Slow Cooked Chicken Pilaf with Sun-dried Tomatoes
Being on holiday is wonderful, your bed gets made for you, there is no cleaning to do, and you don’t have to make your own meals. Unfortunately I kind of enjoy making my own food!
After a week when the only vegetables I saw were between a burger and a bun it was necessary to get some vegetables and healthy food into me. Lunch today was a large salad, not unlike this Tomato and Red Pepper Salad, the crisp fresh lettuce leaves were a world away from the pale limp ones I found inside any burger.
At the start of the afternoon I was full of beans, putting on washing, unpacking my suitcase but I knew that sooner or later jetlag would set in. So what to do for dinner? Risk leaving it too late and calling for takeaway?
No, on days like these slow-cooking is perfect. Within half an hour I had all the ingredients cooking away and I could relax. Three hours later I ladled steaming rice and vegetables on to our plates and topped each with a chicken breast. Heaven.
Chicken Pilaf with Sun-dried Tomatoes
~ serves 4 (taken from Ultimate Slow Cooker by Sara Lewis)
- 4 chicken breasts
- 150 grams of Basmati Rice
- 50 grams of Brown Rice, or wild rice
- 1 large Onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 red pepper, diced (optional)
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 50 grams of sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tsp of Pesto
- 600 ml of hot Chicken stock
Cooking time: 3 – 4 hours (I left mine 3 hours, and by this point the rice was beginning to disintegrate, so I would try to keep it short, or add the rice to the pot after 1 hour).
Cooking Temperature: High.
Preheat your slow cooker. Brown the chicken on one side in a hot frying pan. I browned both sides of my chicken as I wasn’t really paying much attention to the recipe. I don’t think it did any harm browning on both sides, but perhaps only browning one side would keep the chicken more moist. Once browned remove the chicken breasts and reserve on a plate.
Next add garlic and onions to the pan and leave until lightly browned, which should be around 5 minutes.
Then add the red pepper, canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and season with salt and pepper. Heat the mixture until starting to boil. Add the mixture to the slow-cooker along with the hot chicken stock.
Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs clear, then add to the slow-cooker. Stir the rice so it is evenly distributed. Lastly add the chicken fillets to the slow-cooker, push them under the waterline (browned side uppermost) so they don’t dry out during cooking. Leave for 3 – 4 hours.
Before serving, check that the rice and chicken are cooked thoroughly. Spoon on to plates and enjoy!
We both loved this, it was simple to make and easy to eat. I would however make some changes next time. I think a touch of spice, paprika and/or chilli powder, would be a great addition to the tomato flavoured rice. More vegetables would be good too, I already added red pepper to the ingredients list but there are infinite options, mushrooms would also be a great addition.
There are many ways to go with this dish and lots of possibilities, but the basic recipe is definitely a good start!
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February 28th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
That looks like a lovely dinner to come home to, and one easy enough to whip up even if you are jet lagged. I feel like digging out my old crockpot!
February 28th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Hi Denise, you really should dig out your old crock pot! It is quite amazing all the great recipes you can make, while sitting watching TV, relaxing or at work.
March 1st, 2010 at 2:19 am
Mmm looks great! Thanks for the tip regarding the extra spice
March 1st, 2010 at 3:03 pm
it looks awesome. sounds super simple and flavorful!