Spicy Rice

This is my go to recipe for those days when you just can't think of what to have for dinner.  I always seem to have the ingredients to hand and they are regular items on my shopping list.

I found the recipe about 6 years ago in one of the Hairy Dieters cook books.  They make it with pork but I prefer to use chicken.  You can add extra spice if you like it a bit hotter.

Spicy Rice

Ingredients

·         2 tsp olive oil or you can use Fry Light

·         1 medium onion, diced

·         500g chicken goujons cut into pieces

·         50g chorizo sausage, skinned and cut into slices

·         2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

·         1 red and 1 orange pepper, deseeded and sliced

·         100g green beans, trimmed and cut into short lengths

·         1 tsp ground cumin

·         1 tsp ground coriander

      1 tsp paprika

·         ½ tsp hot chilli powder

·         150g basmati rice (or arborio rice if you like it more like a risotto)

·         750ml chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube

·         flaked sea salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

 

Method

 

         Heat the oil in a large, non-stick deep frying pan or sauté pan. Fry the onion over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes until they’re softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly.

       Season the chicken with salt and black pepper, then add it to the pan and stir-fry with the onion for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add the chorizo, garlic, peppers and beans and stir-fry together for 2 minutes more. Sprinkle with the spices and stir in the rice, then pour over the stock and bring to the boil.

      Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice and chicken are both lovely and tender.