'Nando's' Healthy Chicken & Rice
If you (and/or the young people in your life) love a cheeky Nando's then this is for you + there's the bonus of a new condiment in your fridge that can save even the dullest dinner. ♡
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Hello lovely people,
I’m in the mood for food this week and I’m sharing an easy mid-week dinner that has become a fan-favourite at our table + it feeds beautifully into next-day leftovers, which is the ultimate in my world. ♡
My fridge is always at least 40% filled with condiments. Some of them don’t get that much of an airing - cranberry sauce (clearly very seasonal), tomato ketchup (I’m a fan when there are chips for dunking, but otherwise I can pass …), English mustard (only ever an emergency purchase when the supermarket is out of Dijon) and Sriracha (without teenage boys in the house, this gets limited attention). Top of the condiments charts for us right now is this Nando’s Lemon & Herb Peri Peri Sauce and it truly is the star of this ‘Nando’s’ Healthy Chicken & Rice. And don’t be fooled by the fact that it is described as ‘mild’; I’m no wimp but I consider it to have quite a kick.
I suspect that all teenagers love a visit to a Nando’s - lots of chicken, plenty of heat, eat fast and then get on with the rest of your day … I have, in the past, tolerated it to keep the majority happy but to be honest, it’s not particularly my thing. This recipe, however, takes all that is delicious about Nando’s and with the strategic addition of a good dose of vegetables and some fresh herbs make a really easy and delicious mid-week dinner that even the most discerning teenager (and the rest of the family) might applaud. The recipe is from the book, Speedy MOB - 12-minute meals for 4 people by Ben Lebus and I’ve tweaked it only a tiny bit. I’d recommend the book, to be honest, with its focus on creating beautiful, budget-friendly food, fast.
This is essentially a ‘chicken, rice and vegetables’ dish but the use of this Nando’s sauce is utterly transformational, delivering loads of flavour and enough spice to make it interesting. High impact, low effort!
So we already know that the Nando’s sauce is the big hitter here, but let’s take a look at what else you will need -
Chicken - breasts are best. Sliced, seasoned and sautéd in a drizzle of olive oil, before adding the sauce. Adjust the quantity of chicken if you want more or less protein.
Pre-cooked wholegrain rice – to keep the cost down, I used rice that I had already cooked and stored in the freezer, but you could use pre-cooked packs of any grains or rice. I tend to opt for wholegrain rice over white as it keeps the hunger pangs away for longer.
Sweetcorn - no need to drain, this can be added with the liquid from the can + an extra splash of water if things start to stick in the pan.
Kale – remove the tough stem and rip the leaves or shred them with a sharp knife before adding to the frying pan.
Chilli flakes - these sometimes really vary in heat intensity, so if you are using a fresh jar, proceed with caution.
A squeeze of lime.
Coriander - I’m always a fan of a garnish and a liberal sprinkling of fresh coriander is a great addition here.
It is deliciously tasty – the addition of the Nando’s sauce is nothing short of a taste sensation.
It comes together so very quickly - the original recipe claims 12 minutes from start to finish, but none of us like to feel that kind of pressure so I’m suggesting that 20 minutes is more realistic.
There’s very little preparation involved – as long as you already have some cooked rice the rest of the ingredients require minimal input.
It's a great dish for teenagers to cook for themselves – and definitely one to have in their tool kit when they leave home.
The leftovers are wonderful for lunch the next day - but don’t I always say that?!
And don’t worry that the Nando’s sauce will only get used for this dish - it’s great on toasted sandwiches, scrambled egg, a stir fry that needs a boost and anything that hasn’t ended up being quite as tasty as you’d hoped.
We’re having this for dinner tonight, so I’m now off to quickly throw it together. Happy eating! ♡
‘Nando’s’ Healthy Chicken & Rice
Serves 4 (or 2 very hungry eaters)
Preparation - 10 mins
Cook - 10 mins
Ingredients
olive oil for drizzling
640g (1lb 7oz) chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 x 250g (9oz) pouches of pre-cooked wholegrain rice or wild rice mixed with basmati rice
1 x 198g (7oz) can of sweetcorn
4 handfuls of kale, stripped from its stalk and ripped into pieces
A few dried chilli flakes (to taste - go carefully)
4 tbsp Nando’s Lemon & Herb Peri Peri sauce
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
a small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
You will need 2 medium frying pans.
Method
Put two medium frying pans over a high heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil to each. Season the sliced chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to one of the pans. Fry for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, crush the garlic into the other pan, stir and cook for 30 seconds. Tip the rice into the pan with the garlic and add the can of sweetcorn with its juices and the kale. Season with salt and pepper and chilli flakes to taste. Stir well and heat through. You may need to add a splash of water from the kettle to prevent the rice from sticking.
Now back to the chicken … Add the Nando’s sauce to the pan and cook, basting the chicken with the sauce for a couple of minutes until it is hot and fully cooked through.
Divide the rice between 4 bowls and top with the Nando’s chicken. Add a lime wedge to each bowl and sprinkle with coriander to serve + extra Nando’s sauce if you want more heat.
This is definitely a keeper of a recipe which I hope you will try. Do let me know when you make it; you can join the conversation by commenting below or you can get straight into my inbox by emailing me at rachelpage@substack.com ♡
Sending you all the love,
Note - This recipe contains affiliate links. If you buy something through any of my links, I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. I recommend only products that I genuinely like. Thank you for trusting me ♡