Freekeh chicken pilaf

An easy and wholesome supper dish of fast-cooking cracked grain freekeh with chicken breast fillets, tomatoes and chilli

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy, 50 minutes

Ingredients:

200g cracked freekeh

Olive oil for frying

400g chicken breast fillets, cut into strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, mashed

5ml (1 tsp) paprika

2.5ml (½ tsp) chilli flakes (more to taste)

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

185ml (¾ cup) warm vegetable stock

10ml (2 tsp) sugar

Salt and black pepper to taste

½ red pepper, chopped

To serve

Tomato and red pepper salsa, using the other half of the red pepper

Mashed avocado

Plain yoghurt

Fresh coriander

Lime wedges

Method

1) Soak the freekeh in cold water for 10 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy-based pan with a lid and fry the chicken in batches for a few minutes to seal. Set aside.

3) Add more oil if needed and fry the onion and garlic until soft and translucent, scraping off any chicken bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

4) Add the paprika and chilli and fry for a few minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and stock. Add the sugar and season and give it all a good stir.

4) Bring to a simmer, place the lid on top and turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 minutes then stir in the red pepper, replace the lid and cook for another 10 minutes.

5) Check if the freekeh is cooked and let the pilaf stand for 5 minutes before serving with the condiments.