Nigerian Coconut Rice Traybake with Chicken

About This Recipe

Coconut milk shows up regularly in the cooking of Nigeria's coastal regions, lending rice dishes a rich, slightly sweet backbone that pairs naturally with chicken, fish or vegetables. This traybake takes that coconut rice base and builds a full one-pot dinner around it, searing the chicken first before nestling it into the rice to bake together. The technique that carries the dish is searing the chicken before it goes anywhere near the rice — that browned crust leaves behind flavorful fond in the pot that seasons the rice as everything bakes together, and it keeps the chicken skin from turning flabby under a lid. Keeping the pot tightly covered throughout the bake is equally important, trapping the steam that fully cooks the rice. It's an easy, mostly hands-off dinner that brings a coastal Nigerian flavor combination into a format built for a busy weeknight.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8chicken drumsticks
• 2 cupslong-grain rice(rinsed)
• 1.5 cupscoconut milk
• 1 cupchicken stock
• 1onion(sliced)
• 2scotch bonnet peppers(minced, adjust to taste)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tbspcurry powder
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 2 tspfine sea salt
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 cupfrozen mixed vegetables(peas and carrots)

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken

   Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the drumsticks with half the curry powder, thyme, salt and 1 tbsp oil.

2. 2

   Sear the chicken

   Heat remaining oil in an oven-safe pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 8 minutes, then remove.

3. 3

   Build the rice base

   In the same pot, add onion, garlic and scotch bonnet, cooking 4 minutes until softened. Stir in the rice, remaining curry powder and salt, toasting 1 minute.

4. 4

   Add liquid and chicken

   Pour in the coconut milk and stock, stir well, then nestle the chicken pieces on top along with the mixed vegetables.

5. 5

   Bake covered

   Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake 35-40 minutes, until the rice is tender, the liquid is absorbed, and the chicken reaches 165°F internally.

   Check the rice at 35 minutes — if it's still a bit firm, add a splash of hot water, re-cover, and bake 5-10 more minutes.

Variations

• •

  Add chunks of sweet potato or plantain to the pot for a heartier one-pot meal.

• •

  Swap chicken for firm white fish, added only in the last 15 minutes of baking so it doesn't overcook.

• •

  Increase the scotch bonnet for more heat, or omit it entirely for a milder version suitable for kids.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat covered with a splash of water in a 350°F oven or on the stovetop.

Frequently Asked Questions