Mandimoo, that's not a hideous reading - mine was 7.4, even on statins, before I started to really get a grip on my diet, and stopped eating butter and cake in the quantity I used to, and I eat a lot more fruit and vegetables. I now go for low fat options for yogurt and fat etc., but I still enjoy my food and still have treats - I;ve just eaten a Bournville bar :-)
The last reading was 5.4 and I've lost a stone in weight, so it does work.
Your chicken dish sounds delicious, I wouldn't change that at all!
Re the statins, my initial experience was dreadful, muscle aches, the lot, but I'm now on Fluvastatin, with absolutely no adverse effects.
Good luck with it - but it's by now means the end of the world, it's manageable. Let us know how you get on!