take a deep casserole dish and place all the vegetables on the bottom
• scrape any excess spices from the chicken pieces, they should have turned a nice reddish colour by now and will have imbibed all the lovely flavors from the spice rub
• lay the chicken on top of the bed of vegetables, scatter the chorizo / salami pieces on top
• add the water to the casserole pot and heat on your stove top.When it comes to the boil ,cover with a lid and place in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for approx 1 hour or until the fillets are tender

to make the sauce......

• lift the chicken out of the casserole and set aside to keep warm
• heat the juices remaining in the casserole pot and add the sieved tomatoes, mix together well and bring to the boil, 
• add the soured cream, mix well and turn the heat to medium
• return the chicken to the sauce, put the lid back on and let the chicken simmer gently in the sauce for about 10 minutes or so before serving

Boxty Potato Cakes

To add that Irish touch I serve them with some griddle cooked 'Boxty' or potato cakes....

for 4 people you will need.....                                     

400 g peeled potatoes

50 g salted butter.....real butter!

1 bunch scallions..... you may know them as spring onions                 

100g self raising flour plus a little extra for dusting

sea salt

fresh black pepper

a little extra melted butter

how to:

• clean, wash and thinly slice the scallions 
• cook your potatoes as you would for mashed potatoes
• while the potatoes are cooking, place the butter and scallions in a saucepan and and heat gently allowing the scallions to get soft but still keep that vibrant green colour
• when the potatoes are cooked, drain them and return them to the saucepan, place over a low heat to dry out for a few minutes
• mash the potatoes with a hand masher or a potato ricer and place in a large bowl
• add the melted butter, scallions and season with salt and pepper
• add the flour, mix everything together using a butter knife.......be careful not too overwork the potatoes as they can get very gluey, that's why I suggest using a butter knife.

• turn your potato cake dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a round shape, flattening  gently with the palm of your hand
• cut the cakes into rounds or triangles as you like          
• heat a flat griddle pan, brush a little melted butter onto the surface of each potato cake then place butter side down on the hot griddle
• as they are browning brush melted butter on the side facing up, then turn the cakes over and brown the just buttered side once more
• cook for a few minutes each side then place them in a hot oven 200oC for about 10 minutes just to make sure they are heated thoroughly

To serve the chicken & boxty together.......

Place a potato cake on each plate and top with a portion of chicken, spoon over sauce and vegetables then sprinkle with some more uncooked sliced scallions.......and enjoy!