Buddy Oliver’s Barbecued Chicken Lollipops with Pepper and Pinapple Salsa and Lemony Couscous
This summery dish from Buddy Oliver is the perfect starter recipe for kids wanting to get involved with the barbecue! Simple chicken skewers are served alongside fluffy lemony couscous and a bright pineapple and red pepper salsa.
From the book
Let’s Cook
Over 60 recipes that are fun to make and written with beginners in mind.
For children (and parents!) to explore and build on their cooking skills.
Alongside easy recipes, find helpful hints and tips from Buddy throughout.
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Ingredients
| 150g | wholewheat couscous |
| olive oil | |
| 2 | lemons |
| 2 x 120g | higher-welfare skinless chicken breasts |
| 4 sprigs | rosemary (tired together with a piece of string) |
| 1 tsp | runny honey |
| 1 | red pepper |
| ¼ | of a small onion |
| 150g | pineapple |
| extra virgin olive oil | |
| ½ a bunch (15g) | soft herbs, such as mint, flat-leaf parsley (optional) |
| 4 tbsp | natural yoghurt |
Essential kit
You will need 6 wooden skewers.
Method
Soak 6 wooden skewers in cold water to stop them burning later on.
Place the couscous in a bowl with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil. Finely grate in the zest of ½ a lemon and squeeze in the juice, throwing the squeezed half into the bowl. Just cover the couscous with boiling water, then cover and leave aside to fluff up.
Carefully push 3 skewers horizontally into each chicken breast (trim the skewers, if needed), season with black pepper, squeeze over the juice of ½ a lemon and drizzle with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil.
You can cook the skewers on a hot barbecue or in a non-stick frying pan on the hob. Either way, cook them for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through, turning regularly. For the final minute of cooking, use the rosemary sprigs to brush the honey over the chicken, giving it a lovely sticky glaze.
Halve, deseed and finely chop the pepper, then peel and finely chop the onion and pineapple, and scrape everything into a bowl. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil, then taste and season with sea salt and pepper, if needed. Pick and finely chop the herbs (if using), then add to the bowl and toss together.
Fluff up the couscous with a fork, season to taste with salt and pepper, and divide between serving plates.
Slice the chicken between the skewers, making sure it’s cooked through – if it’s not, give it a little longer. Place 3 chicken lollipops on each plate, and divide up the salsa. Serve with yoghurt for dipping, and cut the remaining lemon into wedges for squeezing over.
My Dad’s Nutrition Team helped me to make sure that the recipes in Let’s Cook are the right balance between nutritious everyday foods and things to be enjoyed occasionally. The recipes can be enjoyed by your whole family, so just dish up smaller portions if you’re cooking for little siblings. Throughout the book, there are also handy tips to building positive eating habits that are easy to remember, and will help you on the path to leading a healthier, happier life.
Let’s Cook: Fun, easy recipes for kids by Buddy Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph ©Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2024 Let’s Cook). Recipe photography: © David Loftus, 2024
Buddy’s new show, Cooking Buddies, airs on CBBC and iPlayer in July 2024.
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