Chicken in Cucumber Cups with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise
Serving the chicken mixture from the simple version in this way really does lift this dish to the level of sensational. As in the previous recipe you can buy roasted red peppers easily in any supermarket, but I prefer making my own, not only because I know that there is no oil in them, but mainly there is something very satisfying about a process that actually requires you to cook a vegetable until it’s black. It’s like breaking every rule and still coming out on top.
Chicken in Cucumber Cups with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise
Makes about 20
Ingredients
200g Skinless, boneless chicken breast 2 red peppers ½ small red chilli, deseeded and chopped ½ clove of garlic, crushed ¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar 3 Tablespoons lite mayonnaise 1 teaspoon (5 ml) lime juice 10 basil leaves, chopped 4 small cucumbers
Method
Roast the red peppers under the broiler until the skins are blackened. Put the peppers into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool slightly. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the plastic wrap and gently remove the skins. Put two of the peppers into a food processer and pulse to a puree. Combine the pureed peppers with the mayonnaise, balsamic, garlic, lime and chilli and mix well. In a food processor, pulse the chicken until it is ground (you can buy pre-ground chicken but it may have a little more fat). In a non stick fry pan, sauté the chicken until it is just beginning to brown. Remove from the heat and combine with the basil and the roasted pepper mayonnaise. Return to the cleaned food processer and pulse once or twice. Cover the chicken mixture and refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours, or overnight. Cut each cucumber into 5, 1 ¼ centimetre (½ inch) slices and scoop out the seeds in the middle to form a cup. Fill each cup with a little of the chicken mixture. These can be refrigerated for up to an hour, but allow to come to almost room temperature before serving.
