Flying Jacob
Drygast, 2024-02-13
The original - A fantastic Swedish classic with chicken, banana and peanuts
- Servings4 Portions
- AllergensMilk, Peanuts
- Cook Time45 min
Here comes the original recipe for flying jacob - or at least as close to the original as I usually make it. Ever since the original recipe was published by Allt om Mat in 1976, most Swedes have some kind of relationship with this dish. Personally, I love it and it's definitely something I pick up when I want to feel a bit of everyday luxury, even though it's generally included under Swedish home cooking.
Why is it called "Flying Jacob"? Well, the author's name was Ove Jacobsson and he worked with freight forwarding by air. The recipe was created by chance with leftovers available at home.
I already have a another recipe by Flying Jacob on the site where I use chicken thighs and some other seasoning instead. It can be varied in lots of ways.
The original recipe:
Although the original recipe is quite clear, I will tweak it a little. They count on 2 pre-grilled chickens for 4 people, but I would say that the chickens you buy in the shops now are considerably larger and thus a bit misleading. I think a single chicken that weighs around 1 kg (you get almost 700g of meat from one) is just the right amount. Another thing is the amount of cream, which should be a little over 2 dl, but since we often buy cream in 3 dl packages, I choose to use a whole package instead of saving on a small amount left in the fridge.
Some of all variations and changes:
- Flying Lotta (contains chanterelle sauce)
- Hovering Jacob (vegetarian)
- Swimming Jacob (contains fish instead of chicken)
- Flying Kurre (contains "kassler" (pork) instead of chicken)
- Replace the salad spices with curry powder
- Replace the banana with mango
- Replace the cream with créme fraiche or coconut milk
- Replace peanuts with cashews, walnuts or pine nuts
- Replace chicken with halloumi
- Replace chicken with halloumi and bacon with marinated tofu
- Replace chili sauce with ketchup
Some choose to remove the skin completely, but I usually save some (25-50%) and add it to the rest of the chicken for a little extra flavor. However, I make sure that it is divided into smaller pieces.
I think it is best eaten with some rice after the gratin has been left to cool for a few minutes. It keeps well in the fridge for a day or two and, together with rice, it is a good dish to use in lunchboxes, which can then also be frozen.
Ingredients
Nutrition Facts*
| Total | Serving | 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 4046.9 kcal | 1011.73 kcal | 220 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 99.52 g | 24.88 g | 5.41 g |
| Fat | 301.49 g | 75.37 g | 16.39 g |
| Protein | 228.28 g | 57.07 g | 12.41 g |
| Sugar | 63.28 g | 15.82 g | 3.44 g |
| Salt | 23.91 g | 5.98 g | 1.30 g |
* The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Directions
- Set the oven to 225°C.
- Debone the chicken and place the meat in an ovenproof dish.
- Season the meat with salt, pepper and the Italian salad mix.
- Peel the bananas. Split the bananas lengthwise so that there are 4 long pieces of each banana and place them on top of the chicken.
- Whisk the cream and mix in the chilli sauce. Spread the mixture over the chicken and banana pieces.
- Gratinate in oven for 20 minutes.
- While the chicken is in the oven, cut the bacon into smaller pieces and fry crisply in a frying pan. Drain on paper.
- Sprinkle bacon and peanuts over the gratin chicken.
- Serve with rice and salad.