Rice is one of those foods that are present in all the cuisines of the world because it is cheap and very complete, nutritionally speaking. It is common to use it to prepare hot dishes, such as the typical easy recipe for rice with chicken or the traditional paella. However, it is also a perfect ingredient for making salads because it combines with a wide variety of products.
For its part, chickpeas are also usually present in hot preparations, such as stews, although we are increasingly seeing them in cold recipes such as the salad that we will learn to prepare next. Both foods are rich in carbohydrates and proteins, making them perfect for those who do a lot of sports and/or follow a balanced diet. Read on and discover how to make an easy, nutritious and healthy rice and chickpea salad.
Ingredients to make Rice and Chickpea Salad:
- 120 grams of rice (the variety that you like the most)
- 150 grams of cooked chicken peas
- 1 broccoli
- 1 handful of nuts to taste
- 100 grams of lettuce or any green leaf
- 1 carrot
- 1 pinch of salt to taste
- 1 splash of olive oil
- 1 pinch of chopped parsley to taste (oregano, basil or other aromatic spice)
How to make Rice and Chickpea Salad:
- Wash and cook rice in boiling water according to package directions. We have used round white rice and added a little red rice, but you can use any variety of rice you have at home. When it is al dente, approximately 10-15 minutes, strain it and run it under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Tip: if you use plain rice, remember that the ratio is 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice.
- While the rice is cooking, take the opportunity to also cook the broccoli separated into small trees. You can steam or boil broccoli. In any case, it usually takes 8-10 minutes to be ready, so strain it when it’s ready and pass it through cold water to continue with the rice and chickpea salad.
- Tip: we recommend using the grated carrot, but you could also cook it with the broccoli without any problem.
- Grate the carrot or cut it to your liking. Put it in the salad and mix it with the broccoli and rice when they are completely cold. Wash the lettuce, cut it and add it too. You can use another type of green leaf and even a mixture, since this chickpea and rice salad goes with everything.
- Add the drained canned chickpeas, the nuts to taste and season the salad with olive oil, salt and aromatic spices to taste, such as parsley, oregano and/or basil. Clever! Now you can enjoy this delicious and nutritious rice and chickpea salad.
