So, you want to prepare a crowd-pleasing, filling dish that everyone will love? If so, this Chef John Chicken Rice is perfect for feasts that serve everyone.
If you are familiar with rice and chicken casserole recipes, then this recipe will be a breeze for you. Following a similar process, you need to make a few tweaks to elevate the flavors in this dish.
This recipe uses Indian spices, so you know it will be full of flavor. The cooking process might be a bit lengthy, but one bite will prove its worth.
Although Chef John Chicken Rice is a substantial dish, you can also treat yourself to it. It is a meal-prep-friendly dish, so you can enjoy it over the weekends as much as you want.
Equipment Required
- Pot: To make the rice, I am using a pot.
- Baking Dish: For baking everything together, I am using a baking dish.
- Oven: Chef John Chicken Rice is a baked rice dish, so I have preheated my oven.
- Fork: To determine if the rice is cooked or not, I am using a fork, but you can also use a spoon or knife.
Chef John Chicken Rice Ingredients & Substitutions
Note: The ingredients in this recipe can serve up to 4 people. You can increase or decrease the quantities for more or fewer servings.
For The Exotic Marinade:
- â…“ Cup Plain Yogurt
- 1 Medium Lime, Zested And Juiced
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground White Pepper: When I don’t have ground white pepper, I use ground black pepper.
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1 (2 to 3-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 Pieces
For The Rice:
- 1 Pinch Saffron
- 2 ¼ Cups Chicken Broth, Divided
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1½ Cups Long-Grain Rice: You can also use other kinds of long-grain rice, like jasmine rice.
- 1 Drizzle Olive Oil
- Salt To Taste
For The Garlic Yogurt Sauce (Optional):
- ½ Cup Plain Yogurt: You can also use full-fat yogurt to make this creamier.
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
- 2 Tablespoons Thinly Sliced Green Onions
- 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Mint
- 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Cilantro
- Salt To Taste
- 1 Tablespoon Water, Or As Needed
Preparation And Cooking Time
| Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Additional Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Minutes | 1 Hour | 4 hours 10 Minutes | 5 Hours 40 Minutes |
How To Make Chef John’s Chicken Rice At Home
Step 1
Start by making the marinade first. To do this, add yogurt to a bowl along with lime zest and juice, kosher salt, ground paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground pepper, and ground white pepper. Follow it up with ground cardamom and ground cinnamon, too.
Step 2
Now, add the chicken pieces to the marinade, along with allspice.
Step 3
For the rice, add a pinch of saffron to the chicken broth.
Step 4
Now, in a pan, add butter and kosher salt. Follow it up with chicken broth and olive oil.
Step 5
After mixing it properly, add long-grain rice to the pan.
Step 6
Cook the rice halfway through. Once done, add it to a baking pan.
Step 7
Now, layer the chicken on top of it. Add oil and salt for flavor, too.
Step 8
Finally, add it to a preheated oven at 425°C and bake for 45 minutes.
Step 9
Start preparing the garlic sauce by adding yogurt to a bowl. Now add crushed garlic, green onions, mint, cilantro, salt, and water as needed.
Step 10
Once the dish is baked, drizzle the sauce on top and serve.
Expert Tips That I Recommend
- While making this recipe, I always use dry chicken. Wet chicken will not be properly marinated; hence, it will compromise the dish’s flavors.
- Another tip is to avoid using short-grain rice for this recipe. Short-grain rice results in sticky, clumpy rice, which is not favorable for this recipe.
- When cutting the chicken, I try to cut it into equal sizes. If not, the baking time will be altered, which can result in some chicken being raw and some being overcooked.
- To boost the flavors, I like to leave my marinated chicken in the refrigerator for 2 hours. You can also leave it overnight for the best results.
- If you are thinking of using regular water to make the rice, then don’t. Chicken broth adds a good flavor to the rice that regular water won’t.
- Layering smartly for this dish is key. You should always add rice at the bottom, then chicken on top, for everything to be cooked properly.
- If you enjoy rice and chicken casserole recipes, then you can also layer this recipe with cheese in the last 5 minutes of baking. Also, garnish it with parsley or chives for added flavor.
FAQs About Chef John’s Chicken Rice Recipe
Nutritional Information Per Serving
Since Chef John Chicken Rice is a heavy dish, it is quite obvious that consuming it regularly is unhealthy. High in calories, it consists of chicken and rice, so people should have it in moderation. To get more insights on this recipe, take a look at the chart below:
| Calories | 362 kcal |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Cholestrol | 72 mg |
| Sodium | 1126 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 32 g |
| Dietary Fibers | 1 g |
| Total Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Vitamin C | 4 mg |
| Calcium | 72 mg |
| Iron | 2 mg |
| Potassium | 265 mg |
However, we cannot overlook the fact that it is soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free. So, people who follow such diets can enjoy this dish without any hesitation. But this has chicken and yogurt in it, so followers of vegan, vegetarian, and dairy-free diets need to make some modifications to the recipe.
