One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice for a true flavor explosion! Chicken thighs baked to crispy perfection on a bed of fragrant rice and beans come together in a dash for an easy weeknight meal.
Who doesn’t love a good one-pot meal? Less prep, less cleaning, and it’s on your table in about an hour. Plus, the way the chicken juice seeps into the rice and flavors it is heavenly. 😇
I cook this jerk chicken and rice recipe in an oven-proof skillet because it can go from stovetop to oven without messing up an extra pan. That said, you could easily use a Dutch oven.
The Secret to Insanely Good One-Pot Jerk Chicken and Rice
I’m all for saving time in the kitchen, but one ingredient is worth spending a little time making at home: homemade jerk spice. Most store-bought blends don’t even come close to the flavor of this homemade version, and you can customize it to your preferences. 😋
What You Need
- Chicken – Any cut of chicken will work here, but chicken thighs are the juiciest and most flavorful.
- Rice – Any long-grain rice, basic white rice, jasmine, and basmati will do. Even brown rice works, though you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Beans – Kidney beans add flavor and extra protein to this dish, making it extra satisfying.
- Broth – For extra flavor, I cook the rice in chicken broth instead of water.
- Coconut Milk adds creaminess and a tropical undertone.
- Seasonings – Garlic, onion, thyme, bay leaves, white pepper, Creole seasoning, chicken bouillon, paprika, scotch bonnet pepper, and green onion to garnish are fantastic.
How to Make One-Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃).
- Rinse the chicken thighs and pat them dry—season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons) and bouillon powder.
- Season – Then, rub both sides of each piece with a generous amount of jerk seasoning.
- Sear – Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pot. Then add chicken thighs skin side up, and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn it. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Vegetables, Rice, and Beans
- Clean Pan – Wipe the pan with a paper towel or napkin to remove any burned bits from the pan.
- Saute – Add another 2 tablespoons of oil, followed by onions, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf, and sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes.
- Assemble – Then, add the rice and beans. Next, add all the remaining ingredients: chicken stock, coconut milk, paprika, white pepper, jerk seasoning, salt, and bouillon. Add the chicken back to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
- Bake – Place the pan in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is done.
- Serve – Remove from oven, allow to rest a minute, garnish with chopped green onions if desired, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Try a different protein. Instead of chicken, try it with pork or shrimp. You can also swap out kidney beans for a different kind of bean if you’d like. 🫘
- Turn the heat up (or down). If you don’t enjoy spicy food, leave the hot pepper out. But if you’re a heat seeker, dice the scotch bonnet and prepare for the burn. For somewhere in the middle, add the scotch bonnet whole.
- Add more veggies. Chopped bell peppers, peas, carrots, or other veggies are delicious and nutritious.
Tips and Tricks
- For faster cooking, make a ½-inch slit in the chicken thigh meat on both sides before searing.
- Rinse the rice to remove excess starch for fluffier results. ☁️
- An instant-read meat thermometer ensures the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (75℃). 🌡️
Make-Ahead Instructions
To make this dish ahead of time, let it cool and refrigerate it in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months. Then, thaw, reheat, and enjoy!
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve one-pot jerk chicken and rice piping hot, fresh out of the oven, and garnished with chopped green onions.
Refrigerate leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container for 3-5 days. To reheat this dish, pop it back in the oven set to 350℉ (180℃) for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Add a couple of tablespoons of water or broth to prevent drying. Or pop individual portions in the microwave.
What Goes With One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
This dish goes beautifully with fried plantains and Caribbean coleslaw. A sorrel drink might cool down the heat from the scotch bonnet. Or, if you are feeling like an adult beverage, a pina colada works just as well. 😉
More Caribbean-Inspired Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”jTCYDYNO” upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:48:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice” description=”One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice – A flavor explosion in a pot! Comes together quickly- chicken thighs baked to crispy perfection on a bed of fragrant rice and beans.”]
This blog post was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken Thighs
- 2½-3 pounds (1-1.5k) chicken thighs (about 5-6)
- 1½ teaspoons (8g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (2g) chicken bouillon (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons (12-24g) jerk seasoning
One Pot Jerk Chicken and Rice
- 4 tablespoons (60ml) canola oil
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 small bay leaves
- 2 cups (360g) uncooked long grain rice
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (1¾ cups)
- 1 15.5-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon (5g) white pepper
- 1½-2 teaspoons (8-10g) Creole seasoning (or jerk seasoning)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-2¼ cups (470-530ml) chicken broth (or water) If using 6 chicken thighs, I use 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon (4g) chicken bouillon (optional)
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon (6g) paprika (optional)
- 1 green onion for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Wash chicken thighs. For faster cooking, make a ½-inch slit into the meat on either side of the bone and pat dry with a paper towel—season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons) and bouillon powder.
