Celebrity square meals: Suzi Quatro's (mum's) 'Italian chicken'

Serves two

Because of my work, I'm always travelling, so I end up in restaurants most of the time. That means I don't have much time to cook - when I do, I always make a pretty good amount so that my son and I can enjoy the leftovers for a few days afterwards.

Because of my work, I'm always travelling, so I end up in restaurants most of the time. That means I don't have much time to cook - when I do, I always make a pretty good amount so that my son and I can enjoy the leftovers for a few days afterwards.

But I only ever cook what I like to eat - I mean, I'm not interested in what the latest cookbooks tell me I should and shouldn't be making. I wouldn't even know where to look for them in the library - under "C", I suppose, for "Can't Do".

This is a recipe that was passed down to me from my mother. I grew up in Detroit, but she was Hungarian and my father was Italian, so before long, she was equally at home with either style of cooking. I guess this chicken dish is more Italian than Hungarian.

4 large chicken thighs
3 cloves of garlic
A half-inch piece of root ginger
1 large red chilli (or more, if you like it hot)
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1 medium red onion
Some extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Bone the chicken and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Also chop up the garlic, ginger and thyme. Peel and de-seed the chilli, and thinly slice the onion.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for two to four hours.

Heat a large frying pan and cook gently until done - about 10 minutes. Serve with pasta and a simple tomato sauce.

Suzi Quatro has just received a Gold Badge Award from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters (sponsored by MCPS) for her outstanding contribution to the music industry