Middle Eastern Chicken & Chickpea Bowls with Spiced Basmati Rice & Garlicky White Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 Red onion (Halved, peeled, cut into ½-inch wedges; mince a few wedges to yield 2 tbsp.)
• 0.25 oz Cilantro (Roughly chopped.)
• 0.5 cup Basmati rice
• 1 Chickpeas (Drain, rinse, and dry thoroughly; one unit is the packaged serving listed by HelloFresh.)
• 3 tbsp Sour cream
• 1 clove Garlic (Mince or grate.)
• 1 Lemon (Zest and quarter; use juice to taste and serve remaining wedges on the side.)
• 4 oz Grape tomatoes
• 1 Veggie stock concentrate
• 1 tbsp Shawarma spice blend (Use half in the rice and half with the roasted vegetables and chickpeas.)
• 1 tsp Hot sauce (Drizzle to taste.)
• 1 tsp Olive oil (For roasting the vegetables and chickpeas.)
• 0.5 tbsp Butter (Stir into the finished rice.)
• Salt (To taste; used in the rice, vegetables, chicken, and sauce.)
• Black pepper (To taste.)
• 2 tsp Cooking oil (For cooking the chicken.)
• 10 oz Chicken breast strips (Pat dry; season with salt and pepper.)

Steps

1. 1

   Adjust the oven rack to the top position and preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash and dry the produce.

2. 2

   Halve, peel, and cut the onion into ½-inch-thick wedges. Mince a few wedges until you have 2 tablespoons. Peel and mince or grate the garlic. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Roughly chop the cilantro, and zest and quarter the lemon.

3. 3

   Heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion, half the garlic, half the shawarma spice blend, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

4. 4

   Stir the basmati rice, ¾ cup water, veggie stock concentrate, and a big pinch of salt into the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender, 15–18 minutes. Keep covered off the heat until step 7.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, toss the onion wedges, grape tomatoes, and chickpeas on a baking sheet with the olive oil, remaining shawarma spice blend, black pepper, and a few pinches of salt.

6. 6

   Roast the vegetables and chickpeas on the top rack, tossing halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and lightly charred and the chickpeas are crispy, 18–20 minutes. The chickpeas may pop slightly while roasting.

7. 7

   Season the chicken breast strips with salt and pepper. Heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 4–6 minutes. Transfer it to a plate; chicken is fully cooked at an internal temperature of 165°F.

8. 8

   In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and remaining garlic to taste. Season with salt, then stir in water 1 teaspoon at a time until the sauce reaches a drizzling consistency.

9. 9

   Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in half the cilantro and the butter, then season with salt and pepper.

10. 10

    Remove the roasted vegetables and chickpeas from the oven and toss them with the lemon zest.

11. 11

    Divide the rice between shallow bowls. Top with the roasted vegetables, chickpeas, and chicken. Drizzle with the garlicky white sauce and hot sauce to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and add lemon juice to taste. Serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

The structured recipe includes chicken in the ingredient list and serving instructions. For four servings, use the stated doubled amounts in the source and divide the vegetables between two baking sheets. HelloFresh notes that the recipe contains milk.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• bowl
• Middle Eastern
• roasted
• high-protein
• contains dairy
• shawarma-inspired