Middle Eastern inspired chicken & rice

✔️Lactose-free

This one pot chicken rice is packed with warm Middle Eastern spices and rich flavors. The chicken becomes super tender while the rice absorbs all the delicious spices and broth. Serve it with a refreshing yogurt sauce and you’ve got the perfect comforting yet impressive meal.

Ingredients

Sauce & chicken

• 1 onion

• 100 g carrot

• A drizzle of olive oil

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 dried lime

• 2 star anise

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp paprika powder

• Pinch of chili powder

• 1 tsp cumin

• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon

• 500 g chicken breast

• 1 chicken stock cube

• 500 ml boiling water

• 3 tsp tomato paste

• Fresh coriander – to taste

Rice

• 500 g brown basmati rice

• 700 ml boiling water

• Extra salt to taste

Yogurt Sauce

• 100 g lactose-free Greek-style yogurt

• 0.5 tsp garlic powder

• 0.5 tsp black pepper

• Pinch of ground coriander

• Fresh coriander – to taste

• 30 ml lemon juice

Instructions

1. Finely chop the onion and grate the carrot. Add them to a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 3 minutes.

2. Add the cinnamon stick, dried lime and star anise. Add all the spices and mix well.

3. Add the sliced chicken breast and stir until the chicken is fully coated in the spices. Cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Pour in the boiling water, then add the chicken stock cube, tomato paste and fresh coriander. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook until tender. This takes about 25-30 minutes.

5. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.

6. Add the rice to the pan and mix it with the remaining sauce.

7. Pour in the boiling water until the rice is fully covered. Cover the pan and cook until the rice is done.

8. Taste the rice and add extra salt if needed.

9. Add the chicken back to the pan, mix well and cook for another 3 minutes.

10. For the yogurt sauce, mix the yogurt with the spices and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

11. Serve the chicken rice with the yogurt sauce.