Chicken Perloo (SC)
intro
A beloved one-pot South Carolina Lowcountry rice dish with tender chicken, smoky sausage, and aromatic veggies, simmered to fluffy, deeply savory perfection.
Ingredients
Steps
Season the chicken
Pat 680 grams of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels, then rub evenly with 0.5 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow seasoning to penetrate while you prep remaining ingredients.
Sear chicken and sausage
Heat 30ml (2 tablespoons) of bacon grease in a heavy-bottomed 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat (175°C/350°F). Add chicken thighs skin-side down, cook for 6 minutes until skin is deep golden and crispy, then flip and cook 4 minutes on the second side. Transfer chicken to a clean plate, add sliced andouille sausage to the pot, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned at the edges. Remove sausage to the plate with the chicken.
Sauté aromatic vegetable base
Leave 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the Dutch oven, reduce heat to medium-low (160°C/325°F). Add diced yellow onion, celery, and green bell pepper, cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and translucent. Add minced garlic, smoked paprika, dried thyme, remaining 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and cayenne pepper, cook for 30 seconds while stirring constantly to avoid burning the spices.
Combine liquid ingredients
Pour in 240 grams of undrained crushed tomatoes and 720ml (3 cups) of low-sodium chicken broth, add the whole bay leaf, and stir to fully combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle rolling boil over medium-high heat (190°C/375°F), uncovered, then use a wooden spoon to scrape up all browned fond bits from the bottom of the pot to incorporate deep, savory flavor. Let the liquid boil for 2 minutes to allow slight evaporation.
Cook rice and proteins
Stir rinsed long-grain white rice into the boiling liquid until fully submerged, then nestle the seared chicken thighs and browned sausage on top of the rice (do not stir the mixture after adding proteins). Wait for the liquid to return to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to the lowest stovetop setting (95°C/200°F), cover the Dutch oven tightly with its lid, and cook undisturbed for 25 minutes.
Rest and fluff perloo
After 25 minutes of cooking, turn off the heat, leave the lid tightly secured, and let the perloo rest for 10 minutes to allow remaining steam to absorb and rice grains to set fully. Remove the lid, discard the bay leaf, fluff the rice gently with a fork, top with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, and serve hot directly from the pot.
Tips
2.Stick to long-grain white rice for this recipe: short-grain, sushi, or instant rice will turn sticky, mushy, or cook unevenly in the low, covered simmer, while long-grain rice stays light and separate.
3.If you don’t have bacon grease on hand, substitute an equal amount of unsalted butter plus 1/4 teaspoon of smoked salt to replicate the traditional smoky, rich depth of the classic Lowcountry recipe.
OMG this chicken perloo is SO good! I grew up eating my grandma’s lowcountry perloo when we visited family in Charleston and I swear this tastes exactly like hers. Made it for Sunday family dinner last night, my kids devoured two servings each and even my picky 7 year old asked for seconds. Super easy too, I didn’t have to hunt down any weird specialty ingredients! Total game changer for weeknight meals when I don’t feel like slaving over the stove for hours.
This looks so tasty! Quick question—can I use brown rice instead of white long grain for this? I’m trying to swap in more whole grains for my meal prep and I don’t wanna mess up the texture. The recipe says total cook time is 55 minutes, would I need to bump that up a bit for brown rice?
Made this last night after seeing it pop up on my feed and wow, so worth the 55 minutes! I added a little extra cajun seasoning for a tiny kick and served it with collard greens on the side, tasted like I ordered it from a little lowcountry spot off the coast. My husband already asked me to put it on the monthly rotation, said it’s better than the jambalaya I usually make (rude but fair lmao).
I’m a total beginner in the kitchen and I was so nervous to make this for my girlfriend’s birthday dinner since she’s from South Carolina, but it was so easy to follow! The easy difficulty rating was no lie, it came out perfectly, she teared up a little because it tasted like home. 10/10, will be making this for every family gathering from now on. SO good.