Jollof Rice and Chicken

A picture showing a plate of Jollof rice with some fried chicken.

This jollof rice and chicken recipe is bursting with so much flavour! It is aromatic, fluffy, delicious, and has a wonderful red colour that you will love!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine African, Nigerian, West African

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 35

Servings

Calories 845kcal

Author Kate Hahnel

Equipment

Ingredients

To Cook the Chicken

2 kgs chicken (approximately 4 lbs) chopped into desired sizes (see notes)
1 small onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1½ inch ginger root peeled and minced·
1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 chicken stock cube (or 1 teaspoon bouillon powder)
2 tsp curry powder
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1-3 cups water (optional, use more water if necessary)

To make the blended sauce and cook the Jollof rice

3-4 medium-sized bell peppers (seeds discarded)·
3 Roma tomatoes (roughly chopped) – alternatively,use 500g/about 1 lbs of plum tomatoes·
1-2 scotch bonnet peppers (use more peppers if you prefer your Jollof rice extremely spicy)·
2 small to medium onions (chopped)
4 cups golden sella basmati or any long-grain rice (cleaned, see notes)·
½ cup vegetable cooking oil
4 tablespoon tomato paste
1 seasoning cube (bouillon cubes)
1 teaspoon thyme
1½ teaspoon curry powder
1½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)·
5 bay leaves
5 cups chicken stock, water or a combination of both ( use stock reserved from boiling the chicken)
a handful each of sliced onions and tomatoes optional (extras)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Instructions

Cook the Chicken

Add the chicken, small onion, garlic, ginger, salt, stock cube, curry powder, and thyme to a pot. Combine, cover, and allow to simmer under medium heat, checking from time to time. For maximum flavour, allow the chicken to first simmer with the seasoning, before adding any water.
Add water to the pot and allow the chicken to simmer under medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until tender, making sure to check if the chicken is cooked from time to time. Skip the boiling if the chicken you are using is of a tender variety and go straight ahead to the next step.
Once cooked, set the pot aside, strain, and reserve the broth obtained from boiling the chicken for use later when making the rice.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the boiled chicken on each side, until properly browned. You can also bake, or air fry the chicken to brown it, as well as dry out any excess liquid it may be having. Do not discard the oil, reserve it for use in cooking the rice.

Make the blended sauce and cook the Jollof Rice

Add the bell peppers, raw tomatoes, scotch bonnet pepper, and an onion to a blender and process to a puree.
Add the puree to a saucepan and allow it to cook for about 10-20 minutes, or until it has reduced and most of the water has evaporated. Once done, remove this from the heat and set it aside.
Heat the previously reserved oil in a pot. Add the remaining onion and fry until fragrant. Next, add the tomato paste and season with the seasoning cube, thyme, curry powder, salt, and bay leaves. Allow this to cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring from time to time so it does not burn.
Add the cooked blended peppers and tomatoes and allow everything to cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until cooked and the oil starts to float on top.
Stir in the rice, add the chicken stock or water, and stir. Place a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on top, and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. This will help lock in the flavours as well as lock in the moisture, so the rice steams properly.
Reduce the heat to a low, and allow the rice to cook in its own steam for 20-30 minutes, making sure to quickly check and turn mid-cooking. Feel free to add a small amount of water or stock if your Jollof dries out before it has properly cooked.
5 minutes before the cooking time is over, stir in a tablespoon of butter or margarine and a handful of sliced onions and tomatoes (this is an optional step). Tightly cover, remove the pot from the heat, and allow the vegetables to steam and soften up for the remaining time.
Serve with steamed fried plantain, moi moi, or a side salad.

Notes

For best results, use bone-in chicken cuts as this also lends flavour to the broth to be used in cooking the rice.
Realised that your jollof rice has overcooked and want to prevent it from ending up mushy? Then quickly spread it out on a tray to stop the cooking process and allow it to cool.
Keep leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. To reheat, add two tablespoons of water per cup of rice and warm in the microwave on high, for one minute for each cup.

Variations to making Jollof Rice and Chicken

While this recipe uses chicken, feel free to use other types of protein such as beef or turkey. Alternatively, leave this out entirely and simply use diced vegetables such as carrots and peas, as well as vegetable stock, to make vegetarian Jollof.

Nutritional value is an estimate, based on tools we use and may vary depending on the products you choose to use. To reduce the amount of calories, bake or air fry the chicken, instead of frying it.

Nutrition