Chicken topped with Homemade Houmous

This is a good way to make chicken a bit more interesting without using a complicated recipe or using something calorific (like melting cheese over the top).  You simply top the chicken with houmous and cook it in the oven to create a crust. You can use shop-bought houmous but I made my own.

 

This recipe makes plenty of houmous so you will have some left over.

 

You need:

400g tin of chickpeas, drained (but before you discard the liquid, check out this recipe!)

Juice of half a lemon

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tahini paste

Pinch of salt

 

Simply mix everything in a blender until smooth. This will keep in the fridge for about 5 days.

 

To make the chicken recipe, simply spread the houmous over a chicken breast, as thick as you like, and bake in the oven.




 

Red Pepper Houmous

Red pepper houmous is really easy to make and a nice change from the plain variety. Making your own houmous also means it can be low in fat and salt and generally quite healthy. It's really good to take to a barbecue or if you are having lunch al fresco at home.

You need:
410g tin of chickpeas
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 roasted red peppers from a jar - in brine is healthier than in oil
squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil

Put the chickpeas and garlic in a food processor with some salt and pepper, then pulse. Add the peppers, lemon juice and oil and pulse until you have a smooth paste. Spoon into a bowl and serve with crudites or breadsticks.