Eleven ingredients and forty-five minutes, with two tablespoons of Cajun seasoning split between the meat and the rice.
One pan does both jobs, one after the other. The chicken is seared and taken out; the rice then simmers in what it left behind.
Why This Recipe Works
- Seasoning the chicken separately gives it a crust rather than a general spiciness.
- A hot dry sear blackens the edges in a way a covered simmer never will.
- Tomato paste cooked in the pan fat is what colours the rice orange-red.
- Simmering the rice in the same pan picks up the fond the chicken left.
- Five minutes of rest lets the rice finish absorbing before it is folded.
Ingredient Notes
- Cajun seasoning, divided
- Two tablespoons in total: one on the chicken and one into the rice. Split rather than shared, so the meat carries a crust of its own.
- Tomato paste
- Two tablespoons, cooked into the pan before the liquid. It is what makes the rice orange-red rather than plain white.
- Long-grain white rice
- A cup, to two cups of broth. Simmered covered until tender and coloured all the way through.
- Red chile
- One small one, sliced into rounds and added raw. Not named in the title and clearly part of the finished bowl.
How to Make It
Sear the chicken blackened, to 165F
Season chicken with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high and sear the chicken until blackened at the edges; transfer when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Green pepper, then tomato paste
In the same pan, add remaining oil and green pepper. Cook 2 minutes, then stir in tomato paste and the remaining Cajun seasoning.
Rice and broth, covered
Add rice, broth, and salt. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and orange-red throughout.
Rest five minutes, fold scallion
Rest the rice 5 minutes, then fold in half the scallion.
Chicken over the rice, chilli on top
Serve the blackened chicken over the rice and finish with red chile, parsley, and remaining scallion. Do not add cream, cheese, beans, honey, or sausage.
One Pan, Two Separate Jobs
The chicken and the rice both cook in the same skillet and never at the same time. That separation is the whole reason this dish looks the way it does, and it is why the two tablespoons of Cajun seasoning are split between them.
Stage 1 of 4
The sear, with nothing else in the pan
Steps 1–1 of 5
1 1/2 lb of breast in large pieces takes 1 TABLESPOON of the Cajun seasoning - half the total, all of it on the meat - and sears in 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high until BLACKENED AT THE EDGES, then leaves the pan the moment it reads 165F. A blackened crust is a dry-heat event; chicken simmered in with rice reaches the same temperature and comes out pale. Taking it out also stops it cooking on through the rice's twenty-odd minutes.
- Sear the chicken blackened, to 165FSeason chicken with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high and sear the chicken until blackened at the edges; transfer when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stage 2 of 4
The pan is reused, not washed
Steps 2–2 of 5
1 tbsp oil and 1/2 cup of diced green bell pepper for 2 minutes, then 2 tbsp of tomato paste and the REMAINING tablespoon of Cajun seasoning stirred in. Everything the chicken left on the base goes into the rice from here. The paste is cooked in the fat rather than stirred into liquid, which darkens it and is what will make the finished rice orange-red rather than plain white.
- Green pepper, then tomato pasteIn the same pan, add remaining oil and green pepper. Cook 2 minutes, then stir in tomato paste and the remaining Cajun seasoning.
Stage 3 of 4
The rice, covered and coloured through
Steps 3–4 of 5
1 cup of long-grain white rice with 2 cups of broth and 1/2 tsp salt, covered and simmered until tender and ORANGE-RED THROUGHOUT - coloured all the way through by simmering in the tinted broth, not stained on top by paste stirred in at the end. Then 5 minutes of rest off the heat before half of 2 sliced scallions is folded through, so the last of the liquid absorbs first.
- Rice and broth, coveredAdd rice, broth, and salt. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and orange-red throughout.
- Rest five minutes, fold scallionRest the rice 5 minutes, then fold in half the scallion.
Stage 4 of 4
Back together, only on the plate
Steps 5–5 of 5
The blackened chicken laid OVER the rice rather than stirred through it, so the crust stays visible, then 1 sliced red chile, 2 tbsp of parsley and the remaining scallion scattered raw. Step 5 also leaves out cream, cheese, beans, honey and sausage by name.
- Chicken over the rice, chilli on topServe the blackened chicken over the rice and finish with red chile, parsley, and remaining scallion. Do not add cream, cheese, beans, honey, or sausage.
Success Tips
- Sear in a hot dry-ish pan and leave the pieces alone until the edges darken.
- Cook the tomato paste for a moment before the broth; raw paste tastes flat.
- Give the rice its five-minute rest before folding anything into it.
Serving Ideas
Four servings in white bowls, the blackened chicken pieces over the orange-red rice flecked with green pepper and scallion, scattered with red chilli rounds and chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook the chicken in with the rice?
It would lose the blackened crust the dish is built on. Step 1 sears it separately and takes it out; it goes back over the rice at the end.
Should there be sausage or beans in it?
No — step 5 leaves out cream, cheese, beans, honey and sausage.
What makes the rice orange-red?
Two tablespoons of tomato paste cooked into the pan with the remaining Cajun seasoning before the broth goes in.
