Name: Mexican oven-baked rice with chicken and guacamole
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken drumsticks or thighs; 250 g basmati rice; 200 g black beans, rinsed; 200 g kidney beans, rinsed; 200 g sweetcorn; 5 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped; 2 onions, roughly chopped; 4 cloves garlic, chopped; 2 peppers, diced; 5 tbsp Mexican spice mix; 1 lime (juice); 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 red onion, in thin half rings; 1 chilli pepper, finely sliced; Handful of coriander leaves; 2 ripe avocados (guacamole); 1 lime, juiced (guacamole); Salt and pepper (guacamole); Red onion and coriander for the guacamole (optional)

Method

Marinate the chickenMix 2 tbsp spice mix with the lime juice, the garlic and the oil. Rub the chicken with it and leave to marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the chicken in the ovenPlace the chicken in a large oven dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Par-cook the rice while the chicken is in the oven: boil the rice for 8 minutes in plenty of water and drain. The rice will not be fully cooked yet; it finishes in the oven.
Make the sauceBlend the tomatoes and onions. Stir in the beans, sweetcorn, peppers, the par-cooked rice and the remaining 3 tbsp spice mix.
Bake furtherTake the dish out of the oven, spoon the rice mixture around and under the chicken and put the chicken back on top. Return to the oven for another 25 minutes, until the rice and chicken are cooked through (the juices run clear, not pink). If it gets too dry, add a splash of water.
Make the guacamole and serveMash the avocados with lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve the bake with red onion, coriander, chilli and guacamole.

Serving tips

Prefer potatoes? The potato version is below, with its own ingredients and steps.
Vegetarian: leave out the chicken and double the beans.
Different base: quinoa also works well instead of rice.
Mexican spice mix: make it yourself, the recipe is linked below.
Delicious with gluten-free tortillas or nachos, a fresh salad, or coconut yoghurt as a fresh topping.

Handy for this recipe

TechniqueMaking your own spice mixes: how I do it

About this recipe

Make the Mexican spice mix yourself, and for a fuller guacamole see my guacamole recipe.

Potato version: hearty comfort food

Fancy something heartier than rice? Make this version. The chicken, the sauce and the guacamole stay the same; only the base changes.

Instead of the rice:

1 kg floury potatoes
500 g sweet potatoes
a splash of olive oil

How to do it:

Marinate the chicken as in step 1 and put it in the oven for 20 minutes (step 2). Meanwhile, cut the sweet potato into 1–2 cm cubes, mix them with 1 tbsp of the spice mix and a splash of oil, and place them next to the chicken in the oven dish for those first 20 minutes.
Boil the floury potatoes for 15–20 minutes until tender and mash them.
Make the sauce as in step 4, but without the rice and with 2 tbsp spice mix.
Take the dish out of the oven. Spread the mash over the bottom, spoon the sauce over it and place the chicken and sweet potato on top. Return to the oven for another 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve with the guacamole, as in step 6.

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