Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl

Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl recipe

I can say, hand on sweaty heart, I’ve never felt quite as hot and bothered as I have over the last few days. Temperatures have been worryingly high and I’ve been ratty and cross and really not in the mood to cook. But if there’s a one pot option to hand, like my Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl, then I can just about muster the enthusiasm to cook for my also hot and ratty family.

When it comes to colourful dishes, such as Fajitas, they’ve never really featured on our family menus due to fussy George. However, New George, who has to cook for himself at uni has declared peppers and onions as newly acceptable additions to a meal. Hence my freshly fashioned Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl. This is a delicious, spicy chicken and rice based one pot affair. Cumin and chilli add warmth and flavour; peppers and chicken bring colour and Ben’s must-have protein, to the table.

This is effortless cooking at it’s finest. If I can cook it in 35 degree heat, then you can bloody well give it a go.

Colourful, simple ingredients in play here, most of which I have in the fridge/freezer at all times, so this can be on the table in less than 35 minutes *dependent on your chopping skills, mine are slow*. I went for black beans, but any tin of beans you have which missed the last school harvest festival drop off, will work.

Make a start by slicing your boneless chicken, mine were thighs, onion and peppers. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large high sided pan over a high flame then add the sliced ingredients to the pan and cook until starting to brown and sear.

Turn down the heat and stir through the chilli, cumin and garlic and cook for another minute.

Stir through the rice until coated with the spices then tip in the drained beans and the tinned tomatoes with their juice and stir again. Finally pour on the chicken stock and bring up to the simmer.

Turn down the heat, put a lid on and cook for around 15 minutes until the rice is just cooked. Give it an occasional stir to prevent any sticking.

Finally, stir through the juice of a lime and season with salt and pepper, to taste. And now you’re ready to serve in huge bowlfuls. Serve with wedges of lime, crumbled feta and fresh coriander. Feta has similar qualities to Cojita cheese which I couldn’t find anywhere. Add a handful of tortillas on the side, because who doesn’t love an excuse to eat crisps with your supper.

The temperature’s dropped by 10 degrees in the last hour, thank the Lord. Fingers crossed tomorrow it drops even more, as I, for one, am all saladed out and more than ready for something slightly less lettuce based.

Lucy x

Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl recipe

Serves a generous 4 to 6

You will just need one large pan with a lid for this

2 tablespoons oil

500g boneless chicken thighs, sliced

2 peppers, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder, add more or less, to taste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

400g rice

1 x 400g black beans, drained

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 litre chicken stock

Juice of a lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Lime wedges, fresh coriander leaves, tortilla chips, crumbled feta or Cojita cheese if you can find it, to serve

Take a large high sided pan and heat the two tablespoons of oil over a medium high heat. Add the sliced chicken, peppers and onion and fry until starting to take on some colour. Turn down the heat then add the garlic, chilli and cumin and cook for another minute.

Tip in the rice, stir to coat in the spices then add in the drained beans and the tinned tomatoes with their juice. Stir again then pour on the chicken stock and bring up to the simmer. Turn the heat down, pop on a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is just cooked, stirring occasionally to stop the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the lid, stir through the juice of a lime, season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve in generous bowlfuls with lime wedges and tortillas on the side and crumbled feta or Cojita cheese and fresh coriander.