Lemon Cajun Spiced Chicken with Corn and Pumpkin Hash
When corn is in season, I tend to go a bit crazy over it! I’ll eat it raw straight off the cob (so fresh and juicy!) and even gnaw the unfinished cobs from other people’s plates.
Ingredients
Corn and pumpkin hash
- 700 g pumpkin peeled and diced 2cm
- 3 tomatoes roughly diced
- 2 large corncobs husk and silk removed, cut in half
- 1½ teaspoons Cajun spice mix* store bought or see recipe below
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 150 g baby spinach leaves
Lemon Cajun spiced chicken
- 600 g chicken breast or thighs
- 2 teaspoons Cajun spice mix*
- lemon zest of 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- lemon juice of 1 use zested one above
- 1 knob butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Heat BBQ grill and hot plate to high (if using).
- Toss pumpkin, tomatoes and corncobs with first measure of chicken spice mix, salt and oil on prepared tray. Bake for 15–20 minutes, turning once during cooking.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into 3cm wide strips. Toss with chicken spice mix, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large fry-pan on high heat and cook chicken in batches, for 1–2 minutes each side, until golden and cooked through (alternatively use the BBQ). Remove chicken from the pan, set aside and cover with foil to rest. Add lemon juice and butter to pan until butter melts then remove from heat.
- Transfer pumpkin and tomato from oven tray onto a serving platter, return corn to the oven for an extra 5–10 minutes, until tender. Toss spinach with pumpkin and tomatoes, until the spinach has just wilted. Once corn is cooked either slice kernels off the cob and toss through pumpkin hash or serve whole.
- To serve, top pumpkin hash with chicken strips and drizzle over pan juices.
*To make Cajun spice mix:
- Combine 1 teaspoon each of smoked paprika, paprika, ground coriander, ground cumin and dried oregano (or mixed herbs).
Notes
The season isn’t that long so I have to eat as much as I can before its gone! Here is a dish we featured in My Food Bag. I love this dish because it’s full of colour and seasonal vegetables, and is big on flavour (just wait till you try the chicken!). If you’re in the northern hemisphere and corn is not in season, it’s no problem to use a can of kernels tossed through the pumpkin. You can buy cajun seasoning, or follow the recipe below to make your own.