Healthy eating doesn’t always require more ingredients or more time. Sometimes, it’s simply about getting a little more from the ingredients you’re already using.
That’s the idea behind this Gochujang Chicken & Veggie Rice.
Instead of serving plain rice on the side, the basmati is cooked in vegetable stock with broccoli, garlic, onion, green beans and spinach, transforming it into a flavour-packed base that also increases your intake of fibre, vitamins, minerals and plant foods. It’s a small change that adds significant nutritional value without adding complexity to the cooking process.
The sticky gochujang chicken brings the perfect balance of sweet, savoury and spicy flavours while providing high-quality protein to support muscle health, satiety, everyday energy needs, and remember that protein supports hormone and neurotransmitter synthesis (equals so much more than just muscle!). Fresh ginger, garlic and gochujang create plenty of depth, proving that healthy meals never need to compromise on flavour.
From a nutrition perspective, this bowl delivers everything I look for in a balanced meal: quality carbohydrates for sustained energy, protein to support fullness and muscle maintenance, plenty of colourful vegetables for gut health and a variety of plant foods, plus healthy fats from the cooking oil to help round out the meal.
Like every recipe in my Lazy Healthy series, it’s designed for real life. The ingredients are easy to find, the method is straightforward, and it makes enough for leftovers the next day. Because the meals we cook most often aren’t usually the complicated ones—they’re the recipes that are simple enough to fit into a busy week while still helping us feel our best.
If you can make your everyday meals work a little harder nutritionally, healthy eating becomes something that happens naturally, not something you have to constantly think about.
GOCHUJANG CHICKEN WITH VEGGIE RICE
Serves 4
2 tbsp gochujang paste
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tamari
3 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp sesame or extra virgin olive oil
800g chicken thigh, fat trimmed, flesh cut into 3cm chunks
To serve: toasted sesame seeds and finely sliced green onion
Veggie Rice:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small brown onion (50g) finely diced
3/4 cup grated broccoli
1 cup frozen beans, broken into 2-3cm pieces
1 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
2 1/4 cups chicken stock or broth (I used San Elk Chicken Stock)
Opt: 30g baby spinach
Start by marinating the chicken. Add gochujang, honey, tamari, ginger, oil and whisk, then add the chicken and stir until well coated. Set aside to marinate whilst you make the veggie rice. Heat a saucepan on medium heat and add a few tablespoons of water with the garlic and onion and cook until they become translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Stir the veggies whilst they cook adding more water to prevent sticking, then add the broccoli rice and frozen beans and stir. Pour in the basmati rice with the stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 12-14 minutes. Cover and set aside if done before you have a chance to cook the chicken. To cook the chicken, heat a frypan on medium to high heat and add the chicken pieces cooking for 3 minutes, toss then cook a further 3 minutes, turning throughout. Cook chicken in batches so it has a chance to caramelise and for the gochujang marinade to thicken and coat the chicken as it cooks. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir through some baby spinach if desired, allowing the heat to wilt it. Spoon rice into bowls, top with the chicken, sprinkle with sesame seeds and finish with sliced shallot.
