A bowl meal has one big advantage over a plate: everything ends up in the same spoonful. Here, juicy spiced chicken sits on fragrant turmeric rice, with crisp pita chips, fresh salad and a creamy garlic sauce all piled on top, so every bite has a mix of soft, crunchy, tangy and creamy. Recipe compliments of Instant Pot.

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinating | Cooking time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 600 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs or butterflied chicken breasts
• 30 ml olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2.5 ml ground allspice
• 5 ml ground coriander
• 5 ml paprika
• 5 ml ground cumin
• 5 ml salt
• 5 ml sumac
• 1 ml black pepper
• Pinch of turmeric

For the rice:

• 500 ml basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 625 ml chicken stock, or 625 ml water plus 10 ml chicken stock powder
• 30 g butter
• 15 ml oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2.5 ml turmeric
• 5 ml dried oregano
• 2.5 ml ground cumin
• 2.5 ml salt
• 1 bay leaf

For the pita chips:

• 3 pita breads
• 15 ml olive oil
• 5 ml sumac
• 2.5 ml salt

For the garlic sauce:

• 125 ml mayonnaise
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 30 ml plain yoghurt
• 1 ml black pepper
• 10 ml lemon juice
• 5 ml sugar
• 30 to 60 ml water
• Pinch of salt

To serve:

• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Onion
• Sriracha

Method

Chicken:

1. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, allspice, coriander, paprika, cumin, salt, sumac, pepper and turmeric in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cook the chicken in the air fryer at 200°C for about 15 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through. Rest for a few minutes, then slice.

Rice:

3. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the oil and butter, then the garlic, turmeric, oregano, cumin, salt and bay leaf. Stir until the spices smell fragrant.
4. Add the drained rice and stir until every grain is coated in the spice mixture. Cancel Sauté.
5. Pour in the stock (or water and stock powder) and stir.
6. Seal the lid and Pressure Cook on high for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 12 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
7. Remove the bay leaf and fluff the rice with a fork.

Pita chips:

8. Cut the pita breads into chips and toss in the olive oil, sumac and salt.
9. Air fry at 190°C for 4 to 6 minutes, until crisp.

Garlic sauce:

10. Put all the garlic sauce ingredients into a jar, starting with 30 ml water. Close the lid and shake well. Add more water if you want a thinner sauce.

Assemble:

11. Divide the rice between four bowls. Top with the chicken, pita chips, lettuce, tomatoes and onion. Drizzle with garlic sauce and sriracha.

Variations and tips:

• The chicken can also be grilled on a braai or cooked in a hot pan if you’d rather not use the air fryer.
• Basmati rice should be rinsed until the water runs almost clear.
• The garlic sauce keeps in the fridge for up to three days and is good on wraps and roast veg.
• Keep the pita chips separate if you are packing lunch, so they don’t go soft.