Fuss-free recipes to recreate at home with Irish television personality and award-winning food writer Donal Skehan

Want to host a party without the stress of preparing an elaborate feast? Look no further than Donal Skehan, the renowned Irish television personality and award-winning food writer, who has made a name for himself by creating fuss-free recipes that anyone can master at home.

We all know the feeling: recipes often take twice as long as they should, and the end result doesn’t always match our expectations. This is especially true if you don’t have a natural flair for cooking. But don’t worry, we’ve put together a collection of easy, no-fuss recipes that you can whip up at home in no time. This guide will help you recreate your favourite dishes and even discover a few new ones.

And who better to lead you on this culinary journey than Donal Skehan? With a decade of experience as a TV host and award-winning food writer, he has authored ten cookbooks, including bestsellers in Ireland, the UK, and the USA. His most recent book, Home Kitchen, launched in October 2023, following the success of Everyday Cook, which won Cookbook of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2021.

Collaborating with BBC Lifestyle, Donal brings his expertise right into your kitchen. In his new series, he shares a collection of his favorite recipes, all adapted with simple techniques designed for home cooks. This series is packed with new, easy-to-follow recipes, time-saving hacks, and practical cooking tips that will benefit you and your family every day.

Donal Skehan: Home Cook is premiered on the BBC Lifestyle channel and their streaming platform BBC Player in Malaysia last month. To give you a sneak peek of what the show has to offer, we’ve compiled some of the best fuss-free recipes from the professional cook himself.

Donal Skehan’s approach to cooking focuses on minimal effort for maximum flavour. His recipes are designed to be straightforward, using readily available ingredients and simple techniques. Whether you’re an experienced cook looking for quick meals or a beginner eager to learn, his recipes cater to all skill levels.

Read on to discover what Donal Skehan can bring to the table. With his guidance, you’ll find that cooking can be easy, enjoyable, and incredibly rewarding.

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Easy recipes to recreate at home with Donal Skehan

Recipe #1: Chicken Satay with Rice & Greens

Serves: Four to six pax

Prep time: 10 minutes, plus marinating

Cook time: 50 minutes

Tip: If you chill the tin of coconut milk first, you’ll end up with a nice firm cream on top to use for the marinade.

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)

1 tbsp groundnut (peanut) or vegetable oil

For the marinade

2 tbsp coconut cream from a 400ml tin coconut milk

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp soft light brown sugar

For the sauce

400ml tin coconut milk (minus the 2 tbsp used in the marinade)

3 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

1 tbsp tamarind purée

To serve

200g sticky rice

4 pak choi, quartered

50g roasted peanuts, chopped

Large handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped

Lime wedges

How to make Chicken Satay with Rice & Greens:

• Put the chicken thighs into a dish. Mix together all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then add to the chicken and stir to coat evenly. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• To make the sauce, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.
• Place a casserole dish over a medium heat and add the oil. When shimmering, add the chicken and brown all over (in batches if necessary) until sticky and dark.
• Pour in the sauce, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes until the chicken is lovely and tender.
• Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the packet instructions and steam the pak choi until tender.
• Serve the chicken, scattered with peanuts and coriander, with the sticky rice and steamed greens along with some lime wedges to squeeze over the top.

Recipe #2: Prawn Pil Pil Pasta

Serves: Four pax

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

350g linguine

100ml extra virgin olive oil

150g cherry tomatoes

3 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp smoked sweet paprika

Generous pinch of chilli flakes

500g peeled raw king prawns (jumbo shrimp)

75g rocket (arugula) leaves

Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Squeeze of lemon juice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Prawn Pil Pil Pasta:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10–12 minutes until al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and add the tomatoes. Cook gently until they start to burst, then add the garlic, paprika and chilli flakes and cook for a couple of minutes more.
• Add the prawns, increase the heat and fry until they are pink all over. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Drain the pasta, saving a splash of cooking water. Tip the pasta and reserved cooking water into the pan with the prawns. Toss well with the rocket leaves and parsley, squeeze over some lemon juice and serve.

