Pepe’s-Style Chicken and Rice Box with Garlic Mayo

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 0.25 tsp Garlic granules (Use ¼–½ tsp, depending on how strong you like it.)
• Water (Add until the desired consistency.)
• 1 cup Basmati rice (Thoroughly washed.)
• Neutral oil or butter (Use to lightly fry the rice; amount not specified. Oil or butter are alternatives.)
• 1 tsp Tomato paste
• 0.5 tsp Turmeric
• 0.25 tsp Cumin
• 0.5 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 0.5 tsp Garam masala (Spelling normalized from “garamasala.”)
• 0.5 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Shan’s Biryani mix (The source also spells this “Shans Biriyani mix.”)
• 2 cups Hot water (Used to make chicken stock.)
• 1 Chicken stock cube
• 2 Chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs (Use 2 chicken breasts or 4 boneless chicken thighs.)
• 2 tbsp Plain yoghurt
• 1 tbsp Oil (For the chicken marinade.)
• 0.5 Lemon juice (Juice of ½ lemon.)
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or red chilli powder (Either Kashmiri chilli powder or red chilli powder.)
• 0.5 tsp Smoked paprika
• 0.5 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Peri peri seasoning (Seasoning blend; ingredients not specified.)
• Salt (To taste.)
• Black pepper (To taste.)
• Extra marinade sauce (For basting halfway through grilling; amount not specified. Use reserved marinade.)

Steps

1. 1

   For the garlic mayo, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, and garlic granules. Add water gradually, mixing until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

2. 2

   Cover the garlic sauce and refrigerate it; the source says it tastes better the longer it is left in the fridge.

3. 3

   Thoroughly wash the basmati rice to remove excess starch, then drain it.

4. 4

   Heat a little neutral oil or butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the washed rice and lightly fry for a few minutes to seal the grains.

5. 5

   Add the tomato paste and coat the rice with it. Cook for 1 minute.

6. 6

   Add the turmeric, cumin, Kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala, and paprika. Cook for another minute.

7. 7

   Stir in the Shan’s Biryani mix for extra flavour.

8. 8

   Dissolve the chicken stock cube in the hot water, then add the stock to the rice. Do not stir the rice, as the source warns that stirring can make it gloopy.

9. 9

   Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for about 10–12 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.

10. 10

    Keep the rice covered and let it steam off the heat for another 5–10 minutes.

11. 11

    For the chicken, combine the chicken, plain yoghurt, oil, lemon juice, chilli powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, peri peri seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix to coat the chicken, then leave it to marinate; the longer it marinates, the better it tastes.

12. 12

    Place the marinated chicken under a medium-high grill and cook for about 8–12 minutes, turning or checking as needed so it cooks through and chars. The source does not specify a grill temperature or a more exact turning schedule.

13. 13

    Halfway through grilling, baste the chicken with extra marinade sauce to help keep it juicy.

14. 14

    Remove the chicken once nicely charred. Serve the chicken over the rice, with as much garlic sauce as you like; the transcript also suggests drizzling any leftover pan sauce over the chicken.

Notes

The source does not specify quantities for the rice-frying fat, water added to thin the sauce, salt and pepper, the marinating duration, or the extra basting sauce. It also gives no exact grill temperature. The transcript describes pan-frying as an alternative, but the written recipe specifies grilling. Chicken quantity is given as either 2 breasts or 4 boneless thighs.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• chicken
• rice
• grilled
• spicy
• takeaway-style
• gluten-free
• contains dairy