One‑Pot Ghanaian Jollof Rice with Chicken Thighs
A classic West African one‑pot: rice cooks in a spiced tomato‑pepper sauce with browned chicken tucked on top so everything finishes together — minimal pans, big flavor.
1 hr
start to finish
20 min
hands on
Some skill
difficulty
4
servings
Ingredients
Roughly, per serving
560 kcal30g protein68g carbs18g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel and season both sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.
Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil.
Place the chicken skin-side down and sear without moving until the skin is deep golden, about 5 minutes; flip and brown the other side 3–4 minutes.
Work in a single layer; if the pot is crowded, do two quick batches so pieces brown rather than steam.
Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the chopped onion to the pot and sauté over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Push the onion mixture to one side, add the tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until it darkens slightly (2 minutes) to remove the raw tomato taste.
Add the blended red bell pepper and the crushed canned tomatoes, stir to combine and scrape any browned bits from the pot.
Pour in the chicken stock, add the thyme, bay leaf, smoked paprika, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and sugar; stir to combine.
Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered 10 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
Stir the rinsed rice into the simmering sauce until evenly distributed and the grains are coated.
Nestle the browned chicken pieces into the rice, tucking them partially under the rice so they finish cooking in the steam.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the rice is tender and the chicken registers 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part, about 25 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the pot sit, covered, undisturbed for 10 minutes to steam.
Remove the bay leaf and scotch bonnet (if used), fluff the rice with a fork, adjust salt to taste, sprinkle with sliced scallions and serve straight from the pot.
Worth knowing
- If you don't have a blender, finely chop the red bell pepper and cook it longer with the crushed tomatoes until it breaks down.
- To make this vegetarian, replace chicken with firm tofu cubes or roasted vegetables and use vegetable stock.
- If you only have boneless thighs, reduce the final simmer by 5–8 minutes and check doneness earlier.
- Parboiled long-grain rice is forgiving; if you use regular long-grain, keep the same liquid but check rice at 20 minutes and add a few tablespoons hot stock if it looks tight.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
Gluten-freeOne panMeal prep
More Ghanaian cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Ghanaian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be gluten-free as listed.