Over the years I have experimented with various kinds of rice preparations. I love trying out simple recipes that make good use of pre-cooked rice as they make for an excellent way to repurpose leftover rice within minutes. Most of such one pot meal recipes that you see on my blog are my own experiments and I feel very satisfied when they are well received by my family and readers alike. Sometimes such recipes are quick fix ‘biryanis’ when you are in the mood to tuck into one but don’t have the time to slave over the elaboration. Sometimes, when made using low calorie fats, it can serve to be a light meal that suits most diet plans that are in fashion today. I ate a lot of this rice when I tried a low carb diet. I relished every bite of it as I ate this nutritious meal only for lunch.
My kids enjoy such kinds of one pot meals in comparison to the more elaborate Mangalorean meals that I used to whip up in the past. This is because thanks to my blogging I seem to have fed them a bit too much of the complex Mangalorean fare that the hubs and I love. There are specific dishes that the kids still love and I make them as often as time permits but otherwise, such simple meals come to my rescue. If you are looking for some ideas to make simple and delicious meals that use up leftover white rice then do scroll down below. I will share some links for you to try.
For those of you who are on a vegetarian diet for Lent, please skip the chicken or replace it with prawns (marinated with any spice blend and shallow fried) or serve it with a couple of boiled & quartered eggs. Bon appetit!
Broccoli & Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger & garlic paste
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 250 grams broccoli, cleaned & finely chopped
- 300 grams boneless chicken
- 4-5 fat cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1 tablespoon ghee or oil
For the green masala
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons mint leaves
- 3-4 green chillies
- 1/2 inch ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick or cassia bark
Instructions
- Grind all the ingredients mentioned under 'For the green masala' to a fine paste. Use water sparingly. We need a thick masala. Rinse the mixie jar with 1/4 cup of water and reserve.
- Wash and cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Pat dry and marinate it with 2-3 tablespoons of the green masala, salt to taste and a few drops of lime juice. Keep aside for 15 mins
- Air fry the chicken pieces at 200 degrees C for 12 mins (flipping them halfway through the cooktime). You can also grill the pieces in an oven or shallow fry on a grill pan brushed with 1 tsp ghee. Once done, let them cool and roughly shred the kebabs
- Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the onions till translucent. Then add the ginger & garlic paste and fry for a few seconds or till the raw smell goes away.
- Add the green masala and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the finely chopped broccoli and stir fry on a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved water from the mixer jar in parts until the broccoli is tender but not mushy
- Add the cooked rice and shredded chicken kebabs and mix everything well. Add a few drops of lime juice if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and leave the pan untouched for 2 minutes
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot!
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
Thanks dear. i tried this recipe last weekend for a small party, and everybody liked it. it was really so tasty. My friends asked for your recipe too… Thank you so much.
Lovely! Thanks so much for the feedback Lidwin! So glad that you enjoyed this recipe for your party! Thanks for sharing about my blog too!
Such a lovely and also unique combination of Brocolli and Chicken, but I liked it very much. I just love rice with chicken, I am a big foodie and a hardcore non-vegetarian. I just love the method of preparation, it’s quite interesting. I just can’t wait to try it at home. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will definitely let you know.
Thanks a lot Supriya! Hope you liked it!