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Peri Peri Chicken and Rice

Top view of meal prep container with spicy peri peri chicken and rice.
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Juicy seared peri peri chicken get served on a bed of fluffy and smoky spiced rice with veggies in this one pan Peri Peri Chicken and Rice! Easy to make, spicy and DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Peri Peri Chicken:

  • 300 grams / 10.6 ounces Chicken Thighs, boneless, skinless – cleaned, pat-dried
  • 40 grams /≈ 3 TBLS Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce (I used their XX Hot, but choose your favorite – note 1)
  • ½ TSP Kosher Salt
  • ¼ TSP ground Black Pepper
  • ½ TSP Turmeric powder
  • ¼ TSP ground Cumin
  • ¼ TSP Garlic Powder
  • ½ TSP Smoked Paprika (hot or sweet, use regular paprika for mild flavor)
  • ¼ TSP ground Cayenne, to taste
  • ½ TSP dried Oregano Flakes
  • Cooking Oil Spray

For the Spiced Rice:

  • 100 grams / ½ medium Red Onion – diced
  • 100 grams / ½ medium Red Bell Pepper – diced
  • 15 grams / 4 Garlic cloves – minced
  • 20 – 35 grams / 5-10 fresh Red Chilies (optional – Thai Bird’s Eye or any other hot red chilies – note 2*), to taste – chopped
  • 15 grams/ 1 TBLS Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
  • ½ TSP Kosher Salt
  • ¼ TSP ground Black Pepper
  • ¼ TSP ground Cayenne, to taste
  • ½ TSP ground Cumin
  • ½ TSP Smoked Paprika (hot or sweet)
  • ¼ TSP ground Coriander
  • ½ TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
  • ½ TSP dried Oregano Flakes
  • 100 grams / ½ cup Thai Jasmine Brown Rice (or other long brown grain rice or basmati rice – note 3) – rinsed
  • 375ml / 12.7 fluid ounces Water (or unsalted chicken broth)
  • 100 grams / ≈ ¾ cup Green Peas
  • To Serve (optional): Chopped fresh coriander (2 grams / 1 sprig) or parsley, lime or lemon wedges for squeezing

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Marinate the chicken: Clean and trim off any excess fat from the chicken thighs. Add them to a medium bowl, followed by the peri peri sauce, kosher salt, ground black pepper, ground turmeric, ground cayenne, ground cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika and dried oregano flakes. Mix well to coat and set aside.
  2. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop the red onion, red bell pepper, garlic and chilies as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section.

For the Peri Peri Chicken and Rice:

  1. Cook the chicken: Spray a deep medium nonstick skillet (26cm/10.5-inch) with cooking oil spray and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until cooked through and slightly charred. Use a digital kitchen thermometer to pierce the thickest part and ensure that the internal temperature has reached 75°C/160°F. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside. Scrape off and discard and burnt marinade bits from the pan and return to the stovetop.
  2. Sauté the veggies and aromatics: Spray the skillet with cooking oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the red onion, red bell pepper, garlic and red chilies. Sauté for 30-40 seconds until the red onion and bell pepper start to soften and the garlic and chilies are fragrant.
  3. Add the tomato paste, seasonings and rice: Add the double concentrated tomato paste, kosher salt, ground black pepper, ground cayenne, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, crushed red pepper flakes dried oregano flakes and the brown rice. Mix well to combine and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Stir in water and simmer: Pour in the water and stir to combine. Once it comes to a boil, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 7 minutes, then uncover and stir in the green peas. Cover and simmer for 28-30 minutes until the rice is tender and there is no excess liquid in the pan. Switch off the heat allow to rest for 5 minutes with the lid still on.
  5. To Serve: Fluff the rice with a fork and divide evenly onto plates or to meal prep containers. Top evenly with the chicken and garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with a lime or lemon wedge for squeezing if desired.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce. Feel free to use Nando’s hot, medium, mild or garlic peri peri sauce depending on your heat level preference. You can also use another brand of peri peri sauce you love or a homemade one.
  2. Fresh Red Chilies: I used Thai Bird’s Eye, but you can use any hot red chilies that are easily available to you. Adjust the quantity to taste based on your spice level preference or leave them out for a milder dish.
  3. Thai Jasmine Brown Rice: I’ve used long grain brown jasmine rice and I love its slight hint of nutty flavor and firmer texture. It’s also more nutritious than white rice since it has more protein and fiber. However, white basmati rice will work well too. The time for cooking the rice will vary with different types of rice and brands. In general, long grain white rice takes a shorter time to cook than brown rice. It also requires less liquid. If using white basmati rice, use 250ml water and cook with the cover on for 15-20 minutes. Leave the lid after switching off the heat for 5-10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
  4. Double the recipe. This recipe as written makes 2 servings. If you’d like to double the recipe, click the ‘2x’ button at the top of the recipe card. Use a large deep nonstick skillet (12-inch/5 quart), 200 grams uncooked long grain Thai brown rice or white basmati rice with 500ml or 400ml water respectively. Note that these measurements are approximate and have not been tested. In general, you should have enough liquid in the pan to just submerge the rice, but not too much so that it’ll disintegrate and become mushy.
  5. Storing and reheating leftovers. If stored in airtight sealed containers, it will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. To reheat, microwave on high for 2 to 2 – ½ minutes or until hot throughout. You can also reheat the rice and chicken separately if desired to ensure that the chicken doesn’t become overheated and tough. Though, I’ve had no issues with tough meat when reheating both together for 2 minutes in the dish.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/peri-peri-chicken-and-rice/