Catalan Chicken & Rice Recipe

Ingredients

200g white basmati rice
1 onion
1 courgette
1 red pepper
2 tomatoes
1 garlic clove
A handful of flat leaf parsley
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 30 mins

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Method

1. Tip the rice into a large bowl. Cover with cold water and whisk (you can use a fork) for 1-2 mins till the water goes cloudy (this is the starch). Drain, rinse under cold water and tip back into the bowl. Cover with cold water. Set aside.

2. Place the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of cling film. Bash a few times with a rolling pin to even them out a little so they’re roughly 1 cm thick.

3. Warm a deep frying pan or shallow casserole dish for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the chicken breasts. Fry over a medium heat for 2-3 mins till golden. Flip and fry for another 2-3 mins.

4. While the chicken fries, peel and finely chop the onion. Trim the ends off the courgette and dice it. Halve the pepper, then scoop out the seeds and white bits. Finely chop it. Dice the tomatoes. Peel and crush or grate the garlic. Finely chop the parsley stalks (keep the leaves for later).

5. Lift the chicken out of the pan and put on a plate. Add the onion, courgette and pepper to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 mins till soft and glossy, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic, parsley stalks and diced tomatoes.

6. Add 4 tbsp water. Season well with salt and pepper. Slide the chicken back in. Cover and gently cook over a medium-low heat for 15 mins till the chicken is cooked all the way through (the juices should run clear when pierced with a skewer).

7. While the chicken cooks, drain the rice and tip into a small pan. Add 1 tsp tumeric, a pinch of salt and 400ml boiling water. Cover, bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 8 mins till the water is absorbed.

8. Take the rice off the heat and set aside, lid on, for 5 mins to finish cooking. Fluff with a fork then spoon onto 2 warm plates. Top with the chicken and vegetables. Garnish with chopped parsley leaves to serve.