Recipe Variations For Different Diets
- Dairy-Free: When my friends who follow a dairy-free diet ask me to make this, I consider making some changes to the recipe. Instead of using regular yogurt, I use coconut, oat, or almond yogurt to make it dairy-free.
Storing & Reheating This Recipe
Storing
- Countertop: Chef John Chicken Rice takes a lot of time to cook, so I do not risk spoilage. After 2 hours, I transferred it to the refrigerator to keep it safe.
- Refrigeration: I have observed that Chef John Chicken Rice stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. However, the key is to store it in airtight containers to prevent moisture from leaking.
- Freezing: If you want to store Chef John Chicken Rice for more than 2 days, you can consider freezing it. Before freezing, I let it cool, then I add it to freezer-safe bags, which keep it fresh for 1-2 months.
Reheating
- Oven: To avoid any mess, I like to reheat Chef John Chicken Rice in a preheated oven at 350°F. I add the leftovers to a baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Then, I bake it for 10-15 minutes, depending on the quantity, until it is warm enough.
- Microwave: To reheat a small portion of Chef John Chicken Rice for myself, I use the microwave. I add the leftovers to a microwave-friendly dish and cover it with foil. Then, I heat it at medium heat for 30-60 seconds until it is heated properly.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Although Chef John Chicken Rice is quite filling on its own, here are some sides that you can serve with it. A bowl of simple Salad or roasted greens never fails to impress me.
If you love chicken, then you can have it with Grilled Chicken or chicken thighs. Vegetarians can also try it out with vegetarian Chili.
For sauce options, you can also have this with a Vegan Lemon Sauce recipe.
Printable Version
Chef John Chicken Rice
Ingredients
For The Exotic Marinade:
- ⅓ Cup ​Plain Yogurt
- 1 Medium Lime Zested And Juiced
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground White Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1 2 To 3 Pound Whole Chicken, Cut Into 8 Pieces
For The Rice:
- 1 Pinch Saffron
- 2 ¼ Cups Chicken Broth Divided
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ Cups Basmati Rice
- 1 Drizzle Olive Oil
- Salt To Taste
For The Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
- ½ Cup Plain Yogurt:
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- 2 Tablespoons Thinly Sliced Green Onions
- 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Mint
- 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Cilantro
- Salt To Taste
- 1 Tablespoon Water Or As Needed
Equipment
- Pot
- Baking Dish
- Oven
- Fork
Instructions
- Start by making the marinade first. To do this, add yogurt to a bowl along with lime zest and juice, kosher salt, ground paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground pepper, and ground white pepper. Follow it up with ground cardamom and ground cinnamon, too.
- Now, add the chicken pieces to the marinade, along with allspice.
- For the rice, add a pinch of saffron to the chicken broth.
- Now, in a pan, add butter and kosher salt. Follow it up with chicken broth and olive oil.
- After mixing it properly, add long-grain rice to the pan.
- Cook the rice halfway through. Once done, add it to a baking pan.
- Now, layer the chicken on top of it. Add oil and salt for flavor, too.
- Finally, add it to a preheated oven at 425°C and bake for 45 minutes.
- Start preparing the garlic sauce by adding yogurt to a bowl. Now add crushed garlic, green onions, mint, cilantro, salt, and water as needed.
- Once the dish is baked, drizzle the sauce on top and serve.
Notes
- While making this recipe, I always use dry chicken. Wet chicken will not be properly marinated; hence, it will compromise the dish’s flavors.
- Another tip is to avoid using short-grain rice for this recipe. Short-grain rice results in sticky, clumpy rice, which is not favorable for this recipe.
- When cutting the chicken, I try to cut it into equal sizes. If not, the baking time will be altered, which can result in some chicken being raw and some being overcooked.
- To boost the flavors, I like to leave my marinated chicken in the refrigerator for 2 hours. You can also leave it overnight for the best results.
- If you are thinking of using regular water to make the rice, then don’t. Chicken broth adds a good flavor to the rice that regular water won’t.
- Layering smartly for this dish is key. You should always add rice at the bottom, then chicken on top, for everything to be cooked properly.
- If you enjoy rice and chicken casserole recipes, then you can also layer this recipe with cheese in the last 5 minutes of baking. Also, garnish it with parsley or chives for added flavor.
Nutrition
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Conclusion
Chef John Chicken Rice is a belly-warming dish that is loved by everyone. It is filling, made in one pan, and makes for a quick dinner or lunch.
Anytime I am overwhelmed about what to feed guests, I always rely on this recipe. Now that you have found it, you can try it as well and let me know what you think. Don’t forget to share your experiences so that others are encouraged to try this recipe as well.
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