One Pot Cajun Chicken Rice
This One Pot Cajun Chicken Rice truly was a what-do-I-have-in the-pantry kind of dish. I actually wanted to make this recipe: One Pot Cocunut Chicken Rice (inspired by Kale Junkie), but when I got home I realised I didn’t have any coconut milk, koriander or lime, so that was a bummer. But hey! Why not try something else with the same technique?
So instead of dwelling on what I didn’t have, I decided to improvise. I grabbed some chicken thighs and rubbed them with a generous mix of Cajun spices—thyme, oregano, paprika, pepper, and salt. Then, I pan-fried them skin-side down to get that beautiful golden crispiness and let all those delicious juices release into the pan.
For the rice, I wanted something hearty but with a little freshness. I added shredded pointed cabbage, onions, celery, garlic, and chicken stock, letting everything simmer together so the rice could soak up all those bold, smoky flavors. And you know what? It was an absolute hit!
The chicken was juicy, the rice was packed with flavour, and those little crunchy bits of cabbage? Such a good addition. Honestly, sometimes the best recipes come from last-minute improvisations—this one is definitely going on repeat.
A few other one pot recipes:
Pumpkin & Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Crispy
Fennel Sausage in a Tomato, Fennel & Parmesan Broth
Cheesy Pumpkin, Leek & Butter Bean Bake
Curried Yellow Split Pea Coconut Soup
One Pot Cajun Chicken Rice
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- Rice:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium shallot or white onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 cup uncooked white rice, rinsed
- 460 ml hot water
- 1/2 chicken stock cube
- 4 Spring onions, white parts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 250 g point cabbage, roughly chopped (optional, see notes)
- 3 - 4 slices of lemon
- To serve
- Spring onions (green parts), finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Pat the chicken dry and season well with the spice rub, massage it into the meat. Heat the oil in a large (ovenproof) skillet and add the chicken skin side down. Leave it without moving it for 6-7 minutes until golden and crispy. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the same pan heat some more oil and add the onions, garlic and celery and sauté until softened and fragrant, ± 2 minutes. Add the rice and spring onions and stir to coat the rice with the rest of the ingredients. Toast the rice for 3-4 minutes.
Add the hot water and crumble in the stock cube, stir and bring to a simmer. Add the sliced cabbage and mix well.
Place the chicken on top of the rice, skin side up and divide the lemon slices in between the chicken pieces.
Cover the skillet with a lid (ovenproof) or aluminium foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the skin is nice and crispy.
Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve with extra chilis, koriander and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
Notes
Whenever I can I like to add extra vegetables to a dish, I still had some cabbage in the freezer, but you could mix around with this: snow peas, broccoli, courgette, sugar snaps, bimi, peppers. Whatever you have at hand and tickles your fancy!
