High Protein Lemon Pepper Chicken Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 800 g Chicken Thighs (Skinless, boneless, trimmed of fat and cubed)
• 1.5 tsp Salt (For chicken seasoning)
• 2 tsp Black Pepper (Or use lemon pepper seasoning)
• 2 tsp Dried Oregano (For chicken seasoning)
• 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder (For chicken seasoning)
• 2 tsp Paprika (For chicken seasoning)
• 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
• 1 Lemon Juice (Juice of 1 whole lemon for chicken)
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 15 g Light Butter (For cooking chicken)
• Honey (Drizzle added at the end of chicken cooking (from transcript))
• 1 tbsp Garlic (Chopped, for rice)
• 1 Onion (Medium, chopped, for rice)
• 1 tsp Rice Spice Mix (1 tsp each of Salt, Paprika, Turmeric, and Oregano)
• 540 g Basmati Rice (Cooked weight)
• Parsley (Chopped, for rice and salad)
• 150 g Fat Free Yogurt
• 80 g Light Mayo
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder (For salad dressing)
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Salt & Pepper (For salad dressing)
• 0.5 Lemon Juice (Juice of half a lemon for salad)
• 150 g Tomatoes (Chopped)
• 100 g Cucumber (Chopped)

Steps

1. 1

   Slice the skinless, boneless chicken thighs into bite-sized cubes and trim off any excess fat.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, season the chicken cubes with 1.5 tsp salt, 2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tbsp lemon zest, the juice of one whole lemon, and 2 tsp olive oil. Mix thoroughly until the chicken is well coated.

3. 3

   Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes for the best flavor.

4. 4

   Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add 15g of light butter. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes without moving it to develop a golden-brown crust.

5. 5

   Turn the chicken over and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until fully cooked and juicy. Lower the heat, add an extra splash of lemon juice and a drizzle of honey (optional), mix well, then remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

6. 6

   In the same pan, add the chopped garlic and chopped onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.

7. 7

   Add 1 tsp each of salt, paprika, turmeric, and oregano to the onions and garlic. Stir to combine.

8. 8

   Add the 540g of cooked basmati rice and chopped parsley to the pan. Mix well until the rice is evenly colored and heated through. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

9. 9

   To prepare the ranch salad, whisk together 150g fat-free yogurt, 80g light mayo, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt and pepper, the juice of half a lemon, and fresh parsley in a bowl until smooth.

10. 10

    Fold the 150g of chopped tomatoes and 100g of chopped cucumber into the ranch dressing.

11. 11

    Assemble the bowls by dividing the lemon garlic rice and lemon pepper chicken into four containers. Serve with the ranch salad on the side.

Notes

Store the ranch salad separately from the chicken and rice so that you can easily reheat the main meal without warming the salad. Chicken breast can be substituted for chicken thighs if preferred.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• high-protein
• meal prep
• healthy
• low-calorie
• chicken
• rice bowl