One Pan Peri Peri Chicken and Rice - Easy Weeknight Dinner

One pan peri peri chicken and rice is the weeknight dinner that tastes like you tried far harder than you did. Chicken drumsticks and jasmine rice cooked together in a smoky homemade peri peri sauce, with roasted peppers, olives and lemon, until the rice has drunk up every drop. Forty five minutes start to finish, and thirty five of those are the pan doing the work on its own. Let's cook!

Why This Peri Peri Chicken and Rice Works

Most chicken and rice dishes end up dry, and this one does not. That is the whole reason I make it this way. I do not think people put enough liquid in, so the rice drinks what little there is and everything above it goes chalky. Nearly a litre goes into this pan for 300g of rice.

The sauce is homemade and takes about ten minutes. Onion, peppers, chillies and garlic charred in the air fryer, then blended with hot stock. This is the sort of thing people buy in a jar and there is no need.

Drumsticks or thighs, never breast. The fat and juices render out of dark meat straight down into the rice as it cooks, and that little bit of extra chicken juice makes the whole thing better. Breast gives the rice nothing back and dries out besides.

The fifteen minute rest does half the work. Lid on, heat off, hands off. Twenty minutes cooking and fifteen resting, and the resting is when the last of the liquid settles into the grains.

It is genuinely cheap. Drumsticks are one of the most economical cuts in the shop, rice is a pantry staple, and most of the rest is cupboard stuff.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes, 20 cooking and 15 resting
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Serves: 4, with plenty left for lunch
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: A large wide pan with a lid, an air fryer or oven, and a stick blender

I have been a professional chef for the best part of twenty five years, and one pan rice dishes are a restaurant staple for a reason: a covered pan of rice cooking under something fatty is close to foolproof once the liquid is right. The part people skip here is the sauce base, and it is the part that matters. You are quartering an onion, tipping in some jarred peppers and a couple of garlic cloves, and charring the lot for fifteen minutes. Yes, the peppers are already roasted, but that does not mean they have the flavour we want in them yet, and that second char is what gets driven down into the bottom of the rice. It only takes a few minutes of actual work and the air fryer does the rest. If you would rather make a big batch of the sauce on its own and keep it jarred in the fridge, the full method is in my easy piri piri sauce recipe.

Ingredients

For the chicken marinade

• 8 chicken drumsticks, or thighs
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped, or 1 tsp dried
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves stripped and roughly chopped, or 1 tsp dried
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the peri peri sauce base

• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• 2 large jarred roasted red peppers
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• A little fresh oregano
• A good glug of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the rice

• 1 onion, cut into small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 100ml white wine
• 300g jasmine rice
• 400g fresh tomatoes, diced, or 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 700ml hot chicken stock, half of it blended into the sauce base
• A good handful of green olives
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• Fresh oregano, to finish
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Peri Peri Chicken and Rice

1. Marinate the chicken. Put the drumsticks in a bowl with the chopped rosemary and oregano, the grated garlic, smoked paprika, olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir it all together and set aside. It will not sit for long, but even a short marinade gives the chicken a bit of extra flavour.
2. Soak the chillies. Cover the dried chillies with hot water and leave them a minute or two to plump up, then tear them in half.
3. Build the sauce base. Quarter the onion into a bowl and add the jarred peppers, garlic cloves, smoked paprika, a little fresh oregano, a good glug of olive oil, salt, pepper and the softened chillies.
4. Char it. Air fry at 200C for 15 minutes, or roast at 220C (200C fan / 425F / Gas Mark 7) for 15 to 20 minutes, until everything has taken real colour. You could also char it off in a dry pan on the hob. Get everything else chopped while this happens.
5. Blend the sauce. Tip the charred vegetables into a jug, pour in half your hot chicken stock, about 350ml, and blend smooth with a stick blender. Taste it and season properly. It should be smoky and gently spicy, and it will mellow once it is diluted into the rest of the dish.
6. Sear the chicken. Heat a large wide pan over medium high heat with a drizzle of oil and sear the drumsticks until golden all over. You are building colour, not cooking them through. Take them out and set aside.
7. Build the base. Do not wash the pan out. Add the diced onion and sliced garlic with a little olive oil and soften for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook it out for 2 to 3 minutes, then pour in the white wine and let it bubble away until evaporated.
8. Rice in, then everything else. Stir the jasmine rice through the base, then add the diced tomatoes, the blended peri peri sauce and the rest of the stock. That comes to about 900ml of liquid all up, just under a litre. Season, tuck in the lemon slices and scatter over the olives.
9. Cook it low and covered. Sit the seared chicken on top, bring to a gentle boil, then turn the flame right down, put the lid on and cook for 20 minutes. If cooking chicken makes you nervous, a probe thermometer takes it away entirely: anything above 72C is fine.
10. Rest it, lid on. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for a further 15 minutes without lifting the lid. This is where the rice goes soft and succulent.
11. Finish and serve. Chop a little more fresh oregano over the top for freshness and take the pan straight to the table.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• One pan does everything: Maximum flavour, minimum washing up
• Not a dry chicken and rice: Properly juicy, which most versions are not
• Homemade peri peri sauce: Ten minutes of work and far better than a jar
• Properly cheap: Drumsticks and rice, feeding four with leftovers
• Mostly hands off: 35 of the 45 minutes are the pan working on its own

Chef's Tips for Peri Peri Chicken and Rice

Use drumsticks or thighs, always. That little bit of extra chicken juice and fat that renders out of dark meat is what makes this dish. Breast will dry out over the cook and gives the rice nothing back.

