Herby Rice with Grilled Lemon Chicken and Herb Dressing
Serves: 4
Time: 40 mins
This dinner is perfect for BBQ weather, it’s super simple to prepare and if you are getting prepped ahead of time you’ll be able to get this one on the table in about 15 minutes. It makes a great meal for a weeknight when your a bit pushed for time but still want to have a bit of life outside dining before sundown. If you need a little extra green then some blanched broccoli cut small would work well mixed through the rice salad or add some fresh rocket on the side. My herb dressing is very similar to chimichurri and if you don’t use it all then you could use it another day as a marinade.
Leftovers
This mix makes plenty for four so when just feeding two there is ample for lunch the next day to have as a cold chicken salad, you might prefer to shred up the chicken though so you can eat it easily.
What you'll need
2 chicken breasts
1/2 bunch of oregano
3/4 bunch of flat parsley
1 bunch of coriander
2 small red chillies
4 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1 cup of white long grain rice
1/2 cup of toasted almond slithers
From the Pantry
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper
Prep and Cook
Marinate Chicken
Peel and finely chop the garlic and place 2 cloves worth into a small food processor and the rest into a mixing bowl.
Wash and finely chop the oregano and place a large pinch into the food processor and the rest into the mixing bowl along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Zest the skin of your lemon and set aside then squeeze the juice into your bowl and mix well.
Slice your chicken in half horizontally so that you have 4 thin looking breasts, add the chicken to the marinade and mix so that it is well coated and set aside to marinate for 20 mins or overnight is best.
Cook Rice
In a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid combine the rice with 1 1/2 cups of cold water and a large pinch of salt, add 1 teaspoon of oil. Bring up to the boil then give the rice a quick stir and turn down to a low simmer. Cover with the lid and cook for 18 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to steam. It is important to keep the lid on the whole time.
Make Herby Dressing
Wash the parsley and coriander really well and shake off any excess water. Roughly chop and add the coriander and half of your parsley to the food processor.
Roughly chop the chillies and add along with the red wine vinegar and the remainder of your oil. Season well with salt and pepper and blitz till well combined.
Cook Chicken
Heat a BBQ to around 200.
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and place on the grill to cook for two minutes, then turn the chicken a half turn so that you get some good criss-cross lines going and cook for a further two minutes.
Flip the chicken pieces over and repeat.
Remove the chicken from the BBQ and let it rest for two minutes.
Plate it Pretty
Remove the lid from the rice and fluff up with a fork, then empty into a large mixing bowl, (if you prepped the rice ahead of time you will just want to heat it up in a microwave for about 2 minutes so that it isn’t all hard from the fridge.
Toss the remaining parsley and the lemon zest through your rice, add the almonds and season well.
Pile the rice onto a large serving platter.
Slice the chicken into large chunky pieces and criss-cross over the top of the rice.
Drizzle generously with the herby mix.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
This makes a fabulous lunch the next day, if your chicken pieces are too big you might want to shred them up.