Who likes mess and lots of washing up? Not me!

Who likes tasty food? Me!

I love this meal because it has minimal faff and hassle: everything is chucked in to my lovely big Le Cruset pot that sits permanently on the stove. It has the perfect combination of carbohydrates from the rice, protein from the chicken and chorizo, with the tomatoes, onion, pepper and garlic providing super healthy phytonutrients. The original recipe used Cajun spice mix which in the words of my 3 year old is “a little bit spicy”, so I’ve adapted it to use smoked paprika, which provides a warming barbeque flavour. 

For my wee people, I’ve renamed it ‘Barbeque Rice Treasure Hunt’. I know, I know. I don’t like pandering too much to this type of nonsense, but anything for an easier life. They’ve to find the chunks of chicken/chorizo in the rice. Also for a less stressful mealtime, I grate the onion as my eldest won’t eat chunks of the stuff. Sigh, raised eyebrow*

Did you know? One of the fabulous things about onion and garlic is that they are wonderful ‘foods’ for the healthy bacteria in your gut, helping to ensure they flourish. Healthy gut bacteria are very important for good digestion and your immune system.

Watching your weight or for extra nutrition oomph? Leave out the chorizo as it’s high in fat and usually has nitrates (not very healthy at all); add extra chicken, some prawns, extra vegetables, e.g grated carrot, red pepper, spinach, or another tin of tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 onion, diced or grated
• 1 red pepper, chopped in to cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 75g chorizo sausage, sliced
• 1-2 tbsp smoked paprika or Cajun spice mix
• 250g long grain rice
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 350ml chicken stock

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or casserole dish with a lid. Brown the chicken for a few mins.
2. Tip in the onion and cook for a few minutes until soft.
3. Add the pepper, garlic, chorizo and smoked paprika. Cook for 5 mins more.
4. Add the uncooked rice.
5. Add the tomatoes and stock.
6. Cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the rice is tender. Add more chicken stock if it gets a bit too dry.

My favourite thing is when I let it ‘catch’ on the bottom of the saucepan, allowing it to crisp up a bit/caramelise.