Malaysian-born cookbook author Ping Coombes has shared a recipe for a wholesome one-pot chicken and rice dish, featuring a zingy marinade and added fibre from lentils and sweetcorn. The dish uses skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs marinated in a mixture of pineapple juice, honey, soy sauces, sesame oil, five spice, and ginger.
The method begins by scoring the chicken thighs and marinating them for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. After browning the chicken skin-side down in a large ovenproof pan, the marinade is poured in and reduced briefly before the chicken is set aside.
Butter, garlic, jasmine or basmati rice, chicken stock powder, water, sweetcorn, and green lentils are then stirred into the pan. The chicken is nestled back into the rice mixture, covered, and baked at 180C (160C fan) for 35 minutes. After resting for five minutes, the dish is garnished with chopped chives and served, ideally with a green salad topped with toasted sesame seeds.
Coombes developed the recipe to introduce more fibre and balance to rice dishes, adding texture and flavour through the lentils and sweetcorn. It is an edited extract from her book Rice: Make Rice the Heart of Your Table with Recipes from Malaysia and Beyond, published by Murdoch Books at £26.
