This easy lunchbox rice salad is perfect for packing up in little pots for packed lunches - the whole family will enjoy this simple recipe!
I can't believe that the new school year begins in just a few days, and next week my littlest starts preschool! I'm excited for him but sad at the same time, I'm really going to miss having my lovely boys around all of the time.
A new school year means one of my favourite (really!) chores is back on our schedule though - it's time to start thinking about lunch packing again!
I've got several fun new lunch box recipes to share with you over the next few weeks, starting with this easy peasy rice salad that can be thrown together in no time at all. It will store nicely in the fridge for 2-3 days too, so you can make it in bulk for the whole family and have the base of a decent lunch ready for several days at once.
This recipe came about after I was challenged to come up with a quick and easy healthy lunch recipe made using ingredients from Iceland. As regular readers may know, I've had a lot of fun exploring the Iceland range this year, my most recent Iceland inspired recipe being the triple smoothie ice lollies I shared last week.
I'm so glad to have been asked to take part in the #PowerOfFrozen project, it really has been eye-opening learning what a great range of healthy ingredients are available at Iceland!
For this challenge I decided that I wanted to create a recipe that would make a great alternative to sandwiches, and remembered the little pots of rice that my Mum often packed for us for lunch when I was a child.
Whilst browsing the freezers at Iceland I found bags of frozen cooked rice which I thought would make a great quick base for a rice salad. I also found ready-cooked pulled chicken breast and a minted pea and bean medley, both of which I thought would work well to add protein, colour and flavour.
Lunchbox Rice Salad Pots
Ingredients:
- 125g Iceland Ready Cooked Pulled Chicken Breast
- 2 x 200g bags Iceland Easy Steam White Rice
- 125g Iceland Pea & Four Bean Medley in a Mint Butter
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 100g cherry tomatoes
- 100g grapes
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- seasoning to taste
Method:
Place the chicken breast on a plate, cover and leave in the fridge to defrost over night. Once defrosted, cut into smaller pieces.
Place the two bags of rice in the microwave and heat according to instructions.
Meanwhile, pop the pea and bean medley into a frying pan and stir fry until the butter has melted and the beans are heated through.
Slice the grapes and cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters (depending on size).
Tip the rice into a large bowl (take care not to burn yourself on escaping steam when opening the bags) and stir in the turmeric until well combined.
Add the peas and beans, chicken pieces, tomatoes and grapes to the bowl and stir to combine.
Mix the olive oil and lemon juice with seasoning to taste and pour over the rice salad, then stir again until well combined.
Cool quickly and store covered in the fridge, pop it into little tubs or add straight into lunch boxes.
NOTES: This rice salad is infinitely adaptable and great for using up whatever odds and ends are lying around in your fridge or freezer! Other ingredients that would work well in this salad include peas, sweetcorn, chopped spinach, peppers and prawns, all of which can be found frozen at Iceland, and spring onions, ham, cucumber, raisins and other dried fruits, nuts and seeds.
I packed some up for a picnic recently and added cucumber and carrot slices and a couple of mini Babybel cheeses on the side. This lunch was packed in our Yumbox Panino bento box, with eye bento picks and a mini elephant fork pick for extra fun!
My boys were particularly impressed with the bright yellow colour of the rice (thanks to the turmeric) and renamed this recipe 'neon rice'!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like these fun and easy lunchbox ideas:
If you'd like more #PowerOfFrozen lunchbox recipes, check out these great ideas from some of my fellow bloggers;
- Foodie Quine - Cheesy Sweetcorn Muffins
- Feeding Boys – Sausage Wheel Flatbreads
- Munchies and Munchkins – Back to School Lunch Ideas
- Daisies and Pie - Kids Lunchbox Pasta Salad
- Everything Mummy – Cheesy Vegetable Muffins
- The Crazy Kitchen – 5 Fun Back to School Lunchbox Ideas
- Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen – Easy Chicken and Vegetable Pasties
For more easy lunch ideas and recipes, check out the Lunchbox and Picnic Recipes section here on the Eats Amazing blog or pop over and follow my lunch themed Pinterest boards for fun and healthy lunch box ideas from all over the web; Kids Lunch Box Ideas & Packed Lunch Ideas.
Are you packing lunches this year? What are your favourite lunch box foods?
Grace
Disclosure: This blog post was commissioned by Iceland as a part of the #PowerofFrozen campaign. I was compensated for the cost of ingredients and my time, however all opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Lunchbox Rice Salad Pots
Ingredients
- 125 g Iceland Ready Cooked Pulled Chicken Breast
- 2 x 200g bags Iceland Easy Steam White Rice
- 125 g Iceland Pea & Four Bean Medley in a Mint Butter
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 100 g cherry tomatoes
- 100 g grapes
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- seasoning to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast on a plate, cover and leave in the fridge to defrost over night. Once defrosted, cut into smaller pieces.
- Place the two bags of rice in the microwave and heat according to instructions.
- Meanwhile, pop the pea and bean medley into a frying pan and stir fry until the butter has melted and the beans are heated through.
- Slice the grapes and cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters (depending on size).
- Tip the rice into a large bowl (take care not to burn yourself on escaping steam when opening the bags) and stir in the turmeric until well combined.
- Add the peas and beans, chicken pieces, tomatoes and grapes to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Mix the olive oil and lemon juice with seasoning to taste and pour over the rice salad, then stir again until well combined.
- Cool quickly and store covered in the fridge, pop it into little tubs or add straight into lunch boxes.
Notes
Like this fun lunch recipe? Why not save it to Pinterest so you can easily find it again!
Sam | North East Family Fun says
Love this idea - I would never have thought about using rice in a packed lunch. Thank you x