Chicken Perloo
Updated March 20, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup olive oil
- 6celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1large green bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 3large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1(14-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
- 2teaspoons dry rib rub spice (see Tip)
- Salt
- 6cups chicken stock (see Tip)
- 1cup Charleston Gold or arborio rice
- 12ounces smoked or rotisserie chicken meat, pulled into large pieces (from roughly half a bird)
- Chopped scallions, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
753 calories; 34 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 69 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 42 grams protein; 2031 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables become translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the stewed tomatoes, rib rub and a pinch of salt to the sautéed vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is gone and the mixture begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pot, about 10 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the stock and bring to a boil, raising the heat if needed. Stir in the rice and smoked chicken and transfer to the oven.
- Step 5
Bake, uncovered, until the rice is soft and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, season with salt to taste and garnish with the scallions.
- You can buy and use any dry spice mix meant for ribs or you can make your own according to Rodney’s recipe: Mix 2 tablespoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), 1 tablespoon MSG, 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar, ½ tablespoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon onion powder and ¼ teaspoon cayenne.
- If you have some leftover potlikker (the leftover liquid after you cook a pot of greens or beans), use that instead of chicken stock.
Private Notes
Comments
Plenty of "genuine" Perloo recipes out there call for 5-6 cups. Why not just say, "some of us like our Perloo with less stock," instead of throwing shade at the recipe?
Six cups of stock is way too much. Three cups is more than enough if you want genuine Perloo. If you want chicken, rice, and tomato stew, use 6 cups.
Made this and it was great. Not much smoked chicken in these parts so I used rotisserie. I had home made stock frozen so I put it in the Instant Pot and chucked in a smoked ham hock to get the smoke flavor. Only thing I added was some collard greens and dayum, real good.
I really enjoyed reading this article about perloo and its connection to Lowcountry and West African traditions. It reminded me how food can tell stories about history and culture. I think it’s amazing how a simple one-pot dish can carry so much meaning and flavor. Personally, I love cooking meals that bring warmth and comfort, especially ones that can be shared with family or friends. Reading about perloo made me want to try it myself, maybe using smoked paprika like the author suggests.
Arborio rice evidently can take twice as long as the Charleston Gold. Mine took 40 minutes before it was tender.
I made this vegan using oyster mushrooms for the chicken. I cooked them in a pan and added smoked paprika while they cooked. I also used 'no-chicken' stock, but other than that followed the recipe exactly. I was sooooo good.