Peri Peri Chicken and Rice
A one-pan, Portuguese-inspired peri peri chicken and rice: roast thighs over veg until golden brown, then bake rice in the spicy, citrusy tray juices. Enjoy the juicy chicken, scoops of flavorful rice with crispy bits and serve with parsley and lemon.
Equipment
- Large oven‑safe casserole/ roasting dish (approx 30×40 cm)
- Pyrex dish to take the chicken thighs out in
- Kettle
- jug
Ingredients
- 9 bone‑in chicken thighs about 1.2 kg ( if using boneless thighs start checking ~15 minutes earlier)
- 11/2 tbsp peri peri seasoning
- 1 tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 4 tbsp olive oil coat everything generously
- 2 red onions thick wedges
- 2 shallots sliced in strips
- 2 sweet red peppers or 1 large bell pepper, thick strips
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- 1 whole garlic bulb top sliced off
- 1 lemon halved (cut side down for roasting) plus more lemon wedges to serve
- 300 g rice paella/Bomba/Calasparra or Portuguese Carolino
- 750 ml hot stock plus 100–150 ml extra hot stock if needed
- 1 handful chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oven 200°C fan (400℉). Add the chicken thighs to a large baking dish drizzled with oil and coat them well with the oil.
- To the large roasting dish, add chopped onion, shallots, peppers, tomatoes and use your hands to salt and season chicken and veg with the peri peri seasoning coating everything well with oil. Add garlic bulb (cut side up), drizzle olive oil on top and lemon halves (cut side down). Nestle chicken thighs on top of the veg.
- Roast until the chicken thighs are golden brown and nearly done: 35–40 min for bone‑in (boneless start checking at 20–25 min). Remove chicken and lemons and set aside.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves and baked lemons over the juices and whisk in if you like. Stir the rice (do not wash the rice) through tray juices. Pour in 750 ml boiling stock.
- Bake 20–25 min (no stirring) until rice is tender and mostly absorbed. Splash in 100–150 ml extra hot stock if edges dry too fast. Add the chicken thighs back on top and warm through in the oven at 220℃ (428℉) for another 5 minutes.
- Scatter plenty of chopped parsley and serve with more lemon wedges.
Notes
- You should be aiming for a drier, baked‑rice texture (very Portuguese) rather than a saucy rice.
- But keep extra stock handy if you'd like the rice looser (ovens and pans vary).
- For boneless thighs, reduce roasting time and keep an eye on doneness.
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