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Pimped Rice Piri Piri

Pimp My Rice by celebrity chef Nisha Katona is a vibrant, zingy book, full of international recipes for rice, the most nutritive and widespread staple in the world for over half the world's population. This peri peri rice dish is a great way to send four chicken breasts a long way – all the way to the red pepper heat of Portugal.
Servings 4 people
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 280 g long-grain white rice rinsed and drained
  • 4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 2 red peppers deseeded and sliced
  • 2 yellow peppers deseeded and sliced
  • 4–8 red chillies sliced (use less or more according to taste)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 2 tomatoes chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée or paste
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • tbsp red wine vinegar
  • a few coriander leaves
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
  • Put the rice in an even layer in the bottom of a large ovenproof dish.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan over a high heat and brown the chicken quickly on all sides, then put it on top of the rice in the ovenproof dish.
  • Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onions and garlic. Once softened, add the peppers and the as many of the chillies as you can bear. Fry for 5 minutes over a medium-low heat until the peppers are soft.
  • Add the thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée/paste. Stir briefly and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Now add the stock and red wine vinegar, bring to the boil, then simmer for 3 minutes. Pour this mixture over the chicken and rice. Cover tightly and transfer to the oven for 45 minutes until the rice and chicken are tender. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve warm.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Portugese
Keyword: Chicken, Peri Peri, Rice