Jollof Rice and Chicken
This jollof rice and chicken is an easy yet tasty one-pan meal enjoyed in West African countries. It’s bursting with flavors from the tomato sauce, paprika, scotch bonnet, and the juices coming off the well-seasoned chicken thighs. Serve it on regular weeknights or as a main course during the holidays!
This recipe was inspired by my mini chef’s desire for chicken thighs and rice. It’s a one-pan meal spin-off of the ever-popular jollof rice.
And since we always love rice with chicken, why not make them both in one pot? It saves a lot of time and reduces cleanup. Not to mention that it’s family-approved!
In just a single pan, you’ll get an entire meal – chicken, rice, and veggies. What more would you ask for?
How to Make Jollof Rice and Chicken
- Rinse the rice by covering it with water in a large bowl. Swish the grains with your hands, and then drain the water. Repeat until the water runs clear, drain, and set aside.
- Wash the chicken thighs, then dry them with a paper towel.
- Season – Combine spices and mix well. Sprinkle both sides of the thighs with a generous amount of the spice blend. (Photo 1)
- Sear – Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pan. Brown chicken for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside. (Photo 2)
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (176℃).
- Toast – Remove excess oil from the pan, leaving 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onions, thyme, garlic, and sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes. Then add the rice and stir for another 2 minutes. (Photos 3-4)
- Assemble – Gently pour in the tomato sauce, chicken stock, salt, paprika, white pepper, curry powder, and chicken bouillon. Stir, add the chicken back, and bring to a boil. (Photos 5-6)
- Bake – Place in the preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes. Then, add the vegetables and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. (Photos 7-8)
- Serve – Remove from the oven, let it cool slightly, and serve warm.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Swap out the traditional spices with your favorite blend for a non-traditional twist on a classic chicken and rice dinner.
- Feel free to replace the thighs with drumsticks.
- You could replace the tomato sauce with pureed fresh tomatoes.
- Any white long-grain rice works well with this recipe. If using brown rice, increase the liquid to 2 cups for every 1 cup of rice and extend the cooking time by 30-40 minutes.
- Feel free to omit the scotch bonnet and cayenne pepper for a kid-friendly jollof rice.
Storing and Make-Ahead Instructions
Simply cool and store leftover jollof rice and chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Reheat rice with a splash of water in the microwave or oven.
More One-Pot Chicken and Rice Recipes
- Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice
- Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice
- Chicken Rice Broccoli
- Caribbean Jerk Chicken and Rice
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was first published in March 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Jollof Rice and Chicken
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 2½-3 pounds (1.2k-1.4k) chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
- 2 teaspoons (11-12g) salt
- 2 teaspoons (10g) onion powder
- 1 teaspoon (2g) fresh thyme or oregano
- 1 teaspoon (5g) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) white pepper
- ½ teaspoon (1g) cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon (2-3g) chicken bouillon powder or salt
Jollof Rice
- 2 tablespoons (28ml) oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon (2g) fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced ginger
- 2 cups (392g) uncooked rice (I used basmati rice)
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 3 cups (710ml) chicken stock or water
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (3g) paprika
- 1 teaspoon (3g) white pepper
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) curry powder
- ½-1 teaspoon (2-5g) chicken bouillon
- ½ pound (225g) or more vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans, etc.)
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper or hot pepper (optional)
Instructions
Chicken Thighs
- Wash the chicken thighs, then dry them with a paper towel. Combine salt, onion powder, thyme, garlic powder, smoked paprika, white pepper, cayenne, and bouillon, and mix well.
- Sprinkle both sides of the thighs with a generous amount of the spice blend. Or you could use salt, pepper, and your favorite spice mix.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pan. Brown the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn it. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Jollof Rice
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (176℃).
- Rinse the rice by covering it with water in a large bowl. Swish the grains with your hands, and then drain the water. Repeat until the water runs clear, drain, and set aside.
- Remove excess oil from the pan, leaving 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onions, bell pepper, thyme, garlic, and sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes. Then add the rice and stir for another 2 minutes.
- Add onions, thyme, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes. Then add the rice and stir for another 2 minutes.
- Gently pour in the tomato sauce, chicken stock, salt, paprika, white pepper, curry powder, and chicken bouillon—everything else EXCEPT the vegetables. Stir, add the chicken back, and bring to a boil.
