Peruvian chicken and lupin rice with a zesty green sauce
Plus, your meal plan for the month!
Hi and happy Thursday! We had a wonderful Easter weekend with family and if you celebrate, I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend too. It was the first Easter egg hunt experience together for all of the little cousins. We enjoyed a beautiful church service, brunch featuring several items from my Spring Gatherings collection of recipes, and a fun and relaxing afternoon with family.
This week, we also celebrated eight years since Ian’s brain cancer diagnosis (!!!) which in itself deserves a whole separate newsletter. I have so many emotions and thoughts about this milestone, but at the same time, I just can’t find the right words in this moment so it’ll have to wait until another day. For now, I’ll just say this: thank you, Jesus.
Today, as it’s (already!) the last Thursday of the month, I have a week-long meal plan for you in addition to an all-new recipe. I’m sharing a Peruvian-inspired “chicken and rice” skillet meal that is blood sugar friendly, high in fiber AND protein… a total of 52 grams of protein per serving, in fact.
The key ingredient that ups the protein in this meal is lupin rice, a type of rice alternative made from lupini beans. This high-fiber, high-protein, and low-carb bean is an impressive nutritional powerhouse!
A few things to know about lupin beans:
lupin beans are part of the legume family and are naturally low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and high in fiber;
you can eat them as marinated beans, or purchase them dry to cook on your own, but there are also several lupini-based products becoming more widely available (like Kaizen, which offers rice, lupin flour, and low-carb pastas!)
lupin beans and lupin products are high in antioxidants and vitamins, plus they are low glycemic and can help regulate blood sugar.
The Peruvian-inspired chicken and lupin rice dinner is similar to my crispy scallion chicken thighs, but with a whole different flavor profile! Instead of a cream sauce, you’ll make a yellow rice in the skillet, then nestle the chicken thighs back into the rice to finish cooking in the oven.
The green sauce requires just a few ingredients and a quick pulse in the blender to create a zesty, mildly spicy and fresh sauce you’ll want to drizzle on everything.
This recipe, along with every recipe in the archive, is available below to paid subscribers. If you’re a free subscriber who has ever considered upgrading to a paid subscription, my spring special ends tomorrow, 4/25! All annual subscriptions are 20% off. :)
This meal is also included in the week-long meal plan and shopping list attached below!
Something worth mentioning about this month’s meal plan is that I took a more budget-friendly approach, from the types of proteins to the ingredients required. You’ll find that I added notes in the shopping list of items that are optional.
That means this plan is easy to modify as needed! For instance, lupin rice costs quite a bit more than an alternative like riced cauliflower or broccoli, so feel free to swap out items, making use of what you have and what’s in your budget.
Looking for more meal plan inspiration? From quick breakfasts to lunch ideas and low-glycemic treats, there’s much more deliciousness on the blog! Here are just a few recipes I’m enjoying this spring:
What I love about this meal is that checks that “chicken and rice” comfort food box! While there are a few steps required, like searing the chicken, boiling the rice, making the sauce… all of it is actually incredibly fast.
If you enjoy tender, juicy chicken with a crispy skin and bold seasonings, I know you’ll love this recipe. The lupini rice cooks in the pan juices along with onion, garlic, and ground turmeric to create a yellow rice that has so much flavor.
And that sauce? So good— you’ll probably end up with leftovers, too, which is great on power bowls or salads or even as a dip for fresh veggies.
Yield: 4-5 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
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