Chimichurri Chicken & Rice

Serves 5
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Directions

  1. 1Place a saucepan over high heat, adding washed basmati rice, cold water and sea salt flakes to taste.
  2. 2Give it all a quick stir to break up and prevent any clumps, and bring it to a boil, once boiling, place on a lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 14 minutes undisturbed.
  3. 3Add the chicken breasts to a mixing bowl, followed by onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sea salt flakes to taste, cracked black pepper and olive oil.
  4. 4Massage the mixture until everything is evenly coated and well combined.
  5. 5Place a large pan over high heat, adding olive oil. Once hot, add in the seasoned chicken, placing them apart from one another and sear these for 3 minutes.
  6. 6Once achieved, flip them over and repeat the same process, then remove and place this into a preheated oven set at 200 degrees Celsius or 390 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 13 minutes.
  7. 7To make the chimichurri, add flat leaf parsley, coriander or cilantro, fresh peeled garlic, dried oregano, dry chilli flakes, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), red wine vinegar, sea salt flakes to taste and crack black pepper to a blender bowl.
  8. 8Place on a lid, lock it tightly and blend this on high until everything has broken down and well combined.
  9. 9Take the rice off the heat and leave the lid on for a final 4 minutes to allow it to finish cooking. Carefully remove the lid and use a fork or spatula to fluff it up.
  10. 10Carefully remove the chicken from the oven, place it onto a heat resistance surface and allow these to rest for 5 minutes.
  11. 11Slice it across the grain to break up the fiber and tissue resulting in more tender chicken, rotate it 90 degrees and slice into large dice pieces.
  12. 12Add the diced juicy chicken into a mixing bowl along with any resting juices, then add in the chimichurri and give this all a really good mix until everything is well coated and all chimmed up.
  13. 13Divide the rice by five, same again with the chimichurri chicken and don't forget to spoon over any juices left in the mixing bowl.
  14. 14Serve with some slices of lemon.
  15. 15Place on the lids once cooled and keep in the fridge for up to four days and in the freezer for up to four months. To reheat, simply do so in a microwave or a pan until hot.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken breast
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 10 g flat leaf parsely
  • 10 g coriander (cilantro)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 0.25 tsp chilli flakes
  • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 60 ml red wine vinegar (substitute for lemon juice)
  • 320 g basmati rice, washed
  • 640 ml cold water
  • lemon slices
  • coriander (cilantro)
  • sea salt flakes
  • cracked black pepper

Equipment

SaucepanMixing BowlLarge PanOvenBlender BowlForkSpatula

Tips

  • Optional: Serve with some slices of lemon for a nice citrus kick and also garnishing with coriander or cilantro.