One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice for a true flavor explosion! Chicken thighs baked to crispy perfection on a bed of fragrant rice and beans come together in a dash for an easy weeknight meal.
Who doesn’t love a good one-pot meal? Less prep, less cleaning, and it’s on your table in about an hour. Plus, the way the chicken juice seeps into the rice and flavors it is heavenly. 😇
I cook this jerk chicken and rice recipe in an oven-proof skillet because it can go from stovetop to oven without messing up an extra pan. That said, you could easily use a Dutch oven.
The Secret to Insanely Good One-Pot Jerk Chicken and Rice
I’m all for saving time in the kitchen, but one ingredient is worth spending a little time making at home: homemade jerk spice. Most store-bought blends don’t even come close to the flavor of this homemade version, and you can customize it to your preferences. 😋
What You Need
- Chicken – Any cut of chicken will work here, but chicken thighs are the juiciest and most flavorful.
- Rice – Any long-grain rice, basic white rice, jasmine, and basmati will do. Even brown rice works, though you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Beans – Kidney beans add flavor and extra protein to this dish, making it extra satisfying.
- Broth – For extra flavor, I cook the rice in chicken broth instead of water.
- Coconut Milk adds creaminess and a tropical undertone.
- Seasonings – Garlic, onion, thyme, bay leaves, white pepper, Creole seasoning, chicken bouillon, paprika, scotch bonnet pepper, and green onion to garnish are fantastic.
How to Make One-Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃).
- Rinse the chicken thighs and pat them dry—season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons) and bouillon powder.
- Season – Then, rub both sides of each piece with a generous amount of jerk seasoning.
- Sear – Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pot. Then add chicken thighs skin side up, and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn it. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Vegetables, Rice, and Beans
- Clean Pan – Wipe the pan with a paper towel or napkin to remove any burned bits from the pan.
- Saute – Add another 2 tablespoons of oil, followed by onions, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf, and sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes.
- Assemble – Then, add the rice and beans. Next, add all the remaining ingredients: chicken stock, coconut milk, paprika, white pepper, jerk seasoning, salt, and bouillon. Add the chicken back to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
- Bake – Place the pan in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is done.
- Serve – Remove from oven, allow to rest a minute, garnish with chopped green onions if desired, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Try a different protein. Instead of chicken, try it with pork or shrimp. You can also swap out kidney beans for a different kind of bean if you’d like. 🫘
- Turn the heat up (or down). If you don’t enjoy spicy food, leave the hot pepper out. But if you’re a heat seeker, dice the scotch bonnet and prepare for the burn. For somewhere in the middle, add the scotch bonnet whole.
- Add more veggies. Chopped bell peppers, peas, carrots, or other veggies are delicious and nutritious.
Tips and Tricks
- For faster cooking, make a ½-inch slit in the chicken thigh meat on both sides before searing.
- Rinse the rice to remove excess starch for fluffier results. ☁️
- An instant-read meat thermometer ensures the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (75℃). 🌡️
Make-Ahead Instructions
To make this dish ahead of time, let it cool and refrigerate it in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months. Then, thaw, reheat, and enjoy!
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve one-pot jerk chicken and rice piping hot, fresh out of the oven, and garnished with chopped green onions.
Refrigerate leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container for 3-5 days. To reheat this dish, pop it back in the oven set to 350℉ (180℃) for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Add a couple of tablespoons of water or broth to prevent drying. Or pop individual portions in the microwave.
What Goes With One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
This dish goes beautifully with fried plantains and Caribbean coleslaw. A sorrel drink might cool down the heat from the scotch bonnet. Or, if you are feeling like an adult beverage, a pina colada works just as well. 😉
More Caribbean-Inspired Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”jTCYDYNO” upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:48:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice” description=”One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice – A flavor explosion in a pot! Comes together quickly- chicken thighs baked to crispy perfection on a bed of fragrant rice and beans.”]
This blog post was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
Jerk Chicken Thighs
- 2½-3 pounds (1-1.5k) chicken thighs (about 5-6)
- 1½ teaspoons (8g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (2g) chicken bouillon (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons (12-24g) jerk seasoning
One Pot Jerk Chicken and Rice
- 4 tablespoons (60ml) canola oil
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 small bay leaves
- 2 cups (360g) uncooked long grain rice
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (1¾ cups)
- 1 15.5-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon (5g) white pepper
- 1½-2 teaspoons (8-10g) Creole seasoning (or jerk seasoning)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-2¼ cups (470-530ml) chicken broth (or water) If using 6 chicken thighs, I use 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon (4g) chicken bouillon (optional)
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon (6g) paprika (optional)
- 1 green onion for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Wash chicken thighs. For faster cooking, make a ½-inch slit into the meat on either side of the bone and pat dry with a paper towel—season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons) and bouillon powder.
- Rub both sides of the thighs with a generous amount of jerk seasoning.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pot. Then add chicken thighs skin side up, and brown for about 3 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn it. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
- Wipe the pan with a paper towel or napkin to remove any burned bits from the pan.
- Add another 2 tablespoons of oil, followed by onions, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf, and sauté until soft but not golden, 2-3 minutes.
- Then, add the rice and beans. Next, add all the remaining ingredients: chicken stock, coconut milk, paprika, white pepper, jerk seasoning, salt, and bouillon. Add the chicken back to the pot and bring everything to a boil.
- Place the pan in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is done.
- Remove from oven, allow to rest a minute, garnish with chopped green onions if desired, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- Feel free to replace the jerk seasoning with Creole, taco, or your favorite spice mix.
- For faster cooking, make a ½-inch slit in the chicken thigh meat on both sides before searing.
- Rinse the rice to remove excess starch for fluffier results. ☁️
- An instant-read meat thermometer ensures the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (75℃).
