Bill Granger's Curried Chicken & Rice
A cosy, flavour-packed dinner inspired by Bill Granger, this One-Pot Curried Chicken and Rice is made with simple pantry ingredients yet delivers incredible warmth and depth. The chicken cooks until tender, the rice absorbs all the curry-infused stock, and everything comes together in one dish for an easy, comforting meal perfect for busy nights.
Equipment
- Flameproof casserole dish (Dutch oven)
Ingredients
CURRIED CHICKEN & RICE
- 1kg chicken pieces, bone in & skin on (see Notes)
- 2 tablespoons curry powder (I used Keens)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 300g basmati rice
- 750ml (3 cups) liquid chicken stock
CUCUMBER & MINT RAITA (OPTIONAL)
- 1 large Lebanese cucumber, halved & deseeded
- 1 cup natural style Greek yoghurt
- ¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garam masala (or ground cumin)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
BILL'S CUCUMBER & LIME SALAD (OPTIONAL)
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved & chopped
- 3 spring/green onions, sliced
- Small handful fresh whole mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- pinch of sea salt
TO SERVE (OPTONAL)
- Natural style Greek yoghurt (if not making the raita above)
- Steamed green beans
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
CURRIED CHICKEN & RICE
- Preheat oven to 200℃. Place the chicken pieces into a large bowl. Add the curry powder and toss to coat well. (Alternately, place into a plastic bag and shake until evenly coated).
- Place a heavy-based casserole pan with tight fitting lid over medium heat. Add the oil and chicken pieces and cook until they are sealed and browned all over. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the onion is soft and pale golden in colour. Add the rice, stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan in a single layer over the rice. Carefully pour over the stock. Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes of until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with Cucumber & Mint Raita or serve Bill's way with Greek yoghurt and the Cucumber and Lime salad on the side. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve with steamed green beans on the side.
CUCUMBER & MINT RAITA
- Coarsely grate the cucumber with a box grater then squeeze out excess liquid. Place into a bowl along with remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Cover and chill until required. Serve with the Curried Chicken and Rice.
CUCUMBER & LIME SALAD (BILL'S)
- Combine cucumber, spring/green onions and mint leaves in a bowl.
- Whisk olive oil, lime juice and salt together then drizzle over the cucumber salad and lightly toss to combine. Serve on the side with the Curried Chicken & Rice.
Notes
- COOKS NOTES:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified. - CHICKEN PIECES
You can purchase 1kg of already cut chicken pieces such as legs or thighs or chop a 1.4 - 1.6kg chicken into 8 serving pieces as I do. If buying pieces, you can use just 1 type of cut (such as thigh cutlets) or a mixture of different cuts. - BILL GRANGER
This recipe comes from Bill Granger in his book Simply Bill, page 21.