The chicken and rice are kept separate until the plate. Bite-size chicken breast pieces are seasoned with smoked paprika and seared hard until charred at the edges, then set aside.
Bottled peri-peri sauce, cream, lemon juice and red pepper flakes simmer briefly in the same skillet into an orange sauce. The chicken is tossed through it and spooned over cooked white rice.
How to Make It
Chicken seasoned
Toss the chicken with the smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.
Seared until charred and 165°F
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken in a single layer until charred at the edges and cooked to 165°F. Move it to a plate.
Peri-peri cream simmered
Lower the heat and add the peri-peri sauce, cream, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes.
Chicken tossed back in
Return the chicken to the skillet and toss just until coated and hot.
Spooned over rice
Divide the white rice among plates, spoon the chicken and orange sauce over it and finish with parsley.
Ingredient Notes
- Bottled peri-peri sauce
- A third of a cup forms the base of the sauce; heat levels vary by brand.
- Cooked white long-grain rice
- Two cups, kept plain and warm as the base on each plate.
- Red pepper flakes
- A quarter teaspoon for visible flecks and a little extra heat.
Success Tips
- Leave the peri-peri chicken pieces undisturbed for the first couple of minutes so the edges char.
- Taste the bottled peri-peri sauce before adding the pepper flakes; some brands are already quite hot.
- Warm the rice before plating so the cream sauce does not cool as soon as it lands on it.
Why This Recipe Works
- Searing the chicken in a single layer gives charred edges that stand up to the creamy sauce.
- Cream softens the heat of the peri-peri sauce while keeping its colour and tang.
- Lemon juice brightens the sauce so it does not taste heavy over the rice.
How Each Plate Is Built
Three layers, assembled at the last moment.
Parsley
A scatter of chopped parsley over the sauce.
Chicken in peri-peri cream
The charred pieces spooned over with plenty of the orange sauce.
White rice
Plain, warm long-grain rice spread across the plate.
Serving Ideas
Mound the white rice on each plate and spoon the chicken and plenty of the orange sauce over the top, finished with parsley.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate the chicken in its sauce and the rice separately and promptly, and reheat both until steaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the chicken cooked with the rice?
No. The rice is cooked separately and the chicken and sauce are spooned over it.
Which peri-peri sauce should I use?
Any bottled peri-peri sauce works; it is combined with heavy cream, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.
