5-Spice Chicken with Minted Rice
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 1 cup Mahatma® White Rice
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, packed
- 1 cup packed mint leaves
- 2 each minced garlic
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dry white wine
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- 4 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
For the Chicken
- 2 tbsp Five-Spice powder
- ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
Taste the difference with our Mahatma® White Rice to make your bed of minted rice. Serve the 5-spice chicken on top and you have a filling chicken and rice dish.
For the Rice
Step 1
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in the peas, spinach and mint and saute until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat and place in the food processor bowl and pulse briefly until coarsely chopped.
Step 2
In the same saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until onion becomes translucent for about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat the grains. Add the wine and stir until absorbed. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes.
Step 3
Remove from heat and stir in the mint mixture and mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
For Chicken:
Step 4
While the rice is cooking combine 5-spice powder and teriyaki sauce in a small bowl. Brush chicken with the mixture. Discard any remaining sauce. Heat the grill pan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and coat the pan with a little olive oil. Grill chicken until cooked through. Serve with minted rice.
So Fresh and So Green
Mint leaves add color and flavor to just about any dish! Did you know? Although mint rice might sound like a new and innovative touch to your routine dishes, it is actually quite common in many different traditional cuisines. In some Indian cultures, Pudina rice uses lots of freshly chopped mint alongside garlic and ginger to create a bed for a nice vegetable or chicken curry.
Our recipe uses just a touch more green by adding in spinach leaves and peas to contrast with the long grain white rice and mascarpone cheese. While this recipe uses white rice, feel free to swap in Mahatma® Jasmine Rice if desired.
Now to the chicken – for all of us who are not familiar with this particular Asian seasoning – 5-spice powder often contains a delicious blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise and Szechwan peppercorns. It has everything you need in a recipe—sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.
Minty Fresh
Adjust the level of mint to your liking, use more for a stronger flavor or less, if desired.
Make it vegetarian and substitute the chicken for marinated tofu or seitan.
For meal prep ideas, cook extra 5-spice chicken or tofu and heat it up to serve over another rice recipe.
This minty rice is ideal for a flavorful rice side. Try other tasty side recipes like Mexican rice, rice and bean tacos or Spanish rice and Paella de Mariscos. Or for something sweeter, why not learn how to make Arroz con Leche with this arroz con leche recipe?
