This comforting forbidden rice chicken dish with peppers is packed full of filling and hearty winter ingredients: roast chicken, root vegetables and a super grain fit for royalty, or just your hungry family. Combining these good-quality ingredients like complex carbs (black rice), healthy fat (olive oil), and protein (chicken) in a single meal, you can lower the glycaemic response, feeling fuller for longer, absorb fat-soluble nutrients while ensuring better blood sugar balance.
Forbidden rice chicken dish with peppers
This comforting forbidden rice chicken dish with peppers is packed full of filling and hearty winter ingredients: roast chicken, root vegetables and a super grain fit for royalty, or just your hungry family. Combining these good-quality ingredients like complex carbs (black rice), healthy fat (olive oil), and protein (chicken) in a single meal, you can lower the glycaemic response, feeling fuller for longer, absorb fat-soluble nutrients while ensuring better blood sugar balance.
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 250g black rice
- 200ml fresh chicken stock
- 200ml water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6–8 chicken drumsticks
- 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 mixed peppers (red, yellow and orange), deseeded and sliced into thick strips
- 2 purple carrots, peeled and sliced (regular carrots will also work)
- 1 large beetroot, peeled and cubed
- ½ lemon, cut into 3 wedges
- ½ lemon rind, grated
- 2 bay leaves
- fresh parsley, a handful, finely chopped
- fresh thyme leaves, a small handful, finely chopped
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan) or 180°C (conventional).
- In a sieve, rinse the rice under cold water to clean the grains and reduce starch levels.
- Pour the rice, water, and stock in a pot over medium heat. Put the lid on.
- Bring to the boil and turn off the heat. Prepare all the other ingredients.
- Place a large saucepan or ovenproof pot over medium heat.
- Pour in 1 tbsp of olive oil.
- Add chicken legs to hot oil in a single layer without crowding. You might need to do them in a couple of batches depending on how big your pan is.
- Cook for around 8 minutes, turning once or until the chicken skin has browned. Remove with tongs and set aside.
- Turn down to low-medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, celery, then cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Pour the rice and water into the pot and bring back to a boil.
- Add bay, lemon rind, herbs, carrots and beetroot. Mix well together.
- Now add the chicken, placing it on top of the rice and veg.
- At this stage don’t stir, you want the rice in the water, not on the chicken, otherwise, you’ll have uncooked rice.
- Add the peppers and lemon wedges.
- Bring to boil and turn off the heat.
- Pop the lid on the pan and place it in the oven for 50 minutes.
- After 40 minutes remove the lid from the pan.
- Cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes in the oven. This gives the chicken and vegetables a lovely colour.
- Remove from the oven, check the chicken and rice are completely cooked.
- Chicken is perfectly cooked when the juice runs clear and the meat is falling off the drumstick. When eaten, the rice should have a lovely soft texture.
- Serve directly from the pan with a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 50
