RICE SALAD WITH GRAPES & HOISIN CHICKEN: easy, satisfying, portable, healthy, low-sugar & fat

Quick nutritious and tasty salad of rice, grapes and chicken provides lashings of energy for a busy life...

Fruity spicy rice'n chicken dish for a busy life

We all know what it's like trying to eat healthily and well during an election.  If, at the same time, you're trying to balance a second committment, food prep can become a big distraction.

That's why this salad was created.  Make enough of the ingredients for 2-3 servings, assemble as needed, pack one for now and another for later.  

67 used rice as the carbohydrate base but it can be repolaced with pasta or cold potatoes.  

The chicken, easy-peasy but with a spicy more-ish sauce, is easily cooked in an air-fryer or oven.

All ingredients remain fresh and zesty for three days (including cooking day).  

With M&S higher welfare chicken legs still at around £1.50 for 2, the recipe is not going to bust the budget.  In fact, it's worth buying an extra packet of legs, marinading and cooking them at the same time, and freezing for another time when cold. 

Cost: £2.50'ish (6/24)

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients:

Salad

1-1.5 mugs cooked & cooled brown rice (pref), white rice, pasta or potatoes

2 whole chicken legs, raw

small bunch firm purple/red grapes

1/2-3/4 mug fresh green beans or mange tout

handful spinach or lettuce leaves

Marinade:

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp orange zest

1.5 tbsp orange juice

1/16th tsp (if that!) chilli crisp or hot sauce like tobasco or siracha (opt)

Orange Yoghurt Mayonnaise

   3 tbsp strained 0-fat yoghurt 

   1.5 tbsp mayo

   3/4 tsp orange zest

   2 tsp Hoisin sauce

   pepper & salt

Method:

1. Make marinade; cover & set aside; make dressing; cover & set aside.  
2. Use a sharp knife to carefully slash the flesh on both sides of the legs,  to just above the bone
3. Liberally brush on the marinade paying particular attention to the crevices; refrigerate 20 mins or overnight.  Steps 1-3 can be done the day before cooking
4. Preheat air fryer to 200C/400F or oven to 190C/375F; place legs flesh side down; cook 15 mins in air fryer or 20 mins on a baking rack in the oven (allowing fat to drip through)
5. Turn legs over, bake a further 20 mins in air fryer or oven until skin is crispy and golden edging to dark brown; cool
6. Meanwhile, trim green beans, cut into 3.75cm/1.5inch pieces; bring a small pan of water to the boil; add green beans, bring back to the boil, cook 3 minutes or until al dente - try not to overcook!; drain, place in cold or ice water; drain again 
7. Halve grapes lengthwise
8. Add green beans and grapes to rice with a generous but not overwhelming portion of dressing; mix, set aside
9. If serving as a meal for two, arrange spinach or lettuce leaves around the edge of a serving platter, spread rice in a wide circle with more on the edges than in the centre; refrigerate until needed.  Arrange chicken on top
10. If prepping for portable lunches, divide into 2 portions; store in air tight containers for portable lunches

Comment:  'Delicious!  Spicy, fruity, satisfying, easy to digest. It set me up for an afternoon of electioneering. And tasted even better two days later with more of the leftover dressing.'

Tips:

• replace chicken with firm tofu in thick slices but adjust cooking times
• make your own strained thick yoghurt using cheap as chips yoghurt: see 67goingon50 salad dressings, bottom of page
• make double the amount of marinade and cook 4 chicken legs;  saving 2 for the freezer

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.