Chicken jollof rice

A smoky tomato and pepper rice cooked with chicken thighs in one pot. A party favourite from West Africa.

Ingredients

• 600 g Chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
• 8 g Curry powder
• 4 g Salt
• 45 ml Vegetable oil
• 2 Peppers, roughly chopped
• 2 Onions, 1 roughly chopped, 1 sliced
• 400 g Passata
• 1 Fresh chillies, optional
• 0.5 Garlic, about 3 cloves
• 40 g Tomato purée
• 3 g Dried thyme
• 5 g Smoked paprika
• 2 Chicken stock cubes
• 350 g Basmati rice, rinsed
• 150 g Frozen peas

Method

1. Blitz the peppers, the chopped onion, passata, chilli and garlic until smooth. Toss the chicken in the curry powder and salt.
2. Heat half the oil in a large heavy pot and brown the chicken in batches for about 8 minutes. Set it aside.
3. Add the rest of the oil and the sliced onion. Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato purée, thyme and paprika and fry until the purée darkens.
4. Pour in the blitzed sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Crumble in the stock cubes and add 500ml of boiling water.
5. Stir in the rice, nestle the chicken on top, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes.
6. Scatter the peas over, cover again for 5 minutes, then fluff the rice and serve.