Chicken Korma with Nut Rice
59 grams of protein and 19 grams of fiber from a plate that cooks in 15 minutes.
The nut rice does the heavy lifting: brown rice folded with chopped pumpkin seeds, mixed nuts, and diced dried apricots after cooking. Crunchy, chewy, and sweet in every bite. The korma sauce comes together fast: onion, garlic, and ginger sautéed with turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon, then simmered with diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Chicken browns in a separate pan and finishes in the sauce.
Ingredients
- brown rice 3 ounces
- pumpkin seeds 0.5 ounce
- mixed nuts, unsalted 0.5 ounce
- apricots, dried 2 pieces
- broccoli florets (frozen) 4 cups
- chicken breast 5 ounces
- red onion 0.25
- garlic 1 clove
- ginger 1 slice
- olive oil 0.5 tablespoon
- cinnamon 0.5 teaspoon
- ground cumin 1 teaspoon
- turmeric 1 teaspoon
- diced tomatoes 9 ounces
- coconut milk 0.25 cup
Method
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Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packaging.
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Coarsely chop the pumpkin seeds and nuts and dice the apricots. After draining the rice, stir these ingredients into the rice and let it sit with the lid on the pan.
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Place the broccoli florets in a pot with plenty of water, bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes until al dente.
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Finely chop the red onion and garlic and grate the ginger.
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Heat half of the oil in a pan. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cumin and turmeric and sauté for 1 more minute.
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Stir in the diced tomatoes and coconut milk and let it heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a dash more water if the sauce becomes too thick.
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Meanwhile, heat a separate pan with the remaining oil and brown the chicken for 2-3 minutes. Then, stir the chicken into the sauce and let it warm through for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
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Serve the nut rice with the chicken korma and broccoli.
The spice paste needs its time in hot oil. Sauté the turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon for a full minute before the tomatoes and coconut milk dilute them. Curcumin, the compound behind turmeric's color, is fat-soluble. Research found that curcumin delivered in dietary fat was absorbed 44 times more than the same dose without fat.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Why sauté the spices in oil before adding the tomatoes?
The spices need direct contact with fat before liquid dilutes them. Turmeric contains curcumin, a fat-soluble compound. One study found that curcumin in dietary fat was absorbed 44 times more than the same dose without fat. That minute of sautéing in olive oil is doing more than building flavor.
Can I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?
Yes. Fresh works the same way here. Research comparing frozen and fresh broccoli found that frozen retained comparable levels of key nutrients, including glucosinolates. The recipe calls for frozen because it skips the washing and chopping, which helps hit that 15-minute window.
Is 59 grams of protein too much for one meal?
No. The idea that your body can only use 30 grams of protein per meal has been widely repeated but poorly supported. Your body does not stop absorbing protein at a fixed ceiling. It processes larger doses more slowly. This meal's 59 grams come from chicken breast, brown rice, nuts, seeds, and broccoli spread across the entire plate.
What do the pumpkin seeds and nuts add to the rice?
Texture and nutrients. The pumpkin seeds and mixed nuts add crunch that plain brown rice does not have, plus additional protein, healthy fats, and minerals. The dried apricots bring a subtle sweetness that balances the savory korma sauce. Folding them in after cooking keeps them from getting soggy.
