A cheap and cheerful rice dish packed with fresh vegetables and flavourful chicken. Whip it up for midweek dinners or as part of our Budget meal plan for one. This recipe is part of a Budget meal plan for one. In August 2022 this recipe was costed at an average of £1.68 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.

Fill a large saucepan a third full with water, crumble the stock cube into the pan, cover with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat. Add the rice, cover and return to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the carrots and sliced broccoli stalks, if using, to the rice. Cover and simmer together for 3 minutes. Add the broccoli florets, cover and cook for a further 4 minutes. Drain the rice and vegetables in a colander or large sieve and set aside.

Add the oil to the saucepan and fry the chicken over a medium–high heat for 1–2 minutes or until hot, stirring constantly. Add the vegetable and rice mixture, soy sauce and chilli to the chicken and toss together for 1–2 minutes. Spoon into a large bowl and serve with extra soy sauce and chilli to season.

If cooking as part of the Budget meal plan for one, use the cooked chicken thighs reserved from the Roast chicken for one recipe. If cooking separately any leftover cooked chicken meat is fine.

You can add any vegetables to this recipe – sliced green beans, sugar-snap peas and sliced or diced peppers work well, so feel free to use what's cheapest at the time. Alternatively, make with frozen vegetables, adding for the last 5 minutes of the cooking time.

Prawns make a nice alternative to chicken if you have some in the freezer or add fried tofu or Quorn pieces for a vegetarian version.

For extra heat, drizzle the cooked rice and vegetables with sriracha sauce if you have some.

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