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Buckwheat pilaf with chicken in a frying pan

Skillet Buckwheat Pilaf with Chicken

A simple, tasty, and aromatic dish of buckwheat and chicken! We're all used to pilaf meaning rice with chicken — but it turns out you can swap in buckwheat groats for an equally delicious and even more wholesome result. Buckwheat is considered far healthier than rice and is rich in iron, which your body needs. It's quick and easy to make, too, so it's a great weeknight dinner for the whole family.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Buckwheat pilaf with chicken in a frying pan

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Chicken breast

300

Buckwheat

1.5

Carrot

Onion

Vegetable oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 30 % 13 g

Fats 14 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 56 % 24 g

192 kcal

GI: 13 / 88 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 50 min

Step 1:

Gather your ingredients. Rinse the buckwheat thoroughly until the water runs clear. Rinse the chicken, pat it dry with paper towels, and cut it into small cubes. If you're cooking for a big family, you can use a whole chicken cut into bone-in pieces — just rinse the meat and let it drain.
Step 2:

Wash, peel, and grate the carrot on the medium holes of a box grater.
Step 3:

Peel the onion and cut it into cubes.
Step 4:

Pour the oil into a skillet (a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet, sauté pan, or Dutch oven works best) and heat it. Add the onion and carrot and cook until the onion turns translucent and the carrot softens.
Step 5:

Add the chicken to the vegetables. Season with salt and ground black pepper, plus any other spices you like. Stir to combine.
Step 6:

Cook the chicken and vegetables over medium heat, stirring now and then with a spatula, until the meat turns white. Pour in half a cup of water and stir. Cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes — the liquid should cook off almost completely.
Step 7:

Add the rinsed buckwheat to the skillet with the chicken and vegetables, then pour in water at a ratio of two and a half parts water to one part groats. Cover and let it gently steam for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, stir, and check for doneness. If the buckwheat still seems underdone, add a splash more liquid (and more spices if needed), stir, and bring back to a boil.
Step 8:

Turn off the heat and let the dish rest on the stove, covered, for another 20 minutes. The finished pilaf should be free of standing liquid, but the buckwheat shouldn't be dry either. Serve the buckwheat and chicken pilaf. Enjoy!