Cooking a meal that can keep the whole family happy is a minefield, especially when you have two children under four. Every meal time, we run the gauntlet. Will they eat? Will I be covered in food at the end? Obviously, we all want our children to eat healthily. We want them to eat vegetables, good lean protein, fibre – it feels good to know that we are getting something good into them. Unfortunately, you can absolutely guarantee that the meals you spend the most effort on, the ones that you plan carefully to be nutritionally balanced and spend an age making in bulk so that you always have healthy meals in the freezer – those are the ones that are often rejected out of hand. There is nothing quite like the burning sense of injustice a parent feels when the scrape a lovingly prepared meal into the bin. Luckily, this recipe with Birds Eye Chicken Chargrills is just what every stressed out and busy mum needs.
Birds Eye Products
Birds Eye products are truly exceptional; they should be every parent’s friend. Not only are all Birds Eye Chicken products made with 100% chicken breast, their chickens are also barn reared, meeting EU regulations. In addition, Birds Eye chicken is packed with protein, which is perfect for a growing family. Birds Eye asked me to devise a healthy family recipe, using one of their delicious products.
I had some guidance to stick to – the meal had to use a Birds Eye chicken product, it had to be suitable for the whole family, prepared and cooked in 20 minutes AND it had to be full of healthy veg. It was no mean feat – but this recipe was a huge hit and both children vacuumed it up – and we enjoyed it too!
You can make this sauce in bulk and freeze it, cutting preparation time even further. Check out our recipe below.
Birds Eye Chicken Chargrills with Tomato and Cream Cheese Risotto Style Rice.
Preparation time:
20 minutes
Serves:
2 adults and 2 children
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 leek
230g basmati rice
1 tbsp. tomato puree
2 low salt chicken stock cubes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 Birds Eye chargrill chicken fillets
1 red onion
2 tbsp. cream cheese
Chopped parsley
1 stick of celery
100g Frozen Peas
Grated cheese (optional)
Method:
- Heat the oven to 190 / 170 fan / Gas Mark 5
- Next, chop the leek, celery and onion very finely – a food processor is best. This means the veg is hidden in the sauce if you have fussy eaters. Put the chicken in the oven following the instructions on the packet.
- Heat the oil in a high sided frying pan or casserole pan and fry the vegetables gently for 5 minutes until soft.
- Pour in the tin of tomatoes, add the tomato puree and season to taste.
- Reduce for up to 15 minutes on a medium heat until it has the consistency of a pasta-style sauce- it should take a few seconds to refill a channel scraped across the bottom of the pan by a spatula. (NOTE: you can make this sauce in bulk and freeze, making the overall meal even more convenient)
- Meanwhile, rinse the basmati rice thoroughly under the cold tap in a sieve and boil a large pan of water. Add stock cubes to the pan and allow to dissolve- you can use low salt varieties if you want. (You could add frozen peas to the rice to add another veg here.)
- Add the rinsed rice to the pan and boil for about 10 minutes. Drain with the sieve and return to the pan.
- Add the reduced tomato mixture to the rice and add the cream cheese. Stir well over a very low heat until well combined. You are seeking a creamy, risotto-like consistency
- Next, remove the chicken chargrills from the oven and slice in to succulent, bite size pieces.
- Spoon the rice dish on to warmed plates, liberally scatter the chopped parsley and arrange your chicken pieces artfully on the top. Finally, if you are feeling lavish, you could grate cheese on to finish.
A recipe for the whole family to enjoy
And there you have it – a balanced, nutritious meal that is easy to prepare and that the whole family can enjoy: a definite parenting win. Look out for more recipes for brilliant family meals using Birds Eye chicken products, as other parenting bloggers have devised recipes too.
They are all guaranteed to be nutritious, easy-to-prepare and made with Birds Eye products which are made with 100% chicken breasts.
Please note, this post is in collaboration with Birds Eye.
For other recipes, you may like to take a look at:
Chicken and Artichoke Bake with Cypriot New Potatoes
and
Amaretto and Mascarpone Brownies
I feel hungry now !!! What a great recipe that all the family can eat and super quick to make.
It is really tasty and so quick to make! Thank so much for stopping by to comment 🙂
This looks very tasty. Cooking for kids can be so tricky sometimes.
Thank you. It is certainly hard to please everyone with two small people. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
This looks really yummy! I think we’d all like this
Thank you! it is really yummy and convenient 🙂
What a great way to get a delicious family meal ready in under 30 minutes
It is so easy – especially if you make the sauce in bulk and freeze. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love how quick and simple it is to make. The fact that the risotto is healthy and contains protein is an absolute bonus!
It is really handy to have something with a lot of veg in that is so convenient 🙂
This looks like a fab meal that my kids would enjoy! Thanks for sharing it 🙂
Thank you very much.
This looks delicious and so easy to make. We always cook our meals from scratch. I think the food we eat definitely affect our mood and energy levels.
I am totally with you on the minefield that is toddler meals! I don’t actually eat meat, but B does. I will certainly give this one a try as it’s one that we probably have all the ingredients for or can pick up really easily. Fab!
Kat x
Thank you – it is a good idea for veggie parents with kids who eat meat as so easy to just add the meat for them. Thanks so much for stopping by to comment x
This looks absolutely yummy and such a quick meal to make too,. perfect for those with busy families and looking for a healthy meal.
Thank you. It should be a great balance of nutritious and convenient x
I do love Bird’s eye foods as they are always healthy and nutritious. Your recipe seems to have won favours with your family
We a big Birds Eye fans here too. Have you tried their pancakes? So gorgeous for a treat! Thanks for commenting 🙂
great recipe thanks – so much better than shop bought !
Your baby won’t be in the mood for food if they’re sleepy so choose a time of day when they’re awake and alert, but not distracted. And make sure you’ve got plenty of time too as you don’t want to rush!
good ideas, 20 mins is a perfect time for creating a meal
Thank you! It can be so difficult to cook with two small people under my feet so 20 minutes prep does make things easier 🙂
Yummy! What a great recipe and so quick!
Thanks ever so much!
Absolutely love this and will be trying it ! So quick and healthy xx
I hope you like it! x
RISotto in 20 ins is just showing off! This looks delicious! I tend to steer clear of “ready made” meats as I worry about the salt content, but these look great!
Haha! That is why it is ‘risotto-style’… it is not made like actual risotto…my husband does great recipes for that and it could not be done in 20 minutes! This is a pretty great balance of healthy and convenient. Thanks for stopping by to comment. x
My kids love Birds Eye chicken grills. Am inspired with your receipe as mine only ever have it with chips or in wraps with salad.
I think mine actually prefer this rice recipe to chips! I hope you try it and they like it 🙂
Yum! I’ve actually never tried these but I’m always after easy meals and by easy I don’t mean throw in the microwave! I like to do some prep so I know there are fresh healthy ingredients too. Thank you! Will give it a try.
This is perfect as it has enough prep to know it is full of good stuff but still quick enough to be convenient. Thanks so much for stopping by to comment x
Ill be sharing these recipes with our daughter in law who is expecting our 2nd Grandchild and our eldest son and hers first baby in August! Thank you
Thank you. I hope she finds it useful! x
Delicious recipes kiddies will love them, such tasty healthy ingredients
That looks really nice, I wouldn’t mind that myself.
This looks really healthy ! I am on a healthy eating plan and thinking if I left the cream cheese out I could use very low fat or even cottage cheese for something different. Thanks for sharing it.
Looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing.