This is such an easy, hearty meal. Peri peri chicken and rice is a flavorsome rice pilaf topped with peri peri juicy chicken breasts. Packed with flavor, and not so spicy that kids can’t enjoy this too! It’s a show stopping meal, but comes together really easily.
If you love peri peri sauce, you’ll absolutely love this recipe!
This is similar to one of the most popular recipes on my website, my Halal Guys Chicken and Rice and pairs so well well with this Gaza Salad.
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Ingredients you need:
- Chicken breasts: I get these boneless and skinless, and ask my butcher to take off any fatty bits so that I have no prep to do at home!
- Peri peri sauce: The star of the recipe! Use your favorite flavor- I like medium, but you can go with mild, garlic, whatever you like.
- Olive oil: A little to marinate the chicken with and a little to cook it with.
- Taco seasoning: some for marinating the chicken with and some for seasoning the rice. You can make your own, which I do all the time- information on how to do this is at the bottom of the recipe card!
- Butter: I love cooking the peri peri rice in butter, it gives it this beautiful flavor, but you can sub extra olive oil if you prefer.
- Bell pepper: I like going with red bell pepper or orange, to give the rice a little sweetness and texture
- Onion and garlic: always pack so much flavor into rice dishes
- Tomato paste: Just a little gives the rice a beautiful color, and adds some flavor
- Turmeric: It’ll make the rice this gorgeous yellow color and adds some antioxidants and flavor
- Salt: Feel free to adjust the amount to your taste
- Basmati rice: Regular white basmati rice, I haven’t tested this with brown rice so don’t recommend changing this up. Long grain rice works best here.
- Frozen peas, carrots, and corn: Using a frozen bag that combines these three things makes prep so much easier! You can also just use frozen peas, or use a frozen pea and carrot mix if you prefer.
- Chicken stock: To cook the rice with, I make some using bouillon cubes. You can use ready mixed chicken stock, or substitute with veggie stock.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make peri peri chicken and rice:
- Step 1: Add the chicken breasts to a bowl with the peri peri sauce, spices and olive oil.
- Step 2: Mix well to combine, then cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the butter to a large saucepan on medium heat, then add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Step 4: Add the tomato paste, taco seasoning, turmeric and salt, and cook for another minute.
- Step 5: Add the basmati rice and stir to coat in the mixture.
- Step 6: Toast the rice by stirring around in the pan for 4 minutes.
- Step 7: Add the frozen peas and carrots, then stir to combine.
- Step 8: Add the chicken stock to just cover the rice, and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.
- Step 9: While rice cooks, cook the chicken in a large hot skillet, 5-6 minutes each side.
- Step 10: Once chicken is golden brown and cooked, rest for 10 minutes.
- Step 11: After rice has cooked through, rest for 15 minutes then fluff with a fork.
- Step 12: Slice the chicken breast and layer on top of the rice and enjoy!
Hint: You can use the chicken marination time to cook the rice, just make sure to have soaked it in advance of starting the recipe. Then, when the chicken is cooking, you can cook the rice so that everything is done at the same time.
Using an air fryer to make peri peri chicken
You can absolutely save on effort and cook the chicken breasts in your air fryer, although you might have to do this in batches depending on how big your air fryer is. You’ll preheat your air fryer to 400F (200C) and cook about 7 minutes a side or until chicken is golden brown on the outside and completely cooked through. You can slice one open to check, since you’ll cut this up to serve it anyway.
How to serve and variations:
Once the rice and chicken have been fully cooked, spread the rice out in a large serving dish, and top with the sliced chicken breasts. I like to garnish with a little parsley, and serve with extra peri peri sauce. My kids love having this with some yogurt on the side, I love having it with this Gaza salad which is sort of like a Middle Eastern salsa, or a cooling yogurt cucumber salad.
- Chicken: instead of chicken breasts, you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if that’s your preference.
- Peri Peri sauce – use the flavor you like the most, and you can also sub this with sriracha sauce, although it may make for a spicier overall dish.
- Vegetarian -You can make the peri peri rice without chicken and substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock.
Storing leftover peri peri chicken and rice:
Leftover chicken and rice will last 3-4 days tightly covered in the fridge. You can heat the rice and chicken together or separate the chicken pieces and reheat in a skillet on medium heat or in an air fryer for a few minutes.
You can store leftover peri peri chicken in the freezer in an airtight container for 3-4 months.
Expert tips and tricks:
- Check on the chicken as it cooks. You want the inside totally white and cooked through, so rest it for 10 minutes before slicing so it stays juicy.
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear to avoid it being overly starchy.
- Keep stirring the rice as you toast it- toasting the rice really enhances it’s nutty flavor but you don’t want it too stick too long to the bottom of the pan so it doesn’t burn.
- Gently fluff the rice with a fork when it’s done cooking so that the grains of rice retain their shape.
Top Tip
Don’t add too much liquid to the rice, the chicken stock should just cover the rice and veggies mixture. This will avoid the rice going mushy and keep the rice grains fluffy and intact.
Recipe FAQs:
You can air fry the chicken, grill it outdoors, or even oven bake it! Whatever way you prefer to prepare your chicken works.
Yes, it’s a great recipe to enjoy when following a gluten free diet.
Not at all- when making this specifically with kids in mind, I’ll use the mild or garlic Nando’s peri peri sauce.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
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Peri Peri Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 5-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 lb (900g)
- 2 tablespoon peri peri sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for cooking
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning (for homemade check the notes)
For the rice:
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups basmati rice, soaked for 20 minutes then rinsed until water runs clear
- 1 1/4 cup frozen peas, carrots and corn mix
- 1 tablespoon peri peri sauce
- 2 3/4 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken by placing the breasts in a large bowl, adding the 1 tablespoon olive oil, peri peri sauce and taco seasoning and stirring well to thoroughly coat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the rice. Add the butter to a large saucepan on medium heat, then add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add the tomato paste, taco seasoning, turmeric and salt, and cook for another minute.
- Add the basmati rice, and toast the rice by stirring around in the pan for 4 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas, carrots, and corn, peri peri sauce, the chicken stock, plus a pinch of salt and pepper to season. Stir and bring to a boil,then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- After the rice has cooked and all the water has been absorbed, remove pan from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes without disturbing. After 15 minutes, fluff gently with a fork. Meanwhile cook the chicken:
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat, then add the chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes each side, or until golden brown and cooked through- test the chicken by cutting into a thick part of one to make sure it’s cooked through. You can also air fry the chicken, see recipe notes.
- Rest for 10 minutes, then slice the chicken and place on top of the rice in a platter. I like to brush the chicken with extra peri peri sauce. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear to avoid it being overly starchy.
- Keep stirring the rice as you toast it- toasting the rice really enhances it’s nutty flavor but you don’t want it too stick too long to the bottom of the pan so it doesn’t burn.
- Gently fluff the rice with a fork when it’s done cooking so that the grains of rice retain their shape.
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