Jollof Rice is a beloved dish in West African cuisine, and for good reason. I can’t think of a more popular West African dish than Jollof rice. It is a rich, aromatic, and incredibly tasty one-pot meal, similar to Jambalaya but with distinctive African spices. It consists mainly of cooked rice and tomato stew flavored with spices such as thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, onions, and garlic. This dish is a staple in West African countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Gambia, often enjoyed during holidays, weddings, birthdays, and other special events.
This recipe for Jollof rice can be customized to suit your tastes, allowing you to add your favorite vegetables such as diced carrots, green beans, sweet peas, or sweet corn. It can be enjoyed with chicken, beef, lamb meat, goat meat, or fish. Here is an easy Jollof Rice With Chicken recipe you are guaranteed to love. Also, this recipe is authentic.
Everyone needs a good chicken and rice recipe they can make, whether for dinner or for special occasions. This Jollof Rice With Chicken recipe is that kind of recipe. It is a keeper! The rice is very flavorful with the blend of spices used. No bland rice here. With added veggies, this Chicken Jollof Rice makes a balanced meal. Alternatively, you could make the rice without added veggies and serve it with a simple salad on the side.
Jollof Rice is a tomato and rice-based dish that is widely loved and eaten across West and Central Africa. Typically, the rice is cooked in a flavorful tomatoey liquid. It is a dish that is easy to fall in love with. Jollof Rice can be made with beef, chicken or fish. It could even be made vegan. In Cameroon, where I come from Jollof Rice is the ever-present dish at parties.
Ingredients for Jollof Rice
The ingredients required for making jollof rice are pretty basic:
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- Rice: The main ingredient is, of course, rice. I used long-grain parboiled rice for this recipe, but you can also use basmati. If living in the united states, I will recommend using the parboiled rice from the African store or Uncle Ben's parboiled rice (converted brand). It doesn’t stick or clump up like most other rice brands. It cooks up grain for grain.
- Tomatoes: A combination of fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce or tomato paste makes excellent Jollof rice. Use Roma tomatoes as they are not as acidic as other kinds of tomato.
- Onions: Use onions in Jollof Rice for flavor.
- Oil: For sautéing onions and making the tomato sauce. Any neutral tasting oil works here.
- Chicken or Beef Stock: This is key in adding flavor to the use.
- Garlic and Ginger: The combination of garlic ginger works wonders in making Jollof Rice tasty.
I didn’t use every single ingredient listed above in this Jollof Rice recipe. I used the key ingredients with some added herbs and spices for a flavor boost.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make really tasty Jollof Rice With Chicken! I love how this recipe makes a complete meal with rice, chicken and veggies!
- First, make the tomato-based sauce by blending together the red bell peppers (pimento), tomatoes, onion, and scotch bonnet.
- Season chicken with blended garlic and ginger, onions, salt and white pepper.
- Heat the cooking oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the diced onions and let them cook for about 3 minutes or until they are soft.
- Next, add the tomato paste and fry for about 5 minutes. Then stir in garlic, ginger, and bay leaves-leave to cook for 2 more minutes.
- To the pot, add dried thyme, blended garlic and ginger, and white pepper.
- Add the blended sauce and allow the pepper to cook until the water is reduced and the sauce become thick -about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with thyme, curry powder, bouillon cubes, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for another 2 to 5 minutes.
- Add chicken stock and water to the pot.
- Add the rinsed rice to the sauce and stir until it is well coated with the sauce. Then add the chicken stock, stir briefly, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and bring to a quick boil over high heat.
- Add washed rice to the pot, cover and cook on low heat until the rice is fluffy.
- Once it begins to boil-after about 3 to 5 minutes, reduce the heat immediately to low and steam until the rice is done-about 30 minutes.
- Add carrots and green beans to rice if so desired.
- Add the butter, sliced tomato, and onions, stir together briefly and turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaves once the rice is done. However, if you can’t find it, don’t be tempted to dig through it since over-stirring will cause the rice to break.
Detailed Cooking Process
When cooking Jellof rice, building a flavor base is very important. The inevitable foundation for building up the flavor in this meal is to start by sauteeing the Onions. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes. The next thing is to stir in the tomato paste. Add the ginger and garlic and cook along with the tomato paste for another two minutes; Actually, by the time this is ready, you will notice it in the smell. Add the blended peppers.
Usually, there is no particular time frame for frying this pepper. I often stop when the sauce becomes really thick, and the oil literally floats on top of the sauce. At this point, most of the water is gone, and the sauce no longer smells raw. Finally, in building my flavor, I add the thyme, curry powder, salt, white pepper (good but optional), and seasoning cubes. Adjust the seasoning at this point if there is a need to.
Once the flavor is on point, then, I stir in the Rice. Make sure you stir the rice properly until you cover each grain of rice with the sauce. Now add the chicken stock. Give it a brief stir and cover it up with a tight-fitting lid. If your lid is not fitting enough, simply cover the rice with foil paper before covering it with the lid.
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Also, soggy Jollof rice is not it. The rice in Jollof Rice should be fully cooked and fluffy. Not mushy.
NIGERIAN PARTY JOLLOF RICE
Additional Tips and Tricks
- Pro Tip #2: Be sure to use a large enough pot so that the rice has room to fluff and expand as it cooks and absorbs all the liquid and flavor.
- Pro Tip #3: Jollof rice typically takes about 40 minutes to cook, in my experience but I find it best to stay nearby during the process, stirring often, and taste testing as you go.
- Pro Tip #4: Many people believe that jollof tastes best when a bit of it burns as this imparts a smoky flavor.
Serving Suggestions
We usually serve Jollof with Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Goat Meat, Fish, or moi moi and sometimes with a side of fresh creamy Coleslaw or Nigerian salad. In west Africa, a party such as a wedding ceremony or a naming ceremony is not complete without this meal.
It’s perfect on its own, but fried plantains and a simple salad turn it into a proper feast.
Nutritional Information
Despite the use of some high potassium ingredients, such as tomatoes, this recipe is low in potassium, when following the quantities in the ingredients, and the serving sizes. Therefore, suitable for those advised to lower potassium in their diet. This recipe uses a lot of oil, which makes it high in calories.
Here's an example table of the ingredients:
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| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Parboiled rice | 4 cups |
| Plum tomatoes | 5 |
| Chicken thighs | 3 pounds |
| Red bell pepper | 1 |
| Scotch bonnet peppers | 2 |
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
You can cook jollof rice at home up to three days in advance, as long as it's stored properly.
How to store homemade jollof rice? To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days.
Can I freeze jollof rice at home? Cool the rice to room temperature then transfer to freezer safe containers or zip-top freezer bags and place in the freezer. Jollof rice will keep for up to six months in the freezer.
Why is my jollof rice burning?
Many people believe that jollof tastes best when a bit of it burns as this imparts a smoky flavor. But if your rice starts burning excessively or very early on in the cooking process, reduce the heat slightly and add more broth, water or oil.
