Hostel Cooking: Chicken Skewers and Garlic Potatoes

One of the most appealing things about travelling is the chance to try new food, eat in a different restaurant every night, and never have to do any washing-up, and for a few weeks it’s brilliant.

But then a funny thing happens.

It takes longer and longer to decide what to eat because nothing on the menu is quite what you fancy, you’d like the chicken but could it be grilled, rather than fried? Do they have Spaghetti Bolognese, Fajitas or just simple scrambled eggs on toast – you really miss that from home? That’s when you know that you should start cooking! And of course, cooking in hostels can often be the budget option, especially if you cook as a group.

Here’s my favourite recipe – tried and tested in a number of South American hostels with varying levels of kitchen equipment!

You Will Need:

An oven

Wooden skewers (we have seen these in many supermarkets in South America)

An ovenproof dish or baking tray

A kitchen knife

A potato peeler, if possible

A cheese grater, if possible

Ingredients:

Chicken fillets

Vegetables of your choice: peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms all work well.

Garlic

Large potatoes

Extras:

Oil

Salt & Pepper

Seasoning for the Chicken (very cheap in a local supermarket)

Method:

• Wash and peel the potatoes, if no peeler is available then the potatoes can be cooked with the skins on, and slice into rounds. These can be as thick as you want – thin slices will cook more quickly and be crisp, thick slices take longer to cook but will have a crispy coating and a fluffy inside.
• Peel and crush, grate or chop the garlic (according to what equipment you have handy). Then pour oil into the dish or tray. Put potatoes on tray and sprinkle with black pepper and crushed garlic. Make sure that both sides of the potato are covered in oil and seasoning. Place in a medium hot oven, timings will vary according to thickness of potato.
• Chop the vegetables and chicken. Season chicken with spices, salt and pepper if desired. Alternate the chicken and vegetables onto the skewer and place in the oven. The skewers will take less time to cook than the potatoes so put them into the oven when the potatoes are half-done. Make sure that the chicken is no longer pink inside and that the juices run clear when pressed – then the chicken is cooked

This is a very quick, easy recipe that tastes delicious and always makes the other hostel guests jealous 🙂

Mmmm, you’ll find tasty recipes like these in the HostelBookers.com Backpacker Recipe Guide.