Recipe courtesy of
Gabi Odebode
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Gabi Odebode
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Ghanaian Chicken Jollof Rice
Getting reviews...
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 45 min
- Active: 1 hr 5 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 382
- Total Fat
- 11 g
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 57 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Protein
- 13 g
- Cholesterol
- 21 mg
- Sodium
- 465 mg
Jollof rice is a one-pot dish that is credited to the Wolof or Jolof tribe of the Senegambian area and spread around the region. Today it’s popular throughout West Africa with variations from country to country. The robust flavors of jollof rice are developed in layers during the cooking process, starting with a stew that is infused with aromatic spices and herbs such as curry and thyme. Rice is then cooked directly in the stew for a dish with outstanding aroma, flavor and color. Ghanaian jollof uses a tomato-based stew and usually includes a protein like beef, goat or chicken. It’s popular to serve it with green vegetables and fried plantains. When I was growing up in Ghana it wasn’t a celebration unless there was jollof rice. It's one of my favorite dishes and a real comfort food when I’m feeling nostalgic.
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 1 hr 45 min
- Active: 1 hr 5 min
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 382
- Total Fat
- 11 g
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 57 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Protein
- 13 g
- Cholesterol
- 21 mg
- Sodium
- 465 mg
Ingredients
Directions
- Put chicken in a bowl and toss it with the ground anise, rosemary, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the oil and allow it to sear on each side until browned, turning it with tongs, about 10 minutes. Place the seared chicken on a plate and set aside. Reserve the oil.
- Combine the tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic cloves and habanero pepper in a blender or food processor and purée. You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
- Heat the reserved oil from cooking the chicken in the same pot over medium heat and add the tomato paste. Stir the tomato paste and cook until it separates from the oil, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to stir the tomato paste. Add the tomato purée and stir to combine. Add the thyme, remaining 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, the curry powder, granulated garlic, nutmeg, bay leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, bouillon powder if using and cayenne if using. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer until a layer of oil appears on the surface of the stew, about 10 minutes. Taste the stew and add more salt if needed, then add the seared chicken and cook for 5 minutes.
- Rinse the rice with cold water. Repeat the rinsing process twice, then completely drain all the water from rice. Add the rice to the stew and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine. Tightly cover pot with foil then cover with the lid. Allow the rice to cook over medium-low heat until soft to bite, about 40 minutes. During the cooking, stir or turn the rice every 15 minutes or so until it is done. The rice will have a reddish-orange color. Remove the bay leaves and serve.