Recipe #3: Instant Noodle Ramen with Air Fryer Tofu

Serves: Eight pax with leftovers

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 free-range eggs

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp mirin

10g dried mushrooms

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

50g shredded greens with stalks removed (kale or cavolo nero)

1 x pack or pot instant ramen noodles (your favourite flavour)

2 tsp miso paste

2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

Togarashi seasoning (optional)

Japanese pickles or kimchi, to serve

For the Air Fryer Tofu:

2 blocks of firm tofu

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp corn flour

1 tbsp sesame oil

How to make Instant Noodle Ramen with Air Fryer Tofu:

• Put the eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Or cook the eggs in the air fryer at 130°C for 9 minutes. Then cool under cold running water.
• Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms until they are just covered (about 120ml) and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
• For the tofu, place it on a baking sheet between two pieces of kitchen paper and place another baking sheet on top. Press it down every so often to remove as much moisture as possible, then cut it into cubes.
• Mix together the corn flour, sesame oil and soy sauce, and toss the tofu in the mixture. Place in the cubes onto some parchment paper in an air fryer for 20-25 mins. Cook at 180°C until golden brown.
• Heat the vegetable oil and half the sesame oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and greens to the pan and stir-fry till fragrant, then add a splash of water, cover and steam until tender.
• Make a paste from the miso, the flavour packet from the noodles and a splash of the mushroom soaking liquid and pour it over the greens.
• Add the mushrooms and the remainder of the mushroom soaking liquid, then pour boiling water over the noodles.
• When cooked, place the noodles into a bowl and top with the mushrooms, greens, tofu the remaining sesame oil, some togarashi seasoning and the egg, halved. Drizzle some soy sauce and mirin marinade over the top and serve with Japanese pickles or kimchi.

Recipe #4: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

Serves: Four to six pax

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus marinating

Cook time: 6 hours 30 minutes

Tip: If you don’t have a slow cooker you can make this in a lidded casserole and cook in an oven preheated to 150°C for 2–3 hours, or until the chicken is tender and cooked all the way through.

Ingredients:

8 free-range chicken thighs (bone in), skin removed

120ml double (heavy) cream

Steamed rice, to serve

Store-bought naan bread

Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), to serve

For the marinade

400g full-fat natural yoghurt

Juice and zest of 1⁄2 lemon

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

Salt & pepper

For the curry sauce

40g butter

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 tsp cardamom pods, cracked

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

3 tbsp tomato purée (paste)

100ml chicken stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Slow Cooker Butter Chicken:

• Put the chicken in a dish with all the marinade ingredients and leave to marinade for at least an hour or overnight.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan, or with the sauté setting on your slow cooker. Gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli for 5–10 minutes until very soft. Add butter and the spices and cook for a minute until melted and fragrant.
• Tip into a slow cooker and add the chicken thighs in their marinade, tomato purée and stock. Season well and cook on low for 6 hours.
• Carefully remove the chicken to a warmed dish (it will be very tender and falling apart). The sauce will look a little split at this stage but don’t worry, it will come back together.
• Either with the sauté function of your slow cooker or in a pan over a medium heat, reduce the sauce for 5–6 minutes until thickened nicely, then stir through the double cream. Bubble for a few more minutes until you have a rich creamy sauce. Return the chicken to the sauce and serve with rice and lots of fresh coriander scattered over the top.
• Toast your store-bought naan bread over a flame for extra flavour and serve with coriander.

Recipe #5: Pork Shoulder with Parmesan Roasties

Serves: Four to eight pax

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 5 hours 30 minutes

Tip: If you have a Stanley knife, it will make it easier to get nice scoring on the pork skin. You want the blade to go all the way through the skin into the fat underneath. If your crackling isn’t as crisp as you would like it after half an hour, it’s best to remove it along with any fat and pop it back in with the potatoes rather than continuing to cook it on top of the pork as you don’t want the meat to dry out.

