Peri peri chicken and rice bake: 55g protein and 456 calories a serving, and one dish to wash. The chicken roasts in garlicky, lemony peri peri paste on rice cooking in bone broth, so every grain catches the drippings. Ten minutes of prep, an hour in the oven, then a blended cottage cheese sauce on top. Perfect for meal prep.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken breasts: most of the protein in each serving comes from here. They go in whole so they stay juicy through the long bake; diced chicken overcooks before the rice is done.
- Long-grain white rice: rinse it first to wash off surface starch, or the rice turns gluey. Basmati and jasmine both work. Brown rice and instant rice don’t.
- Chicken bone broth: cooks the rice and adds protein that regular broth doesn’t. Regular broth works, but the protein per serving drops.
- Cottage cheese: the base of the sauce, and where the sneaky protein lives. Blended for a full minute, nobody clocks it. Plain Greek yogurt swaps in with similar protein and a tangier finish, and it only needs stirring.
- Peri peri paste: smoked paprika, garlic, lemon, red wine vinegar, oregano and cayenne. The cayenne sets the heat: ½ teaspoon is mild, 1½ teaspoons is properly hot. A jarred peri peri sauce works in a pinch (about 4 tablespoons); skip the added salt, as most are already salty.
- Bell pepper, onion and peas: the vegetables. The peas go in at the end so they stay bright. Shelled edamame is a higher-protein swap.
How to Make Peri Peri Chicken and Rice Bake
- Make the paste. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk the paste ingredients together, then spoon 2 tablespoons into a small bowl for the sauce before the rest goes anywhere near raw chicken.
- Build the rice layer. Add the rinsed rice, onion, pepper, spices and broth to a 9×13 dish. Stir and press it level: any grains sitting above the broth line stay hard.
- Coat the chicken. Rub the remaining paste all over the chicken breasts, lay them on the rice, and scrape any leftover paste over the top.
- Seal and bake. Cover with foil and crimp it tight around every edge of the dish. Bake 55 minutes. The rice should be tender with no liquid pooling; if it’s still firm in the centre, re-cover and give it 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Add the peas and broil. Check the chicken reads 165°F (74°C). Scatter the peas around it and broil (grill) for 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges of the chicken char.
- Blend the sauce. Let the dish rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, blend the cottage cheese, reserved paste and a squeeze of lemon for a full 60 seconds, until no curds remain. Add water a teaspoon at a time until it runs off a spoon, then drizzle over the top.
Tips for Getting It Right
Crunchy rice in a chicken and rice bake almost always means steam escaped, either through a loose foil edge or because some rice sat above the broth.
- Crimp the foil on all four sides. If your foil is thin, use a double layer.
- Press the rice under the broth before the chicken goes on. Check the corners.
- Measure the broth. 2¼ cups to 1 cup of rice.
- Watch small breasts. If yours are under 6 oz each, check them at 45 minutes. Lift them out if done, then return them to broil.
- Thin the sauce properly. Unthinned, it’s too thick to drizzle. A squeeze bottle, or a zip bag with the corner snipped, gives clean lines.
Variations
- Chicken thighs: richer and much harder to overcook. Calories and fat go up a little.
- Edamame instead of peas: about twice the protein of peas, and the same timing.
- Mild for kids: skip the cayenne in the paste (use sweet or smoked paprika instead, as long as it’s mild), then stir some into the sauce for the adults.
What to Serve With It
- Vegetable: a crisp cucumber and tomato salad with lemon.
- Sweet: Cottage Cheese Chocolate Mousse to finish.
How to Store and Reheat
- Fridge: airtight containers, up to 4 days. Keep the sauce in a separate small pot.
- Freezer: the chicken and rice freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Make the sauce fresh, as blended cottage cheese goes grainy once thawed.
- Reheat: covered in the microwave with a splash of water, until piping hot all the way through. Spoon the sauce on cold rather than reheating it, or it can split.
FAQ
Can I use brown rice in this chicken and rice bake?
Not with this method. Brown rice needs more liquid and a longer bake, and the chicken overcooks before the rice is tender.
How spicy is peri peri chicken and rice bake?
That’s down to the cayenne: ½ teaspoon is mild, 1½ teaspoons is hot. The cottage cheese sauce cools it either way.
Can I get more protein in this recipe?
Use bone broth rather than regular broth, swap the peas for edamame, and double the sauce. Each adds a few grams per serving without changing the method.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese in the sauce?
Yes. Plain Greek yogurt has similar protein, tastes tangier, and only needs stirring with the reserved paste rather than blending.
Is peri peri chicken and rice bake gluten-free?
Yes as written, as long as your broth is labelled gluten-free.
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Peri Peri Chicken and Rice Bake
Peri peri chicken baked on broth-cooked rice in one dish, finished with a blended cottage cheese sauce. 55g protein per serving.
Ingredients
Peri-peri paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 4 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 lemon - zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ to 1½ teaspoon cayenne - or crushed red pepper, mild to hot
- 1 teaspoon salt
In the dish
- 1 cup long-grain white rice - rinsed
- 1 small onion - finely diced
- 1 red or orange bell pepper - diced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2¼ cups chicken bone broth
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - 1.5 lb / 680g total, left whole
- 1 cup frozen peas
Peri-peri cottage cheese sauce
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons reserved peri-peri paste
- ½ lemon - juiced, optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water - to loosen, if needed
Instructions
- Make the paste. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk the paste ingredients. Set aside 2 tbsp for the sauce, and then add the chicken so it can marinate while you prep the rest.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 4 garlic cloves, 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ to 1½ teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Build the rice layer. Rice, onion, pepper, spices and broth into a 9×13 dish. Stir. Press level so all the rice is under the broth.1 cup long-grain white rice, 1 small onion, 1 red or orange bell pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 2¼ cups chicken bone broth
- Lay the coated chicken on the rice. Scrape leftover paste on top.
- Seal and bake. Cover, crimp the foil edges tight, bake 55 minutes. Rice still firm or liquid pooled? Re-cover, 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Add peas and broil. Chicken at 165°F (74°C). Scatter peas around it. Broil (grill) 3 to 4 minutes.1 cup frozen peas
- Make the sauce. Rest 5 minutes. Blend cottage cheese, reserved paste and lemon 60 seconds. Thin with water, 1 tsp at a time. Drizzle.1 cup cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons reserved peri-peri paste, ½ lemon, 1 to 2 tablespoons water
Notes
- Foil sealed on every edge. One gap = crunchy rice.
- Every grain under the broth before the chicken goes on.
- Long-grain white rice only. No brown, no instant.
- Breasts under 6 oz? Check at 45 minutes.
- Sauce won’t drizzle? More water, 1 tsp at a time.
- Storage & reheating: Fridge 4 days, sauce in a separate pot. Freeze chicken and rice up to 2 months; make sauce fresh. Reheat covered with a splash of water.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1100mg | Potassium: 1092mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2675IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 3mg
