Go Back
+ servings
Cookup rice and plantain and salad on a white plate
Print

Chicken Cook up Rice

Chicken cook-up rice is a hearty dish of sautéed chicken, black-eyed peas, fresh herbs, veggies, and rice simmered in coconut milk. This Guyanese one-pot meal is typically made for New Year's Eve (Old Year's Night).
Course Chicken Main Dish
Cuisine Guyanese
Keyword chicken cook up rice, cook up rice, cook up rice Guyana, cook up rice Guyana recipe, cook up rice Guyanese, cook up rice recipe, guyanese chicken cook up rice, guyanese chicken cook up rice recipe, Guyanese cook up rice, guyanese cook up rice recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 515kcal

Equipment

  • Large Stock Pot

Ingredients

  • 11/2 lbs chicken thighs diced into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup dried black-eyed peas soaked over night and drained
  • 2 cups of jasmine rice washed and drained
  • 2 tablespoon of coconut oil or other oil for cooking
  • 3 cups of freshly made coconut milk, or
  • 1 cup of canned coconut milk diluted with 2 cups of water
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • ¼ cup of fresh Asian Basil or Marridman poke finely chopped

Seasoning for the chicken

  • 5 cloves garlic grated or 1 tablespoon of granulated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of dried thyme preferably Guyanese thyme
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of cassareep
  • 1 teaspoon of salt or salt to taste

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, add chicken, garlic or granulated garlic, cassareep, brown sugar, salt and black pepper. Then mix together well and let marinate for at least 30 mins
  • Then add coconut oil to a large stock pot on medium heat and bring up to temperature
  • When the oil is hot add the marinated chicken and sauté for 10 mins or until it has a great sear and is brown on all sides
  • Then add the onions and tomatoes and continue to sauté for about 3 minutes
  • Next, add black-eyed peas and 4 cups of water and mix together well. Then increase the heat, cover and cook until the peas are tender enough to be crushed with your finger tips. This should take about 30 minutes
  • When the peas reaches the desired tenderness and all the liquids cook down, add the rice. Mix together well, then sauté for about 2 minutes to toast the rice a little before adding the coconut milk
  • Next add the coconut milk and the Asian basil, stirring the pot constantly to remove any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pot
  • Continue to stir as the coconut milk comes up to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest possible heat, cover the pot and let it steam until the rice is completely cooked. This should take about 30 minutes.
  • Then remove from the heat and fluff with a fork
  • Serve your cook-up rice hot!

Notes

  1. When I first started making cook-up rice on my own, I used parboiled rice because it was the easiest to cook with and most forgiving. Now that I have mastered my cook-up rice making I use Jasmine rice which is my favorite rice to use for cook-up rice.
  2. If you like a more soft and clammy cook-up rice, instead of fluffing the rice with a fork at the end, mix the rice together with the pot spoon and remove from the heat immediatly
  3. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe but bone in chicken adds a lot more flavor to this dish. 

Nutrition

Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 153mg | Sodium: 278mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 4mg