Try something different today. This extra healthy recipe is based on a combination of brown rice, chicken and fresh vegetables, so its ideal for a quick light mid-week dinner
Why use brown rice?
Brown rice, in contrast to the usual white rice has not been processed. It therefore maintains its coating and all the nutritious constituents that come with it.
On the other hand, white rice has its wholegrain coating removed in order to make it easier to boil and more attractive to buyers. However, most of the nutritious constituents are found in the coating, such as vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. This makes brown rice a much better choice to use in cooking and ideal for a balanced diet.
A cup of brown rice provides 80% of our daily needs in magnesium. It is also a very good source of selenium which is thought to protect from some forms of cancer, heart dysfunctions and inflammations.
Brown rice is also thought to be anti-hypertensive (help reduce your blood pressure) and is a low glycaemic index food. This means that is an ideal food for people with diabetes as it rises the blood sugar in much slower tempo. It also means that you will feel fuller for longer.
And don’t forget. We should purchase all products fresh and store them in the appropriate conditions in order to maintain all their nutritional value.
Extra healthy roast chicken recipe with brown rice and boiled vegetables
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 70 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Greek
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
This extra healthy roast chicken recipe is based on a combination of brown rice, chicken and fresh vegetables, ideal for a quick mid-week healthy and exciting dinner.
Ingredients
- 500g of chicken thighs, without the skin (18 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 cup brown rice
- 4 cups of seasonal vegetables
- freshly ground pepper
- mustard
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Pour the rice in a bowl and let it soak in cold water for at least one hour before boiling it to soften it up.
- Split the chicken thighs into two pieces and place them in an oven tray. In a separate bowl, mix olive oil, mustard, salt and the lemon juice. Stir it well and cover the chicken thighs with this delicious marinade. Make sure that the marinade covers the whole surface of the chicken thighs for a better taste! Pour a glass of water in the tray and insert in the oven.
- To prepare the rice, start by boiling some water in a kettle. Pour 2 1/2 cups of water for every cup of rice in a small saucepan. The moment the water starts boiling, turn down the heat and leave it in the pot until the water is fully absorbed by the rice. It should take about 20 minutes.
- While the rice is boiling, use another sauce pan and boil the vegetables in salted water for about 20 minutes. Before removing them from the pan you sprinkle some fresh herbs to give some extra taste. Ginger and thyme are excellent choices to mix in. Also don’t forget to pour in one tablespoon of olive oil. Your heart will thank you!
- One serving should include 120g of chicken, 1 cup of boiled rice and we fill the plate with the colorful vegetables. Enjoy a very nutritious, tasty and “light” dish.
Or you could use a steamer for the rice and vegetables, it work for me will the chicken is being cooked ?
Indeed, a steamer is the ideal way to cook your vegetables! They retain more of their flavor, texture and aromas and in general I prefer it to plain boiling. Unfortunately that means that you have to buy some more equipment, if one doesn’t have it already…