- Place in the preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir in the vegetables and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let it cool slightly, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- For brown rice, increase the broth or water to 4 cups, and the cooking time to 50-60 minutes.
- Please note that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly depending on the products used in the recipe.
No curry??
Hi Terrell, Great question! Nope—no curry powder in this one. Traditional Chicken Jollof Rice builds its flavor from tomato paste, onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and a touch of heat from Scotch bonnet or hot pepper. So curry isn’t needed at all—but if you’re a curry lover, you can add 1/2 a teaspoon or more .
Super easy and so delicious
Thank you so much!!!
So flavorful! I did burn some of the rice, due to problems with doubling the recipe, but the unburnt part was great! The chicken was wonderful!
Great to hear that and feel bad for the furned one. Stay tuned and try some other recipes. This time be more accurate while doubling the recipe to avoid burning 🙂
Hi! I love your chicken n rice one pot meals. I prepare the dish differently according to set it and forget it method! I sear my meat chicken or pork chops then remove meat, then sauté veggie seasonings in meat fat and juices then deglaze pan with chicken broth then add all ingredients to Dutch oven, cover and bake at 375 degrees x 90 min. Do not peek! The rice needs the accumulated steam to cook properly! I always cook long grain rice with ratio of 3 cups liquid and 2 cups rice because I do not like mushy rice! I just wanted to make this suggestion because it is much easier method!
Thanks for your feedback and tips, stay tuned for more amazing recipes 🙂
Hi I have a question. Could you make jollof rice n chicken recipe after chicken seared and veggie seasonings are sautéed, deglaze the pan with required chicken broth then put everything in a covered Dutch oven with chicken on top and bake at 375 degrees for 90 minutes? I have made Arroz con pollo using this method and it came out great!It would be much easier to use Dutch oven and bake it! It is just a suggestion that would make the prep much easier! The only difference I see in this recipe and the Cuban rice recipe is the seasonings are different! I am from Louisiana so it really reminds of jambalaya! Have a great day!
That sounds awesome. Thank you so much for your suggestion coz I’m all for easy cooking.❤️
Thanks You are welcome!
Great to hear. Thanks
I’d like to use brown rice instead of white rice but I’m not sure how to adjust. I don’t want to overcook the chicken or undercook the rice
You have a good point. You could parboil the brown rice before starting the recipe.
Boil the brown rice for 15-20 minutes, then drain and set aside until ready to add it to the recipe. If it’s going to be more than an hour before you use it, put it in the fridge until it’s time.
Hope that helps.
I was going to try this coming Sat. We don’t have any dutch oven or pan we can put in the oven. Can we do this without the last step (i.e. using the oven) and just continue to cook everything over the stove?
BTW – I love all your recipes! They are easy and fun to follow, and the outcome is guaranteed to be great every time. So grateful for you to share you work with us. You are amazing.
Thanks for sharing I love the recipe
Glad you loved it, Bertha! Give my Fiesta Chicken Casserole next time and let me know how it goes. Enjoy! 🙂
Before we got married, my husband grew to REALLY like West African dishes especially Jollof rice. He liked it SO much, he tried making it with chicken the traditional way– very challenging and not as expected.
I tried your recipe ONCE and he was hooked! Thanks for sharing!
Woohoo! Thank you for sharing, Mel! 🙂
I made this for my husband who is originally from West Africa. It turned out so well, tasted delicious and took half the time he usually takes to prepare jollof! He approved, thanks so much for this recipe!
Yay! Thank you, A.M.! Regards to you and your husband 🙂
Would this work with a chicken breast? Maybe if I just didn’t brown it first?
Hello. Can I use jasmine rice instead of basmati or parboiled?
Parboiled rice would work best here.
The flavors were amazing, but I cooked it with brown rice and the rice didn’t cook all the way so I kept adding water and the texture was off & the flavors were dulled 🙁 It’s my fault tho for changing up the rice I think. But if I were to use the same rice you used how long are you supposed to let the rice boil on the stove before putting it in the oven? is the rice supposed to fully cook on the stove first before going into the oven?
Hi Shauna! Sorry to hear about that. You bring the recipe to a boil, the place it in the oven. Hope this helps
I was wondering if the vegetables used in this were fresh or frozen?
Absolutely love it! I made this for dinner and fell in love with the wonderful flavors. Another knock out! Thank you for sharing your recipes with the world.
Awesome ! Glad to hear it worked out well.