Main course Everyday home cooking
One-pot chicken rice and vegetables
Editorially prepared
Parboiled rice, chicken pieces and vegetables cook together under one lid. A mild, filling meal with carrot, pepper and peas, without cooking the rice separately.
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Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
Scale the ingredients proportionally. For 2 servings use an approximately 2-litre pan; for 6–8 servings use a larger, wide pan or two pans. Do not double the cooking time. For larger batches, sear the chicken in batches and check several of the largest pieces with a thermometer; the total time may increase.
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You’ll need
wide, heavy-based pan, about 4 litres and 24–26 cm across, with a well-fitting lid · knife and a separate board for raw meat · kitchen scales and measuring jug · clean food thermometer · wooden spoon and fork
Method
0/6 stepsPrepare the ingredients
Prepare 150 g of onion, 200 g of carrot and 150 g of pepper. Chop the onion, cut the carrot into roughly 8 mm cubes and the pepper into roughly 1 cm cubes. Chop 10 g of garlic. Measure 300 g of dried rice and 600 ml of stock. On a separate board, cut 500 g of chicken into roughly 2 cm pieces. Do not wash raw meat; wash your hands, knife and board afterwards.
Prepare the ingredients Sear the chicken
Heat 30 ml of oil in a wide, heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and fry for 4 minutes, turning the pieces. The surface should be lightly golden; the centre will cook later with the rice. Leave the meat in the pan.
04:00Sear the chicken Add the vegetables and spices
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot and pepper and fry for 4 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic and 1 tsp of ground paprika and stir for 30 seconds. Add the measured rice and stir for a further 30 seconds to coat the grains in oil.
04:00Add the vegetables and spices Cook under the lid
Pour in the measured stock, stir and bring to the boil. Cover with a well-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 17 minutes. The liquid should bubble only lightly. Do not stir during this time or repeatedly lift the lid.
17:00Cook under the lid Add the peas and check doneness
Add 150 g of frozen peas, gently fold them into the top layer and cook covered for another 3 minutes, or longer if required by the pea packet. The rice should be tender without a hard centre and the liquid almost absorbed. Use a clean food thermometer to check that the centre of the largest chicken pieces reaches at least 75°C and stays there for 30 seconds. If the meat has not reached that temperature, continue cooking under the lid and check again.
03:00Add the peas and check doneness Rest for 5 minutes and serve
If the rice is still firm and the pan is dry, add a little hot water, cover and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Once both the rice and chicken are cooked, take the pan off the heat. Leave covered for 5 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Serve straight away.
05:00Rest for 5 minutes and serve
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Tips
- Parboiled rice and basmati are not interchangeable without changing the cooking time and liquid. For this draft, choose parboiled rice that cooks in about 20 minutes; judge the final result by the tenderness of the grains.
- A well-fitting lid and low heat limit evaporation. A vigorous boil can scorch the bottom before the rice is cooked.
- Frozen peas must cook for the time specified on their packet. If they require more than 3 minutes, add them earlier.
- You can replace the frozen peas with the same drained weight of canned peas; add them for the final 2 minutes to heat through.
- The stated 45 minutes includes chopping and the 5-minute rest. Different rice, larger chicken pieces or a less powerful hob may need a few extra minutes.
Storage
Immediately divide leftovers between small, shallow containers. Cool the rice as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour, and refrigerate it; do not leave a full pan cooling on the worktop. Keep covered and eat within 24 hours. Reheat only once, stirring and adding a little water if needed, until the whole dish is steaming hot, including the centre.
Timing
Hands-on: 20 min · Cooking: 30 min · Resting: 5 min
Cooking questions
Can I use a different type of rice?
Long-grain parboiled rice with an approximately 20-minute packet time gives the most predictable result. Basmati, jasmine and brown rice need a different cooking time or amount of liquid. Adjust the method for those substitutions rather than using this timing without checking the grains.
Can I make this meal the day before?
Yes, provided you cool the cooked rice quickly in small containers, ideally within one hour, and refrigerate it promptly. Eat within 24 hours and reheat only once until the entire dish is steaming hot. Do not leave the full pan on the worktop overnight.
