West African Jollof rice with chicken
Jollof rice is one of West Africa's most famous dishes, and its origin is attributed to the Senegal region, then it spread across Nigeria, Ghana, and neighboring countries until it became the dish of occasions and feasts.
It is built on rice cooked in tomato, red pepper, and onion sauce in a single pot until the rice absorbs all the flavor and takes on its distinctive red color. The rivalry between the Nigerian and Ghanaian versions over the best jollof is well known among the region's people.
Mix the chicken cubes with half the garlic and ginger, a pinch of salt, and black pepper, and leave them for ten minutes.
Blend the tomatoes, red bell pepper, hot pepper, and half the onion in a blender until you get a smooth mixture. This sauce is the base of jollof and gives it its red color.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat half the oil and brown the chicken cubes until golden, three to four minutes, then set them aside.
Add the rest of the oil and the remaining chopped onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir them for two minutes, then add the tomato paste and stir it for two minutes until it darkens and its acidity fades.
Pour in the blended tomato mixture and add the thyme, curry, and bay leaves, and cook over medium heat for ten minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens and the oil rises to the surface. This thickening is the secret of jollof's flavor.
Wash the rice well until the water runs clear, then add it to the sauce and stir it until it is coated in the red color, return the chicken, then pour in the stock and adjust the salt.
Cover the pot tightly and lower the heat to its lowest, and leave it for twenty to twenty-five minutes until the rice absorbs all the liquid and cooks. Do not lift the lid often so the steam does not escape.
Take it off the heat and remove the bay leaves, fluff it gently with a fork until the grains separate, leave it covered for five minutes, then serve it hot.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing West African Jollof Rice with Chicken, and how to fix them:
The heat was high so the liquid dried before the grain cooked. Cook it over the lowest heat with a tight lid, and if needed sprinkle a little hot water and re-cover.
It was not washed well or there was too much liquid. Wash the rice until the water runs clear, and stick to the stated amount of stock.
The tomato paste was not sautéed enough or the sauce did not thicken. Sauté the paste until it darkens, and let the sauce cook until the oil rises.
Scotch bonnet pepper is strongly hot. Reduce its amount or remove its seeds, or replace it with sweet red bell pepper.
Served hot, and a side of green salad or fried plantain suits it.
Keeps for three days in an airtight container, and is reheated with a sprinkle of water until it softens.
Freezes for up to a month in an airtight container, and is thawed in the refrigerator before reheating.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Meat or boiled chickpeas | ~ | Protein alternatives for the meat or vegetarian version |
| Basmati rice | Long-grain parboiled rice | 1:1 | It is the traditional rice most used in jollof |
| Scotch bonnet pepper | Red bell pepper | ~ | A close flavor without the heat for anyone who does not like it spicy |
| Chicken stock | Water with a low-salt stock cube | 1:1 | A simpler alternative with salt adjustment |
| Ingredient | 4 servings | 2 servings | 8 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 300 g | 150 g | 600 g |
| Chicken | 500 g | 250 g | 1 kg |
| Stock | 500 ml | 250 ml | 1 L |
Cooking tomatoes in oil increases the availability of lycopene, an antioxidant tomatoes are known for since it dissolves in fats. Make sure the chicken is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius per food safety guidelines.
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