Returning MKR contestants share top recipes (2024)

With the new season just around the corner, some of My Kitchen Rules’ returning contestants share their favourite recipes from seasons past.

Dan and Steph’s jerk chicken with coconut rice and pineapple salsa

Serves 4

• 4 chicken Marylands, skin on
• vegetable oil, to grease
• salt and pepper
• sliced coriander and thinly sliced red chilli, to serve

Marinade

• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
• 2 long red chillies, chopped
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp ground allspice
• 1 tbs dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground oregano
• ½ tbsp cayenne pepper
• juice of 1 orange
• juice of 1 lime
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup soy sauce

Coconut rice

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red long chilli, seeded, finely chopped
• 2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 400ml coconut milk
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 400g can kidney beans, drained

Pineapple salsa

• ½ pineapple, diced
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, seeded, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp honey

Yoghurt sauce

• 300g Greek-style yoghurt
• ½ bunch coriander, finely chopped
• ½ bunch mint, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 170C.

To make marinade, process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, then rub all over chicken. Grease a frying pan with vegetable oil and place over high heat. Cook chicken for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Transfer to an oven tray, cover with foil and roast for 40-45 minutes or until tender. Pour juices into a large saucepan.

To make coconut rice, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and chilli and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft. Stir in rice, coconut milk, stock and 1 cup of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until cooked. Stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Using a fork, fluff rice. Season with salt and pepper, then add kidney beans and stir to combine. Set aside and keep warm.

Place pan with cooking juices over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes or until thickened.

To make pineapple salsa, place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.

To make yoghurt sauce, place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Preheat a grill to high. Place chicken, skin-side up, under grill and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Divide chicken among serving plates and drizzle with sauce. Top with extra coriander and chilli and serve with rice, salsa and yoghurt sauce.

Jac and Shaz’s spiced orange syrup cakes

Makes 12

• 2 limes
• 1 cup caster sugar
• lemon segments and toasted slivered almonds, to serve

Spiced syrup

• 300g caster sugar
• 350ml water
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken
• 2 star anise
• 1½ tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp honey
• peel from 1 orange

Cakes

• 125g butter, softened
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1½ cups self-raising flour

Cream topping

• 250g cream cheese, at room temperature
• 125g plain Greek yoghurt
• ¼ cup icing sugar
• zest and juice of ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 12 holes of a muffin pan (80ml capacity) and line bases with baking paper.

To make syrup, stir all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Cool, then strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Lightly peel limes, being careful not to include any pith. Cut peel into thin strips. Stir zest, sugar and 250ml (1 cup) water in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cool completely. Remove zest strips and place on a tray lined with baking paper to dry. Discard syrup.

To make cakes, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and beating between additions, until combined. Stir in orange zest, orange juice and flour. Divide mixture among prepared pan holes. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Using a skewer, lightly pierce holes in cakes. Pour over syrup, then, once cooled, turn out of pan.

To make cream topping, beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and combined. Spoon topping onto cakes, then decorate with lemon wedges, candied zest and almonds.

Jake and Elle’s John Dory with fennel salad

Serves 4

• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp grape seed oil
• 4 x 180g John Dory fillets, skin intact

Salad

• 200ml fresh pink grapefruit juice
• 20ml light olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Mayonnaise

• 2 egg yolks
• dash of white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 300ml vegetable oil
• 30ml extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

To make salad, place grapefruit juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes or until reduced by half, then set aside to cool completely. Transfer to a medium bowl with remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

To make mayonnaise, process egg yolks, vinegar, mustard and lemon juice in food processor until well combined. With the motor running, gradually add oils, drop by drop at first, then in a thin, steady stream until thick and emulsified. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Heat grape seed oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Season fish all over with salt and pepper, then place, skin-side down, in pan and cook for 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Turn and cook for a further 2 minutes or until just cooked through.

Divide salad among serving plates and drizzle over any remaining vinaigrette. Place a fish fillet on top and spoon mayonnaise to the side to serve.