Ingredients:

2kg piece boneless pork shoulder, skin on

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp fennel seeds

Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp sweet apple cider vinegar

For the Parmesan roasties

1.2kg potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks

5 tbsp olive oil

40g Parmesan cheese, grated

For the garlicky greens

1 head savoy cabbage, leaves separated

A knob of butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make Pork Shoulder with Parmesan Roasties:

• Preheat the oven to 150°C. With a very sharp knife, score the skin of the pork so that it will crackle and crisp.
• Crush fennel seeds and salt together in a pestle and mortar and rub the mixture all over the pork. Put in a roasting tin, pour 300ml of boiling water around it and cover with foil. Put in the oven and roast for 5 and a half hours.
• At this point, remove the pork from the tin and pour the juices into a jug. Allow the pork to cool and then wrap in foil, leaving the skin exposed, and chill overnight in the fridge.
• The next day, remove the pork from the fridge an hour before you want to finish cooking it.
• Put the spuds into a large saucepan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and return to the pan over a low heat to dry and fluff up the edges.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C. Heat the olive oil for the roasties in a tin for a few minutes then add the potatoes and toss well.
• Put the potatoes in the bottom of the oven and return the pork to the top to crisp the crackling (check our tip). Cook both for 30 minutes, then remove the pork and set aside covered in foil. Turn the spuds and cook for a further 15 minutes, then generously sprinkle with the Parmesan and cook for 10 minutes more until the cheese is golden.
• Meanwhile, discard any fat from the juices in your jug and pour into a saucepan with the honey and vinegar and bubble together.
• Put the whole leaves of cabbage in a pan, add a splash of water, cover and steam for 2–3 minutes then uncover and add the butter and garlic and cook for a minute more. Season to taste.
• Slice the pork and crackling and serve with the sauce, golden crispy Parmesan potatoes and garlicky cabbage.

Recipe #6: Meringue Swish

Serves: 10 pax

Prep time: 30 minutes, plus cooling

Cook time: 2 to 2 hours 30 minutes

Tip: You can make the meringue up to two days in advance and store in an airtight container until you are ready to eat

Ingredients:

For the meringue

6 large free-range egg whites

325g caster sugar

1 tsp white wine vinegar

For the chocolate sauce

100g good-quality dark chocolate

30g salted butter

50g icing sugar, sifted

75ml double (heavy) cream

To serve

300ml double (heavy) cream

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

500g tub vanilla ice cream

50g hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Edible gold glitter to decorate (optional)

How to make Meringue Swish:

• Preheat the oven to 130°C. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
• In a stand mixer or using a large bowl with a hand-held electric whisk, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the sugar, a little at a time. Once it is all incorporated, whisk in the vinegar and then continue to whisk on high for 4–5 minutes until you have a smooth, thick, glossy meringue.
• Dollop large spoonfuls of the mixture all over the baking sheets in sort of giant quenelles (don’t worry about being too neat), then bake for 2–2 and a half hours until you can easily lift a meringue off the paper and they have a very pale shell. Turn off the oven and leave to cool completely inside the oven with the door ajar.
• When you are ready to serve, make the chocolate sauce. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of just simmering water. When melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the icing sugar and cream. Keep warm.
• Whip the cream and vanilla until it is just holding its shape. Take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer.
• Take a large serving platter and dollop a bit of cream on to the bottom and place a meringue on top. Using the cream as glue, pile up the meringues to form a tower. Scoop the ice cream into balls and tuck them into the spaces in the meringue tower.
• Drizzle the whole thing in chocolate sauce – at the table for extra drama – scatter with nuts and decorate with edible glitter (if using). Serve immediately.

Donal Skehan: Home Cook is now available on the BBC Lifestyle channel and their streaming platform BBC Player in Malaysia. Watch the first few episodes here now.

Check out Donal Skehan’s YouTube channel: 

(All images used courtesy of BBC Studios)