Chicken pilaf (easy peasy)

I sometimes drive my octogenarian mother to the supermarket and I have noticed that her shopping list never changes. Actually I am wondering why she has a list at all as she has a good memory and knows exactly where all her favourite items are and has an invisible route map planned out in her head with which she navigates the aisles, filling her trolley with her weekly shop. If I suggest something new for her and my stepfather to try, she nods, makes all the right noises and then ignores me. Perhaps she finds comfort in repetition. Or perhaps she just knows what she likes and sticks to it. Anyhow, sometimes I think I should change my own weekly menu more often – it is easy to stick to the same old tried, tested and much loved recipes. So I tested out two new dishes this week and this was the first – Chicken Pilaf.

Chicken Pilaf

Ingredients serves 3/4
Tbsp oil
Onion, finely sliced
2 tbspn curry paste
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or 4 skinless chicken breasts – either way cut into goujons
2 x 250g microwaveable basmati rice
Handful of frozen peas
100g baby spinach
Optional: Mango chutney, toasted almond flakes, crispy onions, sultanas

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to prepare
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and gently soften the onions (takes 5 mins or so).
Then stir in the curry paste and add the chicken strips. Cook for 5 mins.
Add the rice, peas and 100ml boiling water, stir and cook for another 2 mins.
Fold in the spinach and a tablespoon or so of chutney and a sprinkling of sultanas (if using) and as soon as the spinach has wilted, remove from the heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scatter over the almond flakes and crispy onions if using. Serve in warmed bowls.

 

This would make an easy peasy supper recipe to serve to friends and family. You could double/treble the quantities and serve up a huge platter of this pilaf, supplemented by onion bhajis, poppadoms and lashings mango chutney and lime pickle.

 

 

For lots more mouthfilling curry recipes click here