JOLLOF RICE Archives

This recipe of One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice start on the stove and finishes cooking in the oven. This One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice is also a combination of west African and Indians of terrific aromatic, spices and flavors. The little thing that makes all the difference in this recipe is the fried anise, allspice pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves before adding the rice and well-seasoned chicken. This recipe of One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice is outrageously delicious!

One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice Secret: “fried anise, allspice pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves”

This One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice starts on the stove because frying the anise, allspice pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves ensure the best flavors possible in the most effective way. If your oil begins to smoke, it is too hot and should be either removed from the heat source or the heat source should be turned down. Once they become aromatic, add the onion and cook until the onion is softened. Then, continue to add your other ingredients as desired. When frying spices, it is extremely important to pay close attention to them. Even if a single spice burns, the whole batch will be tainted with that bitter, burned flavor. Stir the spices frequently and mind the heat.

How to perfectly season the baked chicken?

For this recipe of One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice, I use a whole chicken, but other part of the chicken can be used (like the thigh, leg or wing). You can never go wrong with my combination of spices (1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon curry, 1 teaspoon bouillon cube, Salt and pepper) because you get maximum depth of flavor for minimum number of spices. Plus, I always have these spices on hand.

How did I partially cook it on the stove?

By partially cooking the One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice on the stove to first bring out the maximum flavor out of the spices and also allows me to bring the liquid to a boil before putting it in the oven. The flavor is so much better because of the fried onion.

Why add the chicken over the rice?

I added the perfectly seasoned chicken over the rice because the dripping of the chicken add so much more flavor to the rice. The result is a mouthwatering baked chicken coated in a beautiful rub, baked on top of fluffy soft rice. Oven Baked Chicken and Rice all cooked together in one dish is possibly one of the MOST loved family favorite dinners on the planet. I know in my heart of hearts this will become your new favorite.

How to make One-pot Baked Chicken and Jollof Rice

Ingredients

For chicken

1 Chicken
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry
1 teaspoon bouillon cube
Salt and pepper

For Rice

1 anise
2 allspice pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon
2 cloves
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion finely chopped
2 tomatoes
2 tablespoon tomato paste
Scotch bonnet chilli to taste (optional)
Vegetables: 1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 Summer squash, 2 carrots
1 teaspoon bouillon cube
Salt and pepper
400 g (14oz) rice
925 ml (3.9 cups) warm water*

Instructions

Preheat oven to fan assisted 180C / 350F / gas 4.

Season the chicken with teaspoon paprika, turmeric, garlic, ginger, curry, bouillon cube, Salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a frying pan with the oil over medium heat and add the anise, allspice pepper, bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves. Cook for a minute

Add and fry the onion for about 7 mins until soft.

Stir in the tomato purred and the tomato paste, cook for 5 minutes.

Add the water, vegetables (1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 Summer squash, 2 carrots) and bring to a boil.

Mixing in the rice and mix until well.

Add a layer of aluminum foil and make small incisions. Add the chicken and cover (Make sure the cover is over safe)

Transfer the Jollof rice mixture into the oven for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven stir and put back in the oven without the lid for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is soft and done.

When done take the rice out of the oven, fluff it and serve.

Serve hot

Tips to make perfect oven baked chicken and rice

For this recipe I recommend long jasmine rice. Basmati rice or Jasmine rice can be substituted with the same liquid ratio and cooking time. Please do not use short grain rice, medium grain rice, risotto, paella or minute rice.
If the rice cooks before the chicken, remove the rice from the oven, and transfer the chicken in an oven safe dish and put the chicken back in the oven.
For a better color on the chicken, it can be broiled for an extra 2-3 minutes just to get your chicken golden and browned with crisp edges, and an amazing buttery, crunchy crust on the top of your rice!

