Chinese 5 Spice Chicken
with Charred Bok Choy and Rice
It's Spice of the Month time! June's blend is Chinese 5 Spice. How many things do you think it contains? Full points if you said five! They are: star anise, Sichuan pepper, fennel, cassia and clove which combine to form a distinctive peppery, aniseedy flavour that's showcased beautifully in this chicken dish. Using the starch in rice cooking water to thicken a sauce is a also a neat trick. Enjoy!
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
Ingredients
1
Ginger
1.5
Soy Sauce
(Contains Cereals containing gluten, Soya)
2
Honey
1
Rice Vinegar
1
Chinese Five Spice
4
British Chicken Thighs
1
Red Pepper
3
Spring Onion
1
Baby Bok Choy
1
Chicken Stock Pot
150
Basmati Rice
Not included in your delivery
600
Water for the Rice
100
Rice Water for Sauce
Nutritional information
Utensils
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Put a large saucepan of water (amount specified in the ingredient list) on to boil. Peel and grate the ginger. Put it in a small bowl with the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and Chinese five spice. Put the chicken thighs in a mixing bowl and pour on a quarter of the soy mixture. Make sure the chicken is well coated. Set the rest of the soy mixture aside - we'll use it later!
Halve, then remove the core from the red pepper and slice into thin strips. Remove the root from the spring onion and thinly slice (keep white and green parts separate). Halve the baby bok choy lengthways. Add the chicken stock pot and basmati rice to your pan of boiling water. Simmer uncovered until cooked, 10 mins. Then reserve a cup of water and drain the rice in a sieve. Return to the saucepan and cover with a lid to keep warm.
Meanwhile, put a drizzle of oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the red pepper and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until softened, 3-4 mins, then pop on a baking tray. Add the chicken and marinade to the frying pan. Cook until golden and charred, 2 mins each side. Put the chicken on top of the peppers and roast on the top shelf of your oven for 10 mins. TIP: The chicken is cooked when it is no longer pink in the middle.
Give your frying pan a quick wash and return it to medium-high heat with a glug of oil. Once hot, lay in the bok choy, cut-side down. Season with salt and a grind of black pepper. Cook for 2 mins, then turn over and cook for another 2 mins on the other side. The bok choy should be slightly browned and charred. Add a splash of water and pop a lid (or some foil) on the pan and leave to steam for another 3 mins.
Once the bok choy is cooked, add it to the chicken and peppers and return the tray to the oven. Add the remaining soy mixture to the frying pan, along with the reserved rice water (amount specified in the ingredient list). Stir together and bubble away until thickened, 3-4 mins. Remove the pan from the heat.
Fluff up the rice with a fork and stir through the whites of the spring onion. Spoon into bowls. Cut each chicken thigh into four slices. Place the pepper and bok choy on top of the rice and top with the chicken slices. Drizzle over your sauce and sprinkle on the greens of the spring onion. Enjoy!
