North African Chicken and Rice Recipe

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ByJi-hyun

In the hustle and bustle of life these days, most people prefer to just have a quick meal to be done with it. But there are times when you just want to slow down and take your time cooking at home. This North African Chicken and Rice recipe lets you take a step back and have a wonderful, hearty meal without all the rush. Try it out!

North African Chicken and Rice Recipe Ingredients

  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
  • 4 cups hot cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 cup chopped pitted green olives
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1 medium lemon, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Recipe Directions

  1. Cook your rice. You can do this in a rice cooker, over the stove, or using an Instant Pot.
  2. In a slow cooker, combine the diced onions and oil.
  3. Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions.
  4. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the minced fresh cilantro, ground turmeric, paprika, sea salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, and chili powder.
  5. Top with raisins, olives, lemon, and garlic.
  6. Add chicken broth.
  7. Cover the cooker and cook on low until the chicken is tender or about 4 to 5 hours.
  8. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Recipe Tips

  • You can use any type of rice that you want for this recipe.
  • While the recipe specifies the use of chicken broth, you can use water if you prefer that.
  • You can garnish with more cilantro and lemon before serving the dish.
  • If raisins are not to your liking, you can remove them from the recipe.

Final Note

This recipe marries chicken with the flavorful spices of North Africa. Add in some rice and you’re good to go! Best of all, this North African Chicken and Rice recipe only uses a rice cooker and a slow cooker to bring everything together. No need to wash and use multiple pots. Set the chicken cooking in the slow cooker, let your rice cooker make your rice, and then you can just sit back and relax until it’s dinner time.

Looking for other dishes to spice up your weekly dinners? Check out our recipes.

Hailing from California, USA. Ji-hyun is a Korean American 🇰🇷🇺🇸 with two growing boys who eat their weight in rice each week. After graduating UCLA & becoming a mom she started We Know Rice as a guide for all the students and moms out there looking to cook healthy and filling meals.