One-pot chicken and rice blueprint

TIME1 hour MAKES5 servings PORTION
0.5x 1x 2x 3x

Chicken and rice is the ultimate comfort food, and I love that these two main ingredients can be cooked together in a single pan and the result is often better than the sum of its parts (due to the rice cooking in the chicken and pan juices).

I’ve noticed over time that the basics of all one-pot chicken and rice dishes is fundamentally the same: marinate and sear the chicken, fry some aromatics, fry the rice and some mixins, return the chicken, add a liquid, cover and cook!

Knowing this, one-pot chicken and rice is less a recipe and more a blueprint. Choose your own adventure — pick aromatics and garnishes for a particular flavour profile or cuisine (or just whatever you have available in the pantry) and as long as you follow the rough blueprint below, it will come out perfectly.

I’ve also included some riffs on the blueprint. Some of my own design (biriyani and chicken rice), and others adapted (cardamom and onion via Ottolenghi, and lemon and oregano from Recipe Tin Eats).

INGREDIENTS

  • 1kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 550ml boiling water (or chicken stock)

Marinade

A simple chicken marinade is oil, salt, and pepper.

{{marinade_list}}

Aromatic base

Aromatics can include onion, celery, carrots, ginger, spring onion, etc.

{{aromatic_list}}

Rice and mixins

  • 300g {{rice}}

{{rice_and_mixins_list}}

Garnishes

Fresh herbs and other garnishes to add after cooking the rice.

{{garnish_list}}

STEPS

  1. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and season with 1 tsp of salt and black pepper. Add the {{marinade}} and use your hands to mix everything together well.

  2. Heat your frying pan and place the chicken inside, skin side down. Sear for 5 minutes on each side and remove from the pan (this is important as it part-cooks the chicken). Any spices can stay in the pan, but don’t worry if they stick to the chicken. Remove most of the remaining oil as well, leaving just a millimetre at the bottom.

  3. Add the {{aromatics}} to the pan, and fry until softened and fragrant.

  4. Add the {{rice_and_mixins}}. Stir well and return the seared chicken and push into the rice.

  5. Pour the 550 ml boiling water over the rice and chicken, cover the pan, and cook on a very low heat for 30 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, and eave the dish undisturbed for another 10 minutes.

  6. Finally, add the {{garnishes}} and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot or warm.