Top End Chicken and Coconut Rice Bake
A fragrant one-pan weeknight dinner of tender chicken thighs baked directly over coconut jasmine rice with ginger, lime and capsicum.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 560 kcal
Equipment
- •deep baking dish with lid or foil
- •large frypan
- •measuring jug
- •wooden spoon
- •tongs
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- fat
- 23 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 36 g
- calories
- 560 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced).
- 2
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat.
- 3
Brown the chicken thighs for three minutes on each side until lightly coloured, then transfer them to a plate.
- 4
Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger to the hot pan and stir for one minute until fragrant.
- 5
Pour in the rinsed jasmine rice, stirring for one minute to coat the grains evenly.
- 6
Tip the coated rice mixture into a deep baking dish and spread it flat.
- 7
Whisk the coconut milk, chicken stock, lime juice, lime zest and fish sauce together in a measuring jug.
- 8
Pour the liquid evenly over the rice in the dish.
- 9
Nestle the browned chicken pieces and sliced capsicum into the top of the rice.
- 10
Cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil to trap the steam completely.
- 11
Bake for thirty-five minutes until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- 12
Scatter fresh coriander over the top just before taking to the table.
Chef's tips
Rinse the jasmine rice thoroughly in a fine sieve until the water runs clear to prevent the bake becoming gluey. Make sure your baking dish is sealed tightly with heavy-duty foil so steam cannot escape during cooking.
Ingredient substitutions
- fish sauce → gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- chicken thigh fillets → firm white fish fillets (tuck them into the rice for the final 15 minutes of baking)
- red capsicum → sliced baby corn or snake beans
Storage
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat in a covered dish in the microwave or moderate oven with a splash of water until steaming hot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Leaving gaps in the foil cover, which allows steam to escape and leaves the rice hard.
- •Using chicken breast instead of thighs, which easily dries out during the baking time.
- •Skipping the rice rinsing step, which leads to a dense and sticky texture.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Top End Chicken and Coconut Rice Bake?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
