Warm Rice Salad with Chicken, Broccoli, Pumpkin Seeds & Goat Cheese

Directions

1. Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear, then transfer to a medium saucepan. Add water, chicken, salt, and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
2. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 15–18 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes.
3. While the grains cook, wash and dry all fresh produce.
4. In a medium bowl, zest and juice the lemon, then whisk in oil, salt, and pepper to make a dressing.
5. Thinly slice the radishes and add them to the dressing bowl.
6. Remove parsley leaves from stems, mince the leaves, and add to the dressing mixture.
7. Preheat a skillet over medium heat.
8. Meanwhile, peel, halve, and small-dice the onion; peel and mince the garlic.
9. Add oil to the hot skillet, then cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
10. Roughly chop the broccoli into small pieces.
11. When the onion is soft, add the broccoli to the skillet and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
12. Toss the cooked vegetables and pumpkin seeds into the dressing with the radish and parsley to combine.
13. Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks.
14. Add the shredded chicken and the warm rice to the bowl with the dressing and vegetables, and stir to combine into a salad.
15. Divide the salad into bowls and crumble the goat cheese over the top before serving.