Do not skip the second char on the peppers. They come out of the jar already roasted, but that does not mean they have the flavour you want in them. The char you add is what ends up in the bottom of the rice.

Do not wash the pan after searing. Everything stuck to the base is flavour, and the onions will lift it straight back into the dish.

Season the sauce in the jug. Once the rice is in the pan it is very hard to adjust. Taste it while it is still a jug of sauce and fix it there.

Trust the liquid. About 900ml for 300g of rice looks like far too much when the lid goes on. It is not. Skimping on the liquid is exactly why most chicken and rice comes out dry.

Jarred peppers are better value than fresh. Already peeled, already roasted, and usually cheaper than buying them fresh and doing it yourself, which is completely bonkers when you think about the processing involved, but there it is. Better bang for your buck.

Keep the onion skins. Dried out and blitzed they make a very good onion salt rather than going in the bin. There are more ideas like it in my zero waste recipes for kitchen scraps collection.

Substitutions & Variations

• No wine: Leave it out, the dish is still very good
• Tinned tomatoes work perfectly in place of fresh, one 400g tin
• No dried chillies: Use 1/2 to 1 tsp chilli flakes instead, to taste
• Want it milder: Drop to one chilli, or none, and lean on the smoked paprika
• No olives: Leave them out, or use capers for a similar briny hit
• Stock cubes are fine: Or make your own with my chicken stock cubes from food waste method

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Straight from the pan, though the flavour genuinely improves overnight.

Fridge: Up to 3 days in an airtight container. Add a splash of water or stock when reheating, because the rice keeps absorbing as it sits. Reheat until piping hot right through.

Freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost fully in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Avoid: Reheating the rice more than once, and leaving cooked rice standing at room temperature for more than an hour before it goes in the fridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken breast instead of drumsticks? I would really encourage you not to. Breast dries out over the twenty minute cook and it does not release the juices that make the rice so good. Drumsticks or thighs every time for this one.

Why is my chicken and rice dry? Almost always not enough liquid. This is the single most common fault with one pan chicken and rice, and it is why this recipe uses close to a litre for 300g of rice. If yours has come out dry, add more next time rather than cooking it for longer.

Why is my rice still hard in the middle? Put the lid back on and leave it off the heat for another 5 to 10 minutes. If it is still firm, add a splash of hot water, cover, and cook on very low for 5 minutes more. Lifting the lid during the cook is usually the culprit.

Can you make peri peri chicken and rice ahead of time? Make the sauce base up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the fridge, or freeze it. Cook the rice and chicken fresh, because reheated rice is never quite as good as the first time.

How do you make the peri peri sauce without an air fryer? Roast everything at 220C (200C fan / 425F / Gas Mark 7) for 15 to 20 minutes until charred, or char it off in a dry pan on the hob. You are after colour, however you get it.

What do you serve with one pan chicken and rice? It genuinely does not need anything, but a sharp green salad cuts through the richness nicely, and a dollop of yoghurt is very good if you have gone heavy on the chilli.

Can you freeze chicken and rice? Yes, in portions for up to 3 months. Cool it quickly, freeze it the same day, and defrost overnight in the fridge rather than on the bench.

What is the difference between peri peri and piri piri? Nothing at all. They are two spellings of the same Portuguese and African chilli sauce, and you will see both on menus and in shops.

You Might Also Like

Easy Piri Piri Sauce, Homemade Nando's Style - Make a big batch of the sauce on its own and keep it jarred in the fridge.

Roasted Yams with Piri Piri Sauce and Spiced Seeds - The same sauce doing a completely different job on winter yams.

Whole Roasted Greek Chicken - Another big flavoured, herb marinated chicken dinner for a weeknight.

Yoghurt Marinated Chicken Thighs - Punchy marinade, tender thighs, good on the barbecue or in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Recipes, Everything I Have Tested - The air fryer does the sauce base here, and plenty else besides.

Leftover Rice Pudding - What to do with the rice at the bottom of the pan the next day.

One pan, one big dinner, and almost no effort once the sauce is blended. Forty five minutes start to finish, and thirty five of those are just the pan sitting there with a lid on while you get on with something else. There will be plenty left over for lunch the next day, which is half the point. Make it on a Tuesday, eat it again on Wednesday, and feel quietly smug both times.

Enjoy!

Del x

Smoky peri peri chicken drumsticks and jasmine rice cooked in one pan, with roasted peppers, olives and lemon.