Sticky Chicken with Coleslaw – a big hit with the kids!

I can’t believe its taken me this long to feature Sticky Chicken with (homemade) Coleslaw from the Hairy Dieters on my blog as it’s a regular meal in my house. Coating the chicken thighs by combining ketchup, red/white wine vinegar, honey and Worcestershire sauce creates a wonderful BBQ sauce effect which adults and kids love in equal measure.

The other star of the show in this recipe is the coleslaw. Of course, you can save time by getting reduced calorie coleslaw from a supermarket, but for the little additional effort that is required I much prefer this homemade version. Any leftovers can do for accompanying a jacket potato for lunch the next day. Waste not, want not, folks.

You’ll find various ‘sticky’ diet-friendly recipes when browsing online or skimming healthy eating cookbooks. Check out Sticky Chicken Drumsticks and Sticky Pork Steaks on this blog.

Recipe: Sticky Chicken with Coleslaw

Calories: 320 calories per portion (chicken thighs: 226 calories per portion; coleslaw: 94 calories per portion)

Serves: 2

Book: Hairy Dieters – Eat for Life

Prep time: Approx 15 minutes

Cooking time: Approx 25 minutes

Ingredients: 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 5 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp red or white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp runny honey, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional), flaked sea salt, ground black pepper

Coleslaw: ¼ white cabbage, 1 medium carrot, 4 spring onions, 75g light mayonnaise, 125g fat-free natural yoghurt

Cost per portion: Approx £1.41

Method: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / Fan 180 degrees C / Gas 6. Line a large baking tray with foil. Place the chicken thighs on a board and carefully trim off as much visible fat as possible with a sharp knife. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Put the ketchup, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce and dried chilli flakes in a medium non-stick saucepan and bring to a simmer over a low heat, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chicken thighs, turning until they are all thoroughly coated with the sauce. Place them on the baking tray and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

When the chicken is cooking, remove any damaged leaves from the cabbage and cut out the tough central core. Finely slice the cabbage, separate the leaves and put them in a large bowl. Peel and coarsely grate the carrot and finely sliced the spring onions. Add the carrot and spring onions to the cabbage. Spoon the mayonnaise and yoghurt on top and season with lots of freshly ground black pepper. Mix everything together well.

Remove the chicken thighs from the oven and brush them with any of the sauce that has dropped off on to the baking tray. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the coating is glossy. Serve the chicken hot or cold with the coleslaw and a fresh green salad.