Recipe-Mediterranean Chicken + Rice
Flavorful Fuel For Your Postpartum Recovery
The spiel: Chicken and rice may be a go-to for postpartum nourishment, but fear not…this is not your average chicken and rice dish. Protein-rich chicken is flavored by a lemon-dijon marinade before being seared and cooked with fluffy rice. Accented by mineral-rich greens, roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts (the king of prebiotics!) and finished by vibrant dill.
The purpose: In postpartum nourishment, we are always looking to the pillars of easily-digested foods, abundant in protein and dense in nutrients. But beyond that, one key aspect of any recovery and general wellness is gut health. This matters in any context and especially if a mom needs to take antibiotics whether it be for GBS+ results, an infection during labor/delivery or after, for mastitis or otherwise. Probiotics are a beneficial addition to any gut health regimen, but also need to be paired with prebiotics, which aid in the body’s abilities to absorb nutrients and that’s where artichoke hearts come in! Standard chicken and rice has never really appealed to me, but when given the opportunity to inject a variety of Mediterranean flavors and colors, I jumped at the chance. Don’t let the ingredients list hold you back, either…if you want to add capers, olives, chickpeas, tomatoes, the world is your oyster! Actually, speaking of…let’s get into substitutions.
Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs: I have only made this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs would also work great. Chicken breasts could also be an option if that’s your preference, but you’d have to be on standby with a meat thermometer to snag that chicken breast the moment it hits 165.
Basmati Rice: Basmati is the ideal rice for this dish as it easily soaks up broth and becomes fluffy. However, I believe Jasmine could work in this context as well or another long grain rice. If you go with a long grain brown rice, be prepared for it to take longer to cook.
Chicken Bone Broth: I love to use bone broth whenever I can to dial up the protein and nourishment of a dish, but use what you have! If it’s turkey broth, use it! If it’s chicken stock, use that! Functionally, you could even use beef broth, but I imagine it may be a little odd ;) If you do, report back!
Kale: Feel free to sub-in whatever leafy green you have on-hand (swiss chard, spinach, etc.)! Since it is only cooked by the leftover heat of the dish, make sure it’s cut up bite-size or smaller.
Red Bell Peppers, Artichoke Hearts, Pine Nuts: None of these are essential, so feel free to sub-in olives, take out bell peppers, whatever sounds good to you!
Without further ado, let’s get into the recipe so you can get to eatin’!