Prep 15 min Cook 30 min
This recipe combines lean chicken thighs with a low carb and fiber-rich wheat grain that epitomizes the Mediterranean Diet in a one-pan dish.
Given my own background and links to the Mediterranean, my cooking is inevitably influenced by the region’s cuisines but when I started cooking in my early teens, little did I know that the Mediterranean Diet was to become a phenomenon around the world.
It is simple to see why. It is not a rigid discipline but more of an approach to healthy eating rather than a slimming diet. The amount of calories and carbohydrates you consume is up to you.
The diet’s foundation is vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans, whole grains and rice. Meals are built around these plant-based foods. Moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and eggs are also central, as is fish and seafood. In contrast, red meat is eaten only occasionally.
With this recipe you can binge away guilt free!
Lemon Chicken With Bulgur Wheat
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- A 10" cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan.
Ingredients
- 4 Skinless boneles chicken thighs The recipe works with chicken breasts but you may have to reduce the cooking time and test for doneness with a thermometer at 165C.
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion. cut along its length and sliced across into 1/8” strips.
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- ½ cup coarse grade Bulgur wheat
- ½ tsp cardamom seeds
- ½ tsp ground coriander seeds
- a pinch of cumin
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 large lemon sliced in 1/8” slices
- ½ cup crushed vermicelli (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a nonstick skillet that is large enough to hold all the ingredients on a medium to high flame. Add 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Sauté the onion slices and chicken until the the thighs are golden on both sides(about 6 minutes). Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute. Remove thighs and onions and set aside on foil covered plate.
- In the same pan, add a little more oil and toast the vermicelli (if using for about 3 minutes stirring frequently till golden brown).
- Add the bulgur wheat and mix well with the vermicelli.
- Add the stock, slices of lemon. cardamon, coriander and cumin and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return the chicken and onions to the pan, cover and continue cooking until liquid has been absorbed (about 20 minutes -less if using breasts). If bulgur wheat is still too crunchy, add a little stock or water and cover till cooked to your liking.
- Season with salt and pepper and an extra squeeze of lemon juice on the chicken and serve.
GET INSPIRED. SUBSCRIBE NOW.