This was a huge hit with all the members of the test kitchen of Sharon, our super cook with a gastric band. Sharon’s exact words: “It was DELICIOUS!!!”. Rice can be a little uncomfortable for some people with a gastric band, however Sharon found with the small quantity of rice and the moist sauce she tolerated this meal well.  The use of chickpeas and sweet potato provides a great source of low GI carbohydrate to help you feel satisfied for longer after eating. There was a little left over which Sharon had for lunch the next day and as is the case with this sort of dish, it was even better!
 
Serves 4
Oil spray
500g skinless chicken, diced eg. breast, thigh or tenderloin
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small fresh red chili, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup sweet potato, diced
½ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup cooked brown rice
Mini Pappadums - optional
 
Pre-heat oven to 150°C. In a frying pan that has been sprayed with oil add chicken and brown on both sides. Transfer to a baking or casserole dish. Put the frying pan back on the heat and add onion and cook until onion is golden in colour. Add the garlic, chili, ginger and spices and cook for 1-3 minutes or until fragrant then pour over the tomatoes. Stir until combined, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced a little.
 
Meanwhile scatter the diced sweet potato and chickpeas over the chicken. When the sauce has reduced a little, pour over the chicken, sweet potato and chickpeas. Cover and bake in the slow oven for ¾ - 1 hour or until chicken has cooked through.
 
To serve, put ¼ cup of rice in the bottom of a 4 bowls. Divide the chicken and sauce evenly amongst the bowls, and top with fresh ground black pepper.
 
Optional: Serve with 1-2 mini papadums to add a little crunch.
 
Nutrition Information (per serve): energy 1515kJ, protein 30g, fat 12.5g, saturated fat 3.5g, carbohydrate 29.5g, fibre 4.5g.