We are on a somewhat tight budget at the moment being on unpaid maternity leave. I love a good budget meal!!!

Here I have created a Chicken, Red Lentil and Veggie Sauce that was enough for two separate meals using just one large size chicken breast. 
The flavours in this are fantastic if left to develop overnight once cooked. 
I cook the sauce with chicken breast chunks and let the tmx shred it down. I like the slightly shredded but slightly chunky style chicken in this sauce. 
You can add more lentils and liquid to make more if desired however I find the lentil texture can then be too overpowering and takes away from the flavour and other textures.
 
It’s starts as a sauce and can be used many ways. Here I have used 2/3 of the sauce as a pasta sauce one night served on pasta alongside my garlic bread balls. If you are wanting to stretch it further, add additional vegetables to it in the last 8 minutes such as frozen corn and peas. Or serve alongside steamed vegetables or salad. 
 
Sometimes I find it stretches further by doing a lasagna style dish – a very thin layer of the chicken mixture in an ovenproof dish, top with some cooked spiral pasta, chicken mixture, cooked spiral pasta, chicken mixture then topped with a serve of bechemal sauce from the EDC and a little cheese then bake at 180 degrees until golden. I find this to be far more filling served along with a salad or steamed vegetables and a garlic bread of some sort. 
 
 
 
 
After using 2/3 of the mixture for the pasta sauce I had some left over which I turned into pies. 
 
 
 
 
A third of the below recipe is enough for 8 pie maker sized pies. I spoon 1/8 of the mixture into each pie (I use store bought puff pastry) and cook for 8 minutes in my pie maker. It will vary depending on your pie machine. If you don’t have a pie maker, use a large muffin tin or make a family sized pie.
 
Again you can use additional vegetables or legumes to bulk it out if you need more than 8 pies. A tin of chickpeas or kidney beans are a great addition.
 
 
 
Print
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Chicken, Red Lentil and Veggie Sauce


  • Author: The road to loving my Thermo Mixer
  • Total Time: 36

Description

A meal usingonly ONE chicken breast that can be spread across two nights – use half over pasta with veggies on the side and the remaining half in puff pastry for pies the following night. Budget cooking at its best!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 large chicken breast, chopped into 6 pieces
  • 1 large brown onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 10g olive oil
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 small zucchini, roughly chopped
  • 1 small green capsicum, roughly chopped
  • 50g baby spinach leaves
  • 20 basil leaves
  • 50g rinsed dry red lentils
  • 300g jar tomato salsa
  • 300mls water
  • 40g tomato paste, one with additional herbs is good for a flavour boost
  • 1 large tablespoon of vegetable stock concentrate, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Add all vegetables and herbs to bowl.
  2. Blitz on speed 7 until fine.
  3. Add oil and chicken.
  4. Cook on 100 degrees, softest speed for 5 mins.
  5. Add remaining ingredients.
  6. Cook on 100 degress, speed 2 for 20 minutes.
  7. If your chicken is still quite chunky give the mix a quick blitz on reverse, speed 5 for 4-6 seconds to help break it up ever so slightly.
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 26

2 Comments

  1. Kate July 30, 2014 at 6:01 pm - Reply

    Yum! We’re on night 2 of this and it’s a total winner. Rigatoni last night, pies tonight. Both nights have been delicious, but the pies are particularly good. I don’t have a pie-maker but just did 12 little pies in a muffin tin. Baked for 10 min. Perfecto!

    Personally I found the sauce a LITTLE too wet and also found it took an extra 5 min for the lentils to soften, so I’d alter the amount of water and up the cooking time a little next time. I’m using a Thermoblend rather than a TMX though, so that might account for the difference.

    • Peta September 3, 2014 at 8:43 pm - Reply

      Thermoblends don’t heat as quickly as tmx so tend to need a little extra time to cook. It doesn’t reduce as quickly either so that may be why you were left with extra liquid?

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