Mor Mor's Chicken Gretang

This is one of my favourite Swedish recipes cooked by my grandma. Aside from seeing her (of course) I look forward to eating this dish every year I visit Gävle. Because no matter how hard I try, I can never recreate this dish quite to her quality of cooking.

Mor Mor's Chicken Gretang

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 600g uncooked fusilli pasta

• 3 chicken breasts, diced

• 1 tbsp oil

• 1 brown onion, finely diced

• 2 red peppers, finely and thinly sliced.

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

• 250ml crème frâiche

• 200ml double or single cream (depending upon how rich you want it)

• chicken spice mix ( we have a specific mix in Sweden, but whatever you can find closest to this description will do - it doesn't have to be too specific!)

• 100ml sweet chilli sauce

• 500ml chicken stock

• grated mature cheddar cheese

• Parsley or basil, parmesan, Tabasco or soy sauce to serve (it sounds weird but trust me, it is good. I usually serve with all of them, but then again I am weird when it comes to my food likings! )

Method

- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, fan, gas 6.

- Heat the oil in a frying pan until hot and shimmering. Add in the chicken and fry until nicely browned. Add in the pepper and onion and fry for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

- Cook the fusilli in a large pit with heavily salted water. Once al dente, drain and set aside.

- Meanwhile, mix the crème frâiche, cream, chicken spice mix, sweet chilli, and stock together in a bowl with a whisk. Add into the chicken and vegetable mix. Season well.

- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until reduced slightly.

- Add the pasta to a large oven-proof dish. Pour over the creamy chicken mix. Grate a decent amount of cheese then place it in the middle of the oven and cook until the cheese is golden on top.

- Remove the pasta bake from the oven and allow to cool for ten minutes before serving with fresh herbs and a drizzle of soy sauce and Tabasco.