Serves 4
35 minutes
Ingredients
500g chicken breast 200g brown basmati rice 20g fresh mint 20g fresh coriander 2 garlic cloves 1 lemon 1 ½ tsp paprika 1 tsp turmeric 150g puy lentils 3 tbsp olive oil 1 stock cube chicken or veg 200g spinach leaves
Method
Start by making the chermoula marinade. Grate the rind of the lemon. In a bowl mix together the lemon rind, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 4 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp of turmeric, ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp of paprika and 2 tbsp of olive oil.
Cut the chicken into thin slices and add the chicken to the marinade and set aside for 10 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating make the Persian rice. Rinse both the lentils and rice well. In a large saucepan bring to the boil 750ml of water, stir in the stock cube until it melts. Add the rice and lentils and simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes until both are cooked through. Drain off any excess water and fluff up with a fork. Finely chop the coriander and mint and add to the rice.
When the rice has been cooking for 5 minutes fry the chicken. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, add the chicken pieces with the marinade and fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes turning the pieces frequently so they cook on all sides.
Just before the chicken is ready cook the spinach.
Serve the chicken on top of the Persian rice with the spinach.
Tips!
You can cook the lentils separately in advance. Boil them for 10 minutes and drain. Cook the rice in double the volume of boiling water for 10 minutes then stir in the lentils.
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