- Rub both sides of the thighs with a generous amount of jerk seasoning.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pot. Then add chicken thighs skin side up, and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn it. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
- Wipe the pan with a paper towel or napkin to remove any burned bits from the pan.
- Add another 2 tablespoons of oil, followed by onions, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf, and sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes.
- Then, add the rice and beans. Next, add all the remaining ingredients: chicken stock, coconut milk, paprika, white pepper, jerk seasoning, salt, and bouillon. Add the chicken back to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
- Place the pan in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is done.
- Remove from oven, allow to rest a minute, garnish with chopped green onions if desired, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- Feel free to replace the jerk seasoning with Creole, taco, or your favorite spice mix.
- For faster cooking, make a ½-inch slit in the chicken thigh meat on both sides before searing.
- Rinse the rice to remove excess starch for fluffier results. ☁️
- An instant-read meat thermometer ensures the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (75℃).
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
We have enjoyed this meal over and over again. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing
My pleasure :)!
Once a week I cook for a large group, and this recipe received so many compliments. I did not use scotch bonnet pepper to cut the heat, and added additional ingredients to the rice – a green pepper, green onions, frozen peas, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. And I put a line of molasses on the chicken. Absolutely delicious!
This is so delicious. I used brown rice and black beans (only because I don’t care for kidney beans. I’m making it again in a week when my brother comes to visit me from across the country. Thanks, Imma!
I love black beans too! Thank you for the feedback, Bernice!
Made a version of this with the ingredients I had on hand. My housemate had seconds and practically licked the plate clean. Thanks again for this recipe and your jerk seasoning recipe!
You’re most welcome, Kyla :)!
Can. I just cook this on the stovetop I don’t have an oven safe pan
Yes, you can. After adding all the ingredients, reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice and chicken are cooked through. Stir gently every 10 minutes to prevent burns and adjust the amount of water to ensure the rice is tender. Hope this helps.
Hello! I absolutely love this recipe! I don’t have an oven so I had to adjust the recipe 3 times till I got it right doing it only on stove top and it’s now one of my favourites of all time. I’ve even take it to potlucks! I’m gonna leave my adjustments in case anyone who also doesn’t have an oven wants to try it 🙂 Thank you so much for all your recipes! It really helps people like me who never learnt how to cook growing up.
Step by step:
[Before anything, make sure to rinse and soak 2 cups of long grain rice for atleast an hour.]
1) I use sliced up chicken pieces. Cut into square cubes. Not too small. Not too big.
Wash and pat dry the chicken.
Then coat it in a tupperware with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp chicken bouillon. I give the tupperware a shake.
Then generously coat it in jerk chicken seasoning and shake the tupperware hehe.
2) In a pan with 2 tbsp of oil, cook the chicken blocks till the skin browns slightly. 3-5mins.
Set the cooked chicken aside in a little bowl or something.
3) In a big-ish pot, put in half of a diced onion, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp of dried thyme.
Sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes.
4) Then add the rice and red kidney beans (I use either 3 tiny cans or 1 big can). Give it a good mix.
Then add all the remaining ingredients:
– 1 cube of chicken stock that was dissolved in 1 warm cup of water.
– 1.5 cup of water
– A can of coconut milk
– 1 tsp paprika
– 1 tsp white pepper
– 1 tsp jerk chicken seasoning
– 1 tsp Creole seasoning
– 1 tsp chicken bouillon
Bring the pot to a boil and let it boil for 2-4 minutes.
Then, bring the temperature down to a simmer.
Add in the previously prepped and cooked chicken.
Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 30 – 45mins.
I generally check around the 30min mark and then eyeball the next 5-15mins from there.
— I serve it with a side of sweet potato and beetroot.
I then freeze it in mini microwave safe containers for meal prep. I reheat it by popping it fully frozen in the microwave for 4mins, stirring it with a spoon at the halfway mark. And it tastes great!
Can this be made in the instantpot and if so instructions please
Hi Julie. Sorry, I haven’t tried this in an instant pot yet.
You can make it in the instant pot! I brown it and follow all the prior instructions but using the saute on the instant pot. Then instead of putting in the oven, just set the instant pot to 21 minutes pressure cook high. Works perfectly. I can’t take credit for this information though as someone else below suggested the 21 mins in the instant pot.
Making as we speak and it looks and smells amazing
Awesome!! Enjoy!!
This is absolutely delicious!
My family loves this dish so much that we have it regularly once or twice a month! Scrumptious!!!
Amazing! Thanks for the feedback, Marietta!
I love this recipe. everyone I cook this for loves this recipe. Everyone in the world loves this recipe. Chefs kiss !!
