CHICKEN AND BROWN BASMATI PILAF
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 1 hour
Serves 6
2 tbsp olive oil
500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
6 spring onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g portobellini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds
1½ cups brown basmati rice
2 tbsp lemon juice
2½ cups chicken stock
200g baby English spinach, torn
3 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
3 tbsp chopped mint
A handful of cashew nuts, lightly toasted
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the chicken. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, sauté the spring onions, garlic, mushrooms and fennel seeds until the spring onions are tender. Add the rice and stir through to coat. Increase the heat and add the lemon juice and stock. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer, covered with a tight-fitting lid for 30 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, stir through and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the spinach and chopped herbs over the top of the rice, cover with a lid and allow to stand for about five minutes. Serve with toasted cashew nuts sprinkled on top.