Deliciously seasoned Spanish Chicken and Rice - a dish you just have to try.
This Spanish Chicken and Rice is a pretty quick dish to put together, the chicken is so tender and has a flavorsome seasoning and the rice is just amazing pack with lots of veggies and never from a packet.
Once you try this rice, you will wonder why you ever used packet rices, this is just lovely and fresh and super easy to make and it really doesn't take much longer to make, all you have to do is chop the veggies fry them in some spray oil before adding your rice and stock.
I love the rice on it's own, so adding the chicken is a flavour explosion.
I cook my rice in a big cast iron skillet like the one below. I love my cast iron pans and have a set in various sizes including some that are not enameled and which add a great sear to meat, as the can easily be transferred from stove top to oven and vice versa.
Check out this cast iron set on amazon
Chicken really doesn't need a whole deal added to it to make it flavorsome. Just a good seasoning of salt, pepper and paprika is basic but delicious. Pan frying, adds a lovely golden colour while the rest of the breast remains tender. Far too often Chicken breasts can be overcooked and I only ever use them for dishes like this. For casseroles and stew etc I favour chicken thighs, which can be cooked for longer and absorb more flavour.
It's a great family meal that everyone will enjoy and is also gluten and dairy free.
Syn Free Spanish Chicken and Rice
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly
Extra Easy - syn free per serving
WW Smart Points - 7
Ingredients
[b]For the rice[/b]
- 1 medium onion chopped finely
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- ½ green pepper
- 1 carrot, finely grated (excess moisture squeezed out)
- 1 zucchini (courgette), finely grated (excess moisture squeezed out
- ½ cup of frozen peas
- 1 cup of rice
- 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 2 cups of chicken stock
[b]For the chicken[/b]
- 4 chicken breasts - approx 800g/28oz (skin and any fat removed)
- 4 teaspoons of paprika
- black pepper
- salt
- Spray oil
Instructions
Notes
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Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 442Cholesterol 114.5mgSodium 1292mgCarbohydrates 16.1gFiber 4.3gSugar 5.1gProtein 48.9g
Gemma says
Wow Ive just made this and its just as great as all your other recipes. Thank you so much for this blog as without it I wouldnt have been able to stick to slimming world, I need variety with my meals and as I am not a confident enough cook to prepare meals from scratch, your blog has enabled me to do this.
Angela Kearney says
Sorry, this is probably a stupid question but is it dry or cooked rice you are adding to the broth?
Admin says
Hi, the rice is uncooked
Charna says
Hi could you freeze any left overs? Thanks
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi if the rice is cooled and frozen withinn an hour of cooking, then yes it will be fine to freeze. Otherwise I wouldn't
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-poisoning.aspx?CategoryID=51
Sam says
Just made this for dinner using my instant pot for the rice 3mins manual with 4 min natural release, perfect.. Finely chopped courgettes and carrots instead of grating them as was too lazy to grate. Will definitely be on the menu again.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
That's great to know the rice worked in the Instant Pot - thank you for sharing. I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Karen Howden says
Thanks so much for this! I follow you on Instagram and just so happened to stumble upon your blog through this today! I'm just starting out with this and really want it to be a success!
Nicola says
Just made this and it was amazing! Having a challenging week as my oven blew up at the weekend, so only have my hob and slow cooker at the moment! Will be using your blog at lot in the coming days
Liz says
Made this last night. So simple to do. Husband couldn't believe it was a healthy recipe. Clean plates all round!
Angelika says
Hi .. ive got 2 questions 🙂 how much rice I should add ? and what chicken stock ? normal cubes ? if yes then how many ?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Angelika, it gives rice measurement on recipe. It is 1 cup (240ml - you can use a measuring jug if you don't have cups) of uncooked rice. For the stock, it will depend on what you use as it varies, if you look on the box of the stock cubes, it will tell you how many you need for how many mls. I use homemade stock most of the time or buy cartons of organic broth which are syn free. Hope that helps 🙂
Sarah says
Hi, could you use brown rice instead?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Sarah, you definitely could, but without testing it out myself, I can't give the cooking time (as it will take a lot longer for brown rice to cook, plus you may need more liquid)
Susan says
Just had to leave a message to say how GREAT this recipe was! Stumbled upon it by complete accident and am so glad I did! Full of flavour and a firm favourite in our house now. What's great is how this can be tweaked to fit whatever 'back of the fridge' veg you have in. Thank you thank you!
Neil Evans says
Should the chicken be cooked in the oven or on the hob? Sorry it’s a stiupid quetions
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Neil, the chicken is cooking on a hob in a frying pan or grill pan. Enjoy!!
Marie says
I really enjoyed this meal, it was very tasty & I liked the kick from the chilli powder. It was a good way to jazz up plain rice & get more veggies involved. Enjoyed leftovers the next day.
samantha read says
Hey how many would you say this generally serves if use exact measurements
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Samantha - it gives servings on the recipe box. This recipe serves 4
Susan Morton says
Looking forward to trying these tasty meals starting with the Spanush Spicey chicken and rice
Carol says
Loved the dish. And the rice was so tasty
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
ahhh thanks Carol - that's good to hear 🙂
Kirsty Haunton says
Just made this, it was so good and really filling too! I browned the chicken in s pan then baked in the oven wrapped lightly in foil and it was so good and very moist! Will be cooking this again
Natalie says
Just made this for me and my daughter. Absolutely delicious! Packed full of flavour oven backed the chicken then finished off on the griddle to crisp. Definitely on our weekly dinner plan! Thanks for sharing
Steve says
This is a firm family favourite!!! I’ve tweaked a few things like finely dicing 2 carrots and the courgette, including a whole pepper, cup and half of rice and 3 cups water. This makes a big enough batch otherwise it doesn’t last long enough! I rarely include the chicken as we use the rice for so many other things. We used to buy the pre mixed veg dried rice regularly but not since I discovered this recipe! 10/10 thank uou
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
so happy to hear that, love the sound of your tweaks too 🙂
Alison Davies says
I made this last week and it was delicious. The only adjustment I made was to put a little more water in when cooking the rice as I found the liquid was absorbing too quickly before the rice was cooked. I love your recipes.
Niccy Wyndham says
Wow! Everyone one of your recipes are tasty ! Slimming world or not thank you for the yummy dinners x
Alison Davies says
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s always delicious. I’ve frozen some of the rice a couple of times but found the rice not as moist after freezing. What do you suggest to revive it a little?
Greg Barlow says
Just made this (forgot the carrot) as my wife wants syn free dinners. Didn't have a skillet so used a frying pan. Came out lovely, was a hit with my fussy kids as well.