One Pot Chicken Pilaf

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Preparation Time: 2 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes | Freezable?: Yes

A super fast, super healthy meal for one with minimal washing up (especially if you eat it out of the dish you cook it in)

Ingredients
Method

Ingredients

1 tsp sunflower oil
1 small onion chopped
A large or two small boneless and skinless chicken thigh fillets cut into chunks (or one boneless, skinless chicken breast if preferred)
2 tsp curry paste
About a third of a mug of basamati rice – 3½ oz/100g of rice
Two thirds of a mug of chicken stock – 8 fluid ounces/225 mll.
1 mug frozen mixed vegetables – – 4oz/110g of frozen mixed vegetables
Half a mug frozen leaf spinach 4oz/110g of frozen leaf spinach

So hands up our end! – yes this is an American recipe that we came across. A mug or cup as its sometimes referred to in American recipes is equivalent to 8 oz, around 225 grams so we’ve worked out the rough equivalent for you. Enjoy!

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat and gently heat the onion for 5- 6 minutes until softens.
Add the chunks of chicken, frying everything together for a further couple of minutes until lightly browned on the outside. Stir in the curry paste and rice and cook for another minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and add in the larger bits of the frozen (or fresh) mixed veg, bringing it all back to the boil. Then lower the heat and cover the pan with a lid.
Cook for 10 minutes then stir in the remaining veg. Scatter over the spinach, cover then cook for 10 minutes more until all the stock has been absorbed into the rice and the rice is just tender.
Stir and season to taste giving it all a final good stir and serve.

Want to add in a bit of flair or looking to impress someone?, – add in some fresh herbs, parsley, mint or chives for brightness and a handful of chopped toasted nuts like almonds, pecans, pistachios for some crunch. Although not sure I’d do it you could also add in some currants or raisins if you want to sweeten the dish. Or want to go more veggie? add in a half a can of drained chick peas or anything you’ve got spare in the fridge – just make it up as you go along!

What is a Pilaf?
Pilaf’s a dish where rice is cooked in a seasoned broth, a browner pilaf comes from rice stirred with pieces of cooked onion and a mix of spices.