Going, going…just managed to take this shot before it all disappeared!

My All-In-One Spiced Chicken and Rice recipe is designed to solve the mid-week muddle of what to make for dinner… with so many added benefits to boot. 

1) The entire meal can be prepared, baked and served in a single deep roasting dish which makes the tedious task of cleaning up so much faster. 

2) With a combination of readily available pantry essential spices like ground cumin, cinnamon and ginger, there is no need to scour spice stores far and wide for the base flavourings. 

3) By adding plain or Greek style yoghurt to each person’s portion during serving up, you even have the food groups covered. Oh and if someone has an issue with the “coloured bits” in the rice, just spin them a story like the capsicum being a “speedy red veggie to make kids run faster” and watch them wolf the lot down. 

4) Flavour, texture and mouth watering aroma all rolled into one easy to eat family dinner. 

5) An economical dish of ample proportions that appeals to young and old.

Although I made a particularly generous quantity to satisfy the needs of my large family, the recipe below has been adjusted to adequately serve four people. 

All-In-One Spiced Chicken and Rice to serve 4 people

Ingredients
extra virgin olive oil
25 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 brown onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 large carrot finely diced
1 red capsicum finely diced, seeds removed
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 good quality fresh chicken either size 16 or 18, cut into 6 pieces
2 cups long grain rice
4 cups chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan bake mode. 

Place a large deep baking dish onto the stove over a medium heat. I used my heavy based All Clad stainless steel pan which was able to accommodate a double portion of this recipe. A cast iron baking dish would also work well as both are able to beautifully brown the ingredients. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. As soon as the butter has melted, add the onions, garlic, carrots, capsicum and salt and sauté for 10 minutes, until glossy and softened. 

Add the spices and stir to prevent sticking to the pan until the vegetables are well coated. 

Add the chicken pieces to the baking dish and quickly brown all over, coating with the spice and vegetable mixture. You may need to add a little more olive oil at this stage. Arrange the chicken skin side up when you have finished this process. 

Scatter the rice evenly around the chicken. Carefully pour in the chicken stock which should be at room temperature. There will be a lot of liquid in the pan, but don’t panic! These juices will be absorbed by the rice as it cooks, creating an incredible savoury flavoured accompaniment to the chicken. 

Place the uncovered baking dish into the oven for about 45 -55 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken you have used. 

When the dish is ready you will be rewarded with golden brown chicken pieces, snugly surrounded by a bed of moist rice that is just slightly crispy around the edges of the pan. Best eaten immediately with spoonfuls of thick, slightly sour yoghurt.