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Lisa says
Do you cover this when you put it in the oven?
ImmaculateBites says
No, I don’t .
Nikki K says
I just wanted to hop on here quick to say thank you for this AMAZING recipe. I just made it for the second time tonight and can definitely say this is going to be one of our favorites forEVER. Ridiculous how good it is, and how easy. And how easy to clean up after! The first time I made it, I had just been searching online for a good jerk chicken and rice recipe and it was the “one pot” bit that sold me on this one (though I only had a 10″ cast iron at the time so had to buy a larger one, which seemed like a good thing to have anyway). So so glad I tried it. I’m a cheater so I just rub the chicken down with some Walkerswood first but it’s perfection anyway. Only thing I did differently the second go round was add a second can of beans. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
You are an angel.
ImmaculateBites says
You are too kind!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Marielle Altenor says
OMG, that looks so good! I seriously drooled all over my keyboard! This recipe is calling out my name!!!
ImmaculateBites says
You should make it Marielle.
Jennifer says
Why am I just finding out about this site?!? There’s no time like the present.
Am I able to swap the thigh meat for chicken breast or wings? Should they be bone-in for the chicken breast? How will this alter the cooking time?
ImmaculateBites says
Make it boneless. And adjust time to a few minutes less. So the chicken don’t dry out. However, chicken should be fully cooked with clear water running from chicken when pierce with a fork.Test before serving. Happy Cooking!!!
Susan says
Thank you this is helpful
Cherise says
I just want to drop a note to let you know how much I enjoy your website. It’s visually stunning and the food is delicious. My son has never enjoyed my cooking, but when I made your One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken Rice dish, he couldn’t get enough. And he knows good food–from his father’s cooking–he’s from West Africa. Are you planning on creating a cookbook with a compilation of these fabulous recipes? I hope so! You should be on the Food Network sharing your incredible food perspective! Thank you! 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Aww that’s so sweet of you. Thank you so much!!! So glad to hear the recipe worked out well for you and your son enjoyed it too!! This one pot chicken just explodes with flavor and is a hit all the time.
Am working on compiling the recipes and creating a book – hoping to get it done soon. God bless!!!!
Oluwakemi says
I tried this recipe on Sunday. The prep work (I hate prep work) was not stressful, and the end result was soooooo good. My brother pretty much ate the whole dish by himself (I heard from my dad that both my brother and my mom woke up for some midnight rice and chicken). There is so much taste and flavor. Your website has re-inspired my passion for cooking. And my dad was pleased to see that you have some Nigerian recipes on here as well. I am looking forward to everything you have to offer.
ImmaculateBites says
Yay!!! Really makes me so happy to read this. Making the whole family happy and coming back for more.. Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me. Glad you are here. Happy Cooking
Binta says
OMG! Ahamazing.. God bless you alwell! Now is this rice parboiled too? I mean do we have to parboil?
ImmaculateBites says
No you do not have to parboil the rice.
Kristin says
I’m pregnant and was craving jerk chicken today…I found your recipe on Pinterest, and it was so, SO good!! I can’t wait to try more from this blog! My husband and I cleaned our plates and there’s a ton left over for tomorrow. 🙂
I shared the recipe on Pinterest and on Facebook. Thanks for posting this one!
ImmaculateBites says
My pleasure!!! Glad I could help satisfy some of your cravings….I know how that feels.. Thank you so much for spreading the love . You are too sweet!!!
Amanda says
This was amazing! We loved it. I omitted the scotch bonnet pepper, and I’m glad I did because it was the perfect amount of spice. Thank you.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Glad it turned out well for you.
Kerry says
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GREAT RECIPE!
ImmaculateBites says
Your Welcome!!!Thanks for the feedback!!
Shanni says
I just wanted to let you know I made this recipe and it was FANTASTIC. I also wanted to say that I detest DETEST rice and usually avoid it like the plague and eating my THIRD bowl. I liked the chicken (made it with chicken breast) I love love love the rice. This is the best rice combo I have ever had. I also like the fact that it literally only took 10 minutes to put together. So thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes Girl! Only 10 mins prep. It gets me all the time. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. And so glad you enjoyed this rice and chicken
Sophia says
I am a Jamaican and very busy, kid is home from college for the summer so I have to cook a lot; I am tired of the samehing so is the family lol; I tried this receipt last week omg!!! amazing in Jamaica its usually a two pot thing, one pot shove it in the oven my husband and daughter loved it. Thanks for sharing
ImmaculateBites says
My Pleasure! Good to know it was a hit with the family. And thank you so much for letting me know.
Sophia says
Do you have anymore “One Pot” receipts you can share?
Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, I have do. Here’s another rice version https://www.africanbites.com/one-pot-puerto-rican-chicken-and-rice/ and a one pot spaghetti https://www.africanbites.com/creamy-jerk-spaghetti/.
Stacey says
Mine didn’t turn out very good. It doesn’t look like the picture. It was very watery after 30 min. I drained some liquid and had to cook another 20 mi
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry to hear about that. The best way to go about it is to simmer for about 5 mins stove top until the rice soaks up the water. Before placing in the oven.
Sofia says
Hi there!
I made this last night and it tasted delicious, but one thing I noticed was the colour depicted in your pictures wasn’t really there. In your pictures, the chicken and rice have a warm colour to them (golden/yellowish). However, my rice was still looking pretty pale. Is there perhaps something I may have missed out? What is the key ingredient that contributes to the beautiful colour in your food?
It was my first time cooking it so I may have missed something out or not taken enough time with it.
ImmaculateBites says
Did you include paprika? Its’ what gives it that glow. I always use it in my recipes. Not traditional but who’s checking. Give it a go.
Delores says
I’m not a big fan of cocunut, is there another substitution?
ImmaculateBites says
Use Chicken Broth instead.