As one Uzbek proverb says: "The poor man eats pilaf, the rich man eats only pilaf". Whether this is actually true is not known, but the fact that pilaf is one of the most favorite dishes of the peoples of Central Asia, and in the last few centuries not only them - is undeniable.
True, traditional pilaf has one drawback: it is quite caloric: for example, pilaf with lamb contains about 230 kcal, with beef slightly less - about 220 kcal, in any case, it is not the most dietary dish. For those who like this ancient Asian food, but their figure appreciates no less, you can offer to reduce the number of calories in the finished product, choosing as its basis the most dietary meat - chicken breasts without skin.
How many calories are in chicken with pilaf?
Calorie content of pilaf with chicken depends on the method of its preparation, types of cereals, the availability of additional ingredients, and lies in the range of 120 - 140 kcal. By the way, there are 2 ways of cooking pilaf:
- Iranian - rice and meat dressing is prepared separately, and served, on 1 plate, without mixing;
- Central Asian - meat refueling is brought to half-preparedness, and then crude rice is added to it.
Pilaf cooked for 1 prescription is less calories, especially if steamed rice, or boil without adding fats. Choice of cereals for pilaf also affects its taste and calorie content. Most often, rice is used to make this dish, although other cereals - peas, chickpeas, wheat - and their mixtures are allowed. If we talk about rice, the red long-grain variety "dev-zira" best suits pilaf: it not only makes the palate taste as close as possible to the canonical one, but also because it contains quite a lot of fiber and vitamins will make the ready-made dish useful for health and will reduce the number of calories. And finally, spices, most often for pilaf use:
- ziru;
- saffron - add to rice, to give it a beautiful golden hue;
- garlic.
Also for plov with chicken, red and black peppers are suitable: calories will be more difficult to settle in the wrong places, because hot pepper speeds up the metabolism.