A creamy red-pepper sauce — blended from softened pepper, garlic, milk and a little cream cheese — spooned over spiced chicken and rice. One plate is 40g of protein for 401 calories, and the sauce is just as good on pasta.

Blending the softened pepper with milk gives you a creamy sauce with barely any fat.

Ingredients

  • For the rice
  • Brown rice — ½ cup dry [P 7 C 73 F 3]
  • Water (or broth) — 1 cup
  • Salt — for the rice
  • For the chicken
  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Onion — 1 medium, sliced
  • Olive oil — 1 tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, oregano — to taste
  • For the red pepper sauce
  • Red bell pepper — 1 medium, sliced [P 1 C 7 F 0]
  • Garlic — 3 cloves
  • Milk — ½ cup (1% skim) [P 4 C 6 F 1]
  • Light cream cheese — 2 tbsp [P 2 C 2 F 5]
  • Salt, onion powder — a pinch

Method

  1. Cook the rice. Simmer in 1 cup salted water, covered, ~25 minutes.
  2. Cook the chicken. Season and pan-cook 6 minutes a side; remove.
  3. Soften the pepper. Cook the pepper, garlic and a splash of water 3–4 minutes until soft.
  4. Blend and simmer. Blitz the pepper, garlic, milk, cream cheese, salt and onion powder smooth; simmer 3–4 minutes to thicken. Plate rice and chicken, pour sauce over.

What to eat it with

  • Parsley and chilli flakes — the author’s finish.
  • A side salad.
  • On pasta — the sauce works there too.

Variations

  • Spicier: blend in a pinch of chilli.
  • Lower carb: cauliflower rice.
  • Dairy-free: plant milk and dairy-free cream cheese.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 4g a serving, from the rice and pepper.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 401 cal / 40g protein listed; no correction needed.