Portuguese chicken

Photographer: HFG staff

This slow-cooked Portuguese chicken recipe is low in kilojoules, has four of your 5-a-day, and can be left to cook for up to 8 hours – perfect for those busy days.

Serves: 6

Time to make: 6 hrs 25 mins

Hands-on time: 25 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons peri-peri sauce (or curry paste)
2 tablespoons tomato purée
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced lengthwise and chopped
2 cups butternut pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes
1 green capsicum, roughly chopped
1 red capsicum, roughly chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
400g can light coconut milk
3 tablespoons mango chutney
1 ½ cups brown rice
120g kale, roughly chopped
juice 1 lemon or lime
handful fresh coriandercilantroX, to garnish
1 cup low-fat natural yogurt and 4 mini wholemeal pittas, toasted, to serve

Instructions

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1 In a large bowl, combine the spices, oregano, peri-peri sauce or curry paste and tomato purée. Add the chicken and stir to coat well.

2 Heat the slow cooker to high. Using the sauté function, heat the oil, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2–3 min. Or use a non-stick frying pan on the hob, then transfer to the slow cooker.

3 Add the chicken, vegetables, tomatoes, beans, coconut milk and chutney to the slow cooker. Stir and cover, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 6–8 hr.

4 About 30 min before the end of the cooking time, cook the rice according to the pack instructions. Ten min before serving, add the kale and lemon/lime juice to the curry and stir through.

Serving suggestion

Serve the curry, garnished with fresh coriander, with the rice, yogurt and toasted pittas on the side.

Variations

Use any leftovers to make a tasty chunky soup – just add a little water or stock when reheating.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 442cal

Kilojoules 1849kJ

Protein 29.3g

Total fat 12.6g

–Saturated fat 5.8g

Carbohydrates 48.2g

–Sugars 18.2g

Dietary fibre 9.1g

Sodium 433mg

Calcium 214mg

Iron 4.9mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.