Can chicken wings be used?
Yes, you can.
I love this recipe. everyone I cook this for loves this recipe. Everyone in the world loves this recipe. Chefs kiss
I love this recipe and have made it several times.The flavors are wonderful. The only problem I have is that any of the rice that is touching the chiken (or underneath the chicken) comes out uncooked. Do you have a trick to avoid this? Thanks!!
Hi Juliet!
It’s great to hear you enjoy the recipe! To ensure even cooking of the rice, especially the part under or touching the chicken, try these tips:
Stir the Rice: Before placing the chicken on top, make sure to stir the rice well in the liquid so it’s evenly distributed.
Position of Chicken: Nestle the chicken pieces on top of the rice without pressing them down too much. This allows heat to circulate more evenly.
Consistent Heat: Maintain a consistent simmer and avoid opening the lid frequently, as this can disrupt the cooking process.
Rotate Chicken Pieces: Halfway through cooking, rotate or reposition the chicken pieces to help the rice underneath cook evenly.
Hope this helps .
Made this without scottbonnet and it’s one of my favorites with lots of leftovers
Hello!
“I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this one pot meal and it turned out to be one of your favorites, even without the Scotch bonnet! It’s always fantastic to know that a recipe is versatile enough to be adapted to different tastes and still deliver great results. Plus, having lots of leftovers is always a bonus! If you’re looking for more recipes that are flexible and yield plenty, feel free to ask. Happy cooking!”
What do you do with the scotch bonnet when it’s done cooking? Making for dinner tomorrow. We have a plant full of beautiful scotch bonnets.
Hi Patty!
How wonderful that you have a plant full of beautiful Scotch Bonnet peppers! They pack a lot of heat but also have a unique, fruity flavor that can really elevate a dish. ️
When you’re done cooking with a Scotch Bonnet, you have a few options depending on how you used it and your heat tolerance:
Remove and Discard: If you added the whole pepper to infuse heat without overwhelming the dish, you can simply remove it at the end of cooking and discard it.
Chop and Incorporate: If you’re a fan of heat and have cooked the pepper until it’s soft, you can chop it up and stir it back into the dish for an extra kick.
Serve as a Garnish: In some Caribbean and African dishes, the whole cooked Scotch Bonnet is served as a garnish for those who like their food extra spicy.
Make a Sauce: You can also blend the cooked Scotch Bonnet with some vinegar, salt, and other spices to make a hot sauce that can be used later.
Save for Another Dish: If it’s still fairly intact, you could also save it to use in another dish. Just store it in the fridge and use it within a couple of days.
Remember to handle Scotch Bonnets carefully—use gloves if possible, and wash your hands thoroughly after touching them. They are extremely spicy, and the oils can irritate your skin or eyes.
I hope your dinner turns out wonderfully spicy and flavorful! ️✨
The first time I made this recipe I didn’t have coconut milk but I did have creme de coco. I mixed it with water and that ended up being the best thing. I now mix half creme de coco with half coconut milk and the little bit of sweet with the spices sets it off. I’ve made this for several family and friends and they love it.
Awesome. Thanks for the feedback:)
This was delicious. Marinaded chicken in wet jerk season for an hour added a few extra spices for the rice. Turned out amazing. Will be in my familiy rotation
I’m glad that you love this as much as I do. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
This is the king of all one pan recipes. You can’t beat the flavour of the coconut milk!
We can’t find the dry seasoning where we are so we use the way marinade and omit the scotch bonnet because we have fun ruiners at the dinner table. Still A+++
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes 🙂
I’ve made this a couple times now. It’s incredibly delicious.
I’ve never found a scotch bonnet in my grocery store, but have used habanero it its place.
I’m excited to try some of your other recipes!
Thank you so much, I am sure you would love all recipes once you try them. Keep loving:)
I did leave it for 20 min in the oven with chicken breast cutlets. The quinoa wasn’t ready yet it needed more water so I took the chicken out, added more water, and finished the rest of the cooking for about 10 min on the stove top with a lid. The best quinoa and beans. My boyfriend said it tasted the same as if it was rice and beans and he took seconds of it. I ate the leftover quinoa for breakfast as a side for my omelette. The bottom of the pot had the tasty bits!
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes.
I and my family love this recipe so much that it is in my weekly rotation. I have made it at least a dozen times and it comes out great every single time!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the feedback 🙂 Stay tuned for more amazing recipes.
I want to use whole chicken breast and quinoa instead and reduce the oven time, maybe 20 min instead. Do think that is enough time or too much time? My quinoa cooks in 15 min on the stove top.
That sounds delicious. I would check it for doneness at 20 minutes, but the oven does take a little longer than the stovetop. Please let me know how it turns out.