One cannot think well, love well, and sleep well, if one has not dined well – Virginia Woolf.

I think have eaten the most junk and fast food this summer than any other person. I even started wishing and craving for ugali, ha-ha. I found the solution to my cravings this past week. Thanks to an app called Blue Apron, which sends you ingredients as well as a full step by step recipe of how to prepare the meal (clearly this is the land of milk and honey).

I learnt a new recipe and I am happy to share. There are a few adjustments to it depending with your preferences.

Seared Chicken & Tangy Barbecue Sauce with Zucchini & Sweet Pepper Rice

Time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup jasmine rice (I think pishori can work too 😉
• ¼ cup barbecue sauce
• ¼ cup creamy mustard sauce
• 2 scallions
• 1 zucchini ( looks like cucumber only difference is that this one is cooked)
• 120g/4 oz of sweet peppers

Method

1. Prepare the ingredients and make the sauce:

• Wash and dry the fresh produce
• Cut off and discard the stems of the peppers; remove and discard the cores, then medium dice. Cut the zucchini in quarters then thinly slice them.
• Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions, cut into smaller pieces separating the white part from the green part.
• In a bowl, combine the creamy mustard sauce and barbecue sauce.

2. Cook the rice

• In a medium pot, combine the rice, white part of the scallions, a big pinch of salty and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling point.
• Reduce the heat once it starts boiling. Cover and cook without stirring for 12 to 14 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork the cover to keep warm.

3. Cook the chicken

• Pat the chicken with dry paper towels, season with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil or any other cooking you use on medium-high until hot.
• Add the seasoned chicken; cook 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through
• Transfer to a cutting/chopping board then loosely cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

4. Cook the vegetables

• Add the sliced zucchini in an even layer to the pan that was used to fry the chicken. Cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, without stirring or until slightly softened.
• Turn off the heat then season with salt and pepper to taste.

5.Finish and serve your dish

• Add the cooked vegetables to the pot of cooked rice then add a drizzle of olive oil. Stir to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice the cooked chicken crosswise.
• Serve the finish rice topped with the sliced chicken and sauce.
• Garnish with the remaining green tops of the scallions.

6.Avocado lovers feel free to add it to the dish. I did and it was like the icing on the cake.

PS: I was a passive chef in all this. The main chef did the chicken justice 😉

I found the scallions a bit bitter, so I just put them aside and enjoyed the rest of the food.

We forgot to take pictures of the actual food (way too hungry), but I put some from the internet that might help in knowing how the final product should look like or something close to it. If the app is within your reach try it. They have other great recipes that you get to cook from scratch.