Chicken with brown rice and vegetables

Tam West

This is an ideal, nutritious dinner for kids to make for themselves. When my nephews stay and cook at my place, I get the boys to cook the rice first. I pre-soak it for them - for best results in tepid water for 30 minutes. Drain. Next they prepare all the vegetables and measure the sesame oil and soy sauce into a small bowl. I have a large electric wok with a lid, which is very useful, but, of course, you could do all this in a stovetop wok or in a large frying pan with a lid.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups	Brown rice, we used brown basmati rice
2 Tbsp	Vegetable oil, or peanut oil
4 small	Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless. Use up to 6 (Main)
1 head	Broccoli, small, cut into small florets (Main)
2	Spring onions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1 cup	Frozen peas
¼ cup	Chicken stock
1 Tbsp	Sesame oil
1 Tbsp	Light soy sauce
2 tsp	Sesame seeds, unhulled, or white sesame seeds

Directions

1. Follow the packet instruction for cooking the rice or place the rice in a heavy-based saucepan and pour in 3 cups cold water. Place over the heat and bring up to the boil. Cover pan with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 22 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and leave to stand, covered for 5 minutes. Tip rice into a shallow bowl and leave to cool.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in the wok. Cook for 8-10 minutes, browning on both sides — the chicken should be cooked at this point. Transfer chicken to a plate.
3. Add the remaining oil to the wok and lower the heat. Add the rice, broccoli, spring onions and peas and pour over the stock. Cover and cook until the broccoli is just tender or cooked to your liking.
4. Place the chicken on a board now and cut into slices. Add to the wok with the chicken juices that have collected on the plate.
5. Tip in the sesame oil, soy sauce mixture and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Have a little taste to check the seasoning. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds to finish, then divide between 4 bowls or plates.

More of Kathy's recipes for kids to cook themselves

• Coddled eggs
• The burnley club