It’s spinach season and I’m not complaining. I’ve been making green smoothies like there’s no tomorrow and other spinach recipes. Am I worried about oxalates? Maybe a bit, but I think we need to stop worrying about the things in real food and just focus on actually eating it to get some nutrients. Speaking of, let’s start with this super easy chicken, spinach and rice recipe that is packed with protein and flavor and you can make for dinner without much effort.
It’s pretty much comfort food, but healthy and it tastes SO good. Like I said, comfort food. The protein comes from the chicken, but also from the lentils that I decided to throw into the skillet, because folate and also from the spinach. Believe it or not, leafy greens like spinach are a great source of protein. And fiber. And a lot of other things that help your body detoxify and nourish the cells.
If you’ve ever had the Greek spinach and rice, this is pretty similar, but with chicken. I paired it with some tzatziki and lettuce salad and in my humble opinion, this was the perfect combo.
What You Need For The Chicken, Spinach and Rice
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
- rice, Arborio will be good (I just used whatever was in my pantry and I’m not sure because I put it in a jar and didn’t label).
- spinach
- brown lentils
- lots of scallions
- garlic
- olive oil
- black pepper kernels
- curry powder
- crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper
- water or stock – stock will make for deeper flavor, but I personally always prefer water as I could add as much salt as I like.
- dried mint or if available fresh leaves
How To Make The Chicken Spinach And Rice
Years ago a recipe like this chicken spinach and rice would seem like a huge undertaking for me. I mean my grandma used to make things like that and to me, she was the best cook. She was actually a “chef”, and I thought I could never make the things that she made.
I still don’t think I can do even a quarter of what she was able to make on her own. But I think this recipe comes pretty close to the chicken and rice she used to cook for us when we were kids. Also, over the last year or so I’ve realized that recipes like this chicken, spinach and rice skillet are the easiest way to cook dinner or anything. Because most the work consists of putting things into a large pan and being patient. So if you’re not a professional cook, don’t be intimidated. It’s easy and you can do it!
So to start, make sure to wash the spinach and clean the scallions. Rinse the lentils and the rice and wash the chicken as well. Peel the garlic and mince it, chop the spinach roughly and the scallions thinly.
Add the rice, lentils, spinach, scallions, black pepper kernels, curry powder, olive oil, mint, garlic, crushed red pepper and a few generous pinches of salt to a large cooking pan. Add water or stock and stir together. Place the chicken on top of this.
Then cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
When the 30 minutes are up, shred the chicken with two forks and stir it through the rice and spinach. Have a taste and add salt if needed.
Serve with tzatziki and a salad like this one or this one.
More Simple Healthy Dinner Ideas
I hope you enjoy this chicken rice and spinach recipe if you give it a try! Here are some other great healthy dinner ideas:
Yield: 3
Chicken Spinach and Rice
This super easy chicken, spinach and rice recipe is packed with protein and flavor and is perfect for dinner! It’s comfort food, but healthy.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup Arborio rice, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups spinach, packed
- 1/3 cup lentils, brown, rinsed and drained
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp black pepper kernels
- 1 1/2 cups scallions
- 1 tsp curry
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups stock or water, more if needed
- 1 tbsp dried mint or 1/4 cup fresh leaves
Instructions
- Wash the spinach and clean the scallions. Rinse the lentils and the rice and wash the chicken as well. Peel the garlic and mince it, chop the spinach roughly and the scallions thinly.
- Add the rice, lentils, spinach, scallions, black pepper kernels, curry powder, olive oil, mint, garlic, crushed red pepper and a few generous pinches of salt to a large cooking pan. Add water or stock and stir together. Place the chicken on top of this.
- Then cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. If at any point you think it’s needed – add some more stock/water (I didn’t)
- When the 30 minutes are up, shred the chicken with two forks and stir it through the rice and spinach. Have a taste and add salt if needed.
- Serve with tzatziki and a salad like this one or this one.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 606mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 9gSugar: 5gProtein: 32g
