In The Kitchen With Kanta : Rice and Chicken

I’ve just got back from Spain and I had such an amazing time, it was everything I needed and more.  Spain is a beautiful country, most of the food that I enjoyed during my time there was; fresh tropical fruits, fresh fish, chicken, salads and veggies. It felt so good to know that I was putting such good, fresh food into my body.  I never thought I would feel such a difference between over processed food and fresh food. It gave me a whole new perspective and inspired me to actively eat good and fresh food as much as possible.  Now don’t get me wrong I love a treat every now and then; and I don’t believe in restricting oneself too much, but it was refreshing to enjoy such fresh food.

However since my return I have been craving Rice and Chicken.  Some of you might not think that this is the healthiest meal in the world but, as the saying goes “there is more than one way to skin a cat”; and likewise there are many different ways to cook the same meal.  For example, instead of frying the chicken you can oven bake it, or grill it; you can cook it with or without the skin.  You can add an assortment of veggies or beans to this dish, and you can even have brown rice instead of white rice.  This is one of the many reasons why I love rice and chicken.  So without further ado – here is your recipe of the week delicious Rice and Chicken.

Preparation and Cooking: 1 hour

Serves: 4-8 people

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 8 pieces of chicken, legs and thighs (either skinless and boneless or with the skin left on)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 red or orange peppers, halved, deseeded and sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
• 200g long grain rice (or brown rice)
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 300ml chicken stock
• 2 tsps Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

Cook your rice according to the instructions on the packet

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.  Marinate your chicken with the paprika, salt and pepper to taste, drizzle some olive oil over it, place it an oven tray and cook it for about 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through.

In a medium frying pan, heat 2 tbsps of olive oil, add the onion and peppers, and cook for 3 minutes or until lightly golden. Tip in the garlic and fry for one minute. Add your canned tomatoes and chicken stock, and cook until thickened.

 Serving

Plate up your steaming rice, followed by your chicken and pour your gravy over the top. Enjoy this simple yet delicious meal.

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.