This One-Pot Jerk Chicken and Rice is a flavor explosion your family will love! Tender chicken thighs seasoned with aromatic jerk spices cook on a bed of coconut-infused rice and beans for a complete Caribbean meal that comes together with minimal effort.
Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I've been making Jamaican jerk chicken and rice and peas forever, but it's taken me a while to make the dish in one pot. Once I made it this way, my family loved it, and it was so much less work.
This recipe takes chicken thighs, sears them to lock in flavor and build it, and then bakes everything together in one pot. All those amazing jerk spices infuse into the rice for a meal that tastes like it took hours but comes together in under an hour!
If you like jerk chicken, you'll love this jerk chicken bowl, too.
Essential Ingredients Needed
- Protein: Bone-in chicken thighs, skin on for maximum flavor and presentation.
- Seasonings: Dry jerk seasoning (or wet jerk seasoning), kosher salt, black pepper, fresh thyme sprigs
- Rice base: Long-grain white rice (rinsed well), red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- Aromatics: Yellow onion (finely chopped), green onions for garnish
- Liquids: Coconut milk (full-fat for best results), chicken broth or stock, fresh lime for serving
- Cooking fat: Canola or olive oil
Tools Needed
- Large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (with a lid)
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Tongs or spatula (for turning chicken)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula (for stirring)
- Foil (if reheating in the oven)
How to Make This Recipe
Prep and season the chicken: Pat your chicken thighs dry and generously season with jerk seasoning, making sure to get underneath the skin for maximum flavor.
Sear the chicken: In a large oven-safe skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and sear the chicken thighs skin-side down first until nicely browned, then flip and brown the other side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Start building flavors: In the same skillet, sauté chopped onions until softened, letting them pick up all those browned bits from the chicken.
Add the rice mixture: Stir in the rinsed rice and toast it for about a minute. Then add the broth, coconut milk, kidney beans, remaining jerk seasoning, and thyme sprigs.
Combine and bake: Nestle the seared chicken thighs back into the rice mixture, cover tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the rice is tender.
Rest and serve: Let everything rest for a few minutes, then fluff the rice, garnish with green onions and a squeeze of lime juice, and serve while hot!
Variations
This recipe is great as is, but here are some easy variations to change it up.
- Protein swap: Try this dish with boneless chicken thighs or breast (same cooking time), shrimp (add in the last 10 minutes of cooking), or even pork for a different twist.
- Heat level adjustments: If you're sensitive to spice, use less jerk seasoning or try a milder version.
- Rice alternatives: Try brown rice (you'll need to increase liquid and cooking time).
Serving Suggestions
The perfect sides can take your jerk chicken and rice from delicious to absolutely memorable. Here are some of my favorite pairings:
- Serve with sweet plantains are an authentic side that balances the spicy chicken with natural sweetness.
- Cool down the heat with a refreshing tropical beverage like a sorrel drink or a homemade rum punch.
Tanya's Top Tips
- For this one pot meal, I usually skip a long marination time. However, the chicken can be seasoned and marinated for up to 24 hours in advance if you prefer deeper flavor. Just be sure to cover and refrigerate the chicken until you’re ready to cook.
- Don't skip searing the chicken! This crucial step helps lock in juices and creates those delicious browned bits that flavor the entire dish.
- If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, transfer everything to a casserole dish before baking.
Storing and Reheating
To store Jerk Chicken and Rice, let it cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, you can warm the chicken and rice together in the oven by covering the dish with foil, adding a splash of water or broth to keep the rice moist, and baking at 350°F (175°C) for about 20-25 minutes, or until everything is heated through.
I hope you enjoy this jerk chicken and rice as much as we do. If you give it a try, please leave a comment below with your results.
One-Pot Jerk Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- 2.5 tablespoons dry jerk seasoning divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
- ½ cup chopped yellow onions
- 1 cup long-grain white rice rinsed
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 15.5 oz can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, if fresh is not available
- 1 chopped green onion for garnish
- 1 fresh lime for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Pat the chicken thighs dry, then season with 2 tablespoons jerk seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Rub the seasoning on both sides of the chicken and under the skin.
- Heat canola oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken, skin side down first, for 4-5 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the chopped onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the rinsed rice, remaining jerk seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Cook and stir for about 1 minute to lightly toast the rice.
- Pour in the chicken broth and coconut milk and stir. Stir in the red kidney beans and add the thyme sprigs.
- Nestle the seared chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture. Cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before fluffing the rice. Remove the thyme sprig before serving. Garnish with chopped green onions and a squeeze of lime juice right before serving. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Marinating the chicken for at least 2 hours or overnight can deepen the flavor, but it is optional if you're short on time.
- Rinsing the rice removes excess starch, which can make the rice sticky, helping to achieve fluffier grains.
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