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.