This Spanish chicken is a healthy, one-pot meal

Here's a complete meal-in-a-pan that makes the most of the flavour-drenched ingredients that give Mediterranean cooking its healthy reputation. For contrasting texture, serve with a crisp salad.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 120 g (1/4 lb) each
• 1 large onion
• 3 peppers (2 red, 1 green)
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 250 ml (1 c) long-grain rice
• 600 ml (2 1/2 c) hot chicken stock
• 1 can (400 g/14 1/2 oz) chopped tomatoes
• 125 ml (1/2 c pitted) black olives
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley

Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 23 minutes. Serves 4.

1. Cut each piece of chicken lengthwise into three thick strips. Chop the onion and dice the peppers. Heat the oil in a large covered frying pan and cook the chicken for three minutes over medium heat, or until browned and partly cooked. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. Fry the onion, peppers and garlic for five minutes over medium heat, stirring until slightly softened. Return the chicken to the pan with any juices and sprinkle in the rice.
3. Add the hot stock, then pour in the tomatoes. Return to a boil over a high heat. Stir, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Roughly chop the olives and sprinkle them over the dish together with the parsley. Remove the pan from the heat, season to taste, cover and let stand for one to two minutes before serving.

• Use sautéed strips of lamb or beef as a change from chicken. Allow 450 grams (one pound) of meat for four people and cook it for just one minute in step 1.
• When you have slightly more time to spare, use brown rice instead of white. Cook the rice for an extra 10 minutes in step 3.
• If pitted olives aren't available, buy olives with their pits and use a cherry pitter to remove the pits before chopping.
• Another easy way to pit an olive is to press down on an olive with the flat side of a chef's knife. Loosen the pit and remove it with your fingers.

• 466 Calories
• 12 g Fat
• 2 g Saturated Fat
• 59 g Carbohydrates
• 35 g Protein
• 3 grams Fibre

Lean chicken is low in fat and can help keep you alert. This Spanish-style recipe takes full advantage of regional flavours and the goodness of chicken for a meal that won't soon be forgotten.