One-pot Lemongrass Roasted Chicken and Rice

This is an incredibly low-maintenance dish. It involves one pot (so minimal clearing up) and is a great weeknight meal if you have friends over. If you don’t have time to make the marinade paste, you can sub this for a good-quality shop bought Thai curry (or other curry) paste and it will still taste wonderful. If you’re making this for kids, you can omit the chilli. I serve it with some simple steamed greens, such as bok choy or tenderstem broccoli.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 skinless chicken thighs
• 170g basmati rice
• 330ml chicken stock
• 80ml coconut milk
• dash of fish sauce
• handful of fresh coriander
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

For the Marinade

• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh root ginger, peeled
• 3 cloves garlic
• small bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 green chilli, deseeded
• 4 fresh lime leaves or zest of 1 lime
• 1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer layer removed
• 1 tbsp mild olive oil
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• pinch of salt

STEP BY STEP

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200ºC/gas 6. Roughly chop and blitz all the marinade ingredients in a small food processor or electric spice grinder, adding a dash of coconut milk or water so it blends into a smooth paste.

Rub the marinade all over the chicken thighs and place them in a small-medium ovenproof dish or roasting tray. You want the thighs to fit snugly in the dish. Roast the chicken thighs in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven, lift out the chicken thighs and set aside on a plate. Add the uncooked rice to the chicken roasting tray.

Place the stock and coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour this mixture over the rice, add a dash of fish sauce and a pinch of salt, then return the chicken thighs on top. Return the whole lot to the oven and roast for another 30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and the chicken is falling off the bone. Serve with fresh coriander and wedges of lime.

TIP: If you want to prepare this ahead, make the marinade and rub it onto the chicken, then place covered in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. You can also double up this marinade and freeze half for another day.