For this recipe of pork griot and Jollof rice, I combined my West African culture and Haitian experience. Pork griot is one of Haiti’s favorite’s dishes. To make the griot, big and fatty chunks of pork shoulder are marinated with limes juice, garlic, ginger, fresh thyme, onion, bouillon powder and salt, then boiled and finally fried until golden and crisp. Traditionally, the pork griot is served with Pikliz, which is a mixture of cabbage, carrot and chili pepper pickled. The acidity of Pikliz balances out the richness of the griot, but for this recipe I chose to serve it with some Jollof rice.

This is the image of Haitian pork griot — Haitian pork griot

How to make the a tasty a crispy pork griot ?

Do you know that Pork is the world’s most popular type of meat? Yes, it is. Though not exactly a health food, moderate consumption of properly prepared pork can be an acceptable part of a healthy diet. For the griot, I love to season the pork overnight to guarantee a tasty and tangy taste. Once the pork has being marinated overnight, it is browned, the chunk of pork should be separated from the broth and cooled. Lastly, the marinated – browned – cooled pork is fried in hot oil to obtain the griot.

What is Jollof rice for the griot?

The jollof is a pot of rice loaded with tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, scotch bonnet peppers, salt, spices and vegetable oil and more flavor than you’ll know what to do with. Furthermore, vegetables, meat or meats and different types of local spices can be added to personalize it. The secret to a good jollof rice is the flavor build in the tomato broth and oil coupled with the perfect ratio of rice. As far as I can remember, jollof rice is served at every west African party. The jollof rice originated from Senegal and is a popular dish served in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Togo, and Sierra Leone. The recipe varies lightly from one country to the next. The two main version are Ghanaian Jollof Vs Nigerian Jollof.

Ingredients for Griot

1.5 kg pork (shoulder Cut in bite size)
1-3 limes (juice) about 2 Tablespoons
5 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoon ginger
3 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 medium onion sliced
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
2 Teaspoons salt or more

How to make the Haitian pork griot?

Marinate the pork with lime juice, salt, chicken bouillon, garlic, ginger, onions, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper (optional).

Let it rest in the fridge for about 2 hours or preferably overnight.

In a saucepan on medium heat, bring to a boil and simmer until tender for about an hour or more.

When pork is tender remove from liquid and any bits of spices, herbs of the pork. Set aside pork.

Fry the pork at 350F (180C) until the pork is crispy.

Using a sieve drain pork liquid, reserve the liquid and discard the rest of the herbs and spices. (I use ice to cool down the mixture and remove the excess oil)

Place pork liquid in a small saucepan on medium add 1 teaspoon tomato paste, 1 cup tomato, 1/4 cup oil, sliced onion and bring to a boil.

Add the rice (2 cups water for 1 cups jasmine rice). Salt to taste. Add the cut vegetables (carrots and bell pepper).

Stir in rice and boil over medium-high heat until the water evaporates

Be sure the lid fits tightly on the pot. Turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Let the rice simmer for about 18 minutes, then remove from heat and allow the rice to steam in the pot for another 5 minutes.

This is the image of Haitian pork griot with Jollof — Haitian pork griot with jollof

Serve the rice with the griot.

Notes:

Cleaning the pork with vinegar or lemon juice is a test to see if the meat is still good. If the pork smells “off” even after its vinegar or lemon juice bath, chances are it’s not okay to cook.
The vinegar or lemon juice tenderizes the pork, cuts down on cooking time, and lets you store pork for a little longer in the fridge if you end up not cooking it the day you prep it.
The FDA currently does recommend against rinsing meat, however, in the African/Caribbean, there’s a common practice of rinsing off the meat and fish with a mild acid like lemon or lime juice or vinegar prior to cooking.
Before everyone owned a refrigerator, cooks would apply an acidic solution because they believed it killed any bacteria on the bird and to impart a little extra flavor. Currently, many folks use this same technique to get rid of any odors and add flavor to the meat.

Tag: JOLLOF RICE

One-pot oven Jollof rice