One Pan and One Pot

Buckwheat with Chicken

It all rests on one ratio: one part buckwheat to exactly two parts liquid, not a spoon more. Buckwheat hates excess water — that is what turns it into porridge. Everything cooks in one pan: chicken and vegetables flavour the fat first, then the grain soaks it up along with the broth.

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Buckwheat with Chicken — the finished dish
Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Per serving
440 kcal

Ingredients

  • What to use instead

    Pork pieces work instead of chicken — brown them 5 minutes longer.

Makes: 4 servings

Method

  1. Step 1: Sort the buckwheat

    Pick the grain over, rinse in two changes of water and drain. Rinsing matters: buckwheat often carries dust and stray husks.

  2. Step 2: Brown the chicken

    Cut the thighs into 4 cm pieces and brown in the oil over high heat for 7 minutes, until golden.

  3. Step 3: Add the vegetables

    Add the chopped onion and blitzed or grated carrot and fry together for 6 minutes, until soft.

  4. Step 4: Add the grain

    Add the buckwheat and stir so every grain is coated in fat — that is what keeps it loose.

  5. Step 5: Add water

    Pour in exactly 600 ml hot water and add the salt, pepper and bay leaf. The liquid should sit about a finger above the grain.

  6. Step 6: Cook covered

    Bring to a boil, turn the heat right down and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Don't stir, don't lift the lid.

  7. Step 7: Add garlic

    Take the pan off the heat, spoon the crushed garlic over the top and put the lid straight back on.

  8. Step 8: Let it stand

    Leave covered for another 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and scatter with dill.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    Keep the lid on while it cooks: the steam is part of the method, and without it the top layer stays raw.

  • Variation

    A handful of dried mushrooms soaked in boiling water, with the soaking liquid replacing part of the water, changes the dish completely.

  • Swap

    Pork pieces work instead of chicken — brown them 5 minutes longer.

  • Storage

    Keeps 3 days; sprinkle with water before reheating so the grain doesn't dry out.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 4 servings
Energy440 kcal1,760 kcal
Protein30 g120 g
Fat16 g64 g
Carbohydrates45 g180 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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