Chicken Jollof-Style Rice

Looking for a big, bold one-pot comfort meal that still fits neatly into your macros? This Chicken Jollof-Style Rice is smoky, spicy, tangy, and packed with flavor. 🍛✨

Tender chicken thighs are cooked with a rich roasted pepper and tomato spice paste, then combined with fragrant basmati rice for an easy one-pot meal. Each serving contains 29g of protein and 405 calories, making it a satisfying option for a flavorful weeknight dinner.

Servings & Nutrition

Makes: 4 servings

Serving size: Approximately 350 g

Calories: 405 kcal per serving

Protein: 29 g per serving

Carbohydrates: 53 g per serving

Fat: 9 g per serving

Ingredients

For the Spice Paste

- 1 large red bell pepper, diced

- 1 large tomato, diced

- 1 onion, diced

- 6–8 garlic cloves, whole

- 4 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained

- A pinch of salt

- A few sprays of oil

- 1 tsp lemon juice

- 2 tsp honey

- 1 tsp chilli flakes

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tsp peri peri seasoning, optional

- ¼ tsp turmeric powder

- 1 tsp coriander powder

- ½ tsp pepper powder

- 1 no-salt chicken stock cube

- Salt and water, as needed

For the Chicken

- 500 g boneless chicken thighs

- A few sprays of oil

For the Rice

- 1 onion, chopped

- 4–5 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1 tbsp tomato paste or 2 tbsp tomato puree

- 1 bay leaf

- 2 cups hot water, approximately

- 1 cup basmati rice, soaked for 20–30 minutes and drained

- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped

- Salt, to taste

- 1 zero-salt chicken stock cube, optional

How to Make Chicken Jollof-Style Rice

1. Prepare the Spice Paste

Heat a few sprays of oil in a pan over medium heat.

Add the diced red bell pepper, tomato, onion, whole garlic cloves, and drained dried chillies. Add a pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables are soft and nicely browned.

Add a little water as needed while cooking.

Once cooked, allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Transfer it to a blender and add the lemon juice, honey, chilli flakes, oregano, peri peri seasoning, turmeric, coriander powder, pepper powder, chicken stock cube, and some water.

Blend until completely smooth. Set the spice paste aside.

2. Cook the Chicken

Add approximately one-third of the prepared spice paste to the chicken along with a few sprays of oil.

Cook over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally, until it becomes glossy, sticky, and nicely browned.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

3. Build the Rice Base

Using the same pan, add a few more sprays of oil.

Add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for approximately 2 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 1 minute.

Add the remaining spice paste and cook for approximately 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to deepen.

4. Cook the Rice

Add the bay leaf and approximately 2 cups of hot water.

Season with a little salt and add the optional zero-salt chicken stock cube if using.

Stir in the soaked and drained basmati rice.

Bring everything to a simmer, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low.

Cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and cooked through.

5. Finish the Dish

Place the cooked chicken pieces back over the rice.

Sprinkle generously with chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Cover and cook for another 2 minutes to allow the chicken to warm through and the flavors to come together.

Serve hot and enjoy! 🍛🌶️

Tips for the Best Chicken Jollof-Style Rice

- Soak the basmati rice for 20–30 minutes before cooking for better texture.

- Allow the vegetables to brown well when making the spice paste. This helps develop a deeper, smokier flavor.

- Add water gradually when blending the paste so it doesn't become too thin.

- Keep the rice covered while it cooks so the steam can cook the grains evenly.

- Let the finished rice rest for a couple of minutes before serving for the best texture.

Serving Suggestion

Serve this smoky Chicken Jollof-Style Rice hot, topped with plenty of fresh coriander. It's a flavorful one-pot meal that works beautifully for lunch or dinner and makes 4 satisfying servings.

With tender sticky chicken, spicy tomato-pepper paste, fragrant basmati rice, and plenty of bold seasoning, this is comfort food with a macro-friendly twist. 🍛✨

Credit:- aathirasethumadhavan