Energy-dense and minimal fuss, this is the perfect night-before dinner
Bartali and Coppi. Longo and Canins. Roglič and Pogačar. Whether they like it or not, some things are just destined to be together, and it’s the same with chicken and apricot – an old-school flavour combo here treated to an equally old-school cooking technique. It’s all down to the rice, which makes this dish a bit like a risotto, only instead of having to labour over a stove stirring, the rice is just chucked into the tray with chicken stock, covered in foil then baked. The result is a nutritionally balanced, no-faff dish that’s a fantastic candidate for that ‘night before race day’ meal.
Thanks to the white rice, each serving contains 100g of carbs, and together with the dried apricots, packs plenty of fibre to help digestion and ease bloating. Apricots also contain a high amount of potassium, crucial for nerve signalling and muscle function, while the pomegranate is high in vitamin B9, aka folate, an essential nutrient (it must come from diet as the body can’t make it) that plays a key role in converting carbs to glucose.
Method
• Preheat the oven to 190°C. Add olive oil to a large ovenproof dish, then add the diced onion, peppers, garlic, BBQ seasoning and turmeric. Place in the oven for 5-6 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven, add the chicken and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven once more. Add the rice and stock. Cover with foil
