Eat the rainbow, get all the nutrients. That's exactly what I was trying to achieve with this rainbow chicken dinner consisting of glazed protein, sweet potatoes, beetroot slaw and green veggies. This dish is gluten-free, paleo and Whole30 friendly.
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes or 1 large, peeled and diced into large cubes
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the beetroot slaw
- 1/2 red onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 medium beets peeled and grated (I suggest to use kitchen gloves or peel the beets under running water to avoid skin stains)
- 1 large carrot grated
- 1/3 cup black pitted olives the less salty Spanish olives are best, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley a good handful of fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For sticky glazed chicken
- 600 g chicken tenderloins 1.2 lbs. breast or thighs (or mix), sliced into strips
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos or Tamari - if using aminos, add a little extra salt or fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey maple syrup or coconut nectar (see Whole30 notes below)
For green veggies
- 1/2 head broccoli cut into florets (halve larger florets)
- 200 g fine green beans ends chopped off
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 garlic clove diced or grated (can be omitted)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the sweet potatoes.Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Add the diced sweet potatoes to a bowl and combine with olive oil, paprika and cumin. Once coated, spread on a flat baking tray and roast for 20-25 minutes until tender. Season with sea salt at the end.
- Prepare the beetroot slaw.Before you start grating the beets and the carrots, start by marinating the onions. In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped onions with the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil and stir through. Leave for 5-10 minutes. Add the grated beets, carrots, olives and parsley to the bowl and season with salt. Stir through really well, making sure the onions and the marinade coat the vegetables evenly. Serve right away or store in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days.
- Prepare the chicken.Season chicken pieces evenly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet/frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 3 minutes each side. Make sure to not overcrowd the pan and cook the chicken in batches if needed, otherwise you will end up with too many juices in the pan and the meat will stew rather than pan-fry.
- Once each side of the chicken is browned, add the garlic to the pan and stir through. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and drizzle over the chicken. Toss through and allow to cook briefly until the sauce starts to caramelise and gets sticky.
- Make the greens.Bring a kettle of water to the boil (while the chicken is cooking) and add to a pot. Add the beans and cook in simmering water for 1 minute. Add the broccoli and cook together for 2 more minutes. Drain and set aside. Add the olive oil to the pot and heat over medium, stir in the garlic then add back the greens. Drizzle with lemon juice and season with a little salt.
Notes
Whole30: instead of using honey, soak 1-2 dates in hot water, then chop finely to add to the glaze mixture.
Speed things up. The best way to make this dish quickly is to follow the this order: begin with the sweet potatoes and while those are roasting, prepare the beetroot slaw and dice up the veggies and chicken; while you cook the chicken, start on the green veggies; finish the chicken with the glaze and the last step will be to season the greens.
Nutrition
Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1635mg | Potassium: 1765mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 19995IU | Vitamin C: 92mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 4mg
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