Malaysian
Chicken and Tomato Rice
A simple and flavourful one-pot rice dish cooked with chicken, tomatoes, and onions. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
About this recipe
Chicken and Tomato Rice is a malaysian lunch for 2 that is a quick weeknight cook. It’s built around chicken, and it takes about 45 min total but only ~15 min of hands-on work — the rest is waiting. We sized it for a small household and ranked it on OneToCook by how much of it you already have in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice
- 300g, diced chicken
- 1 medium, sliced onion
- 2 medium, diced tomato
- 3 cups chicken stock or water
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 cloves, minced garlic buy
- 1 inch, grated ginger buy
Equipment
Method
- 1
Wash the rice and place it in the rice cooker.
~2 min
- 2
Add the dicedDice.Cut into even cubes so the pieces cook at the same rate.Glossary → chicken, sliced onion, diced tomatoes, mincedMince.Cut very finely (releases stronger flavour, but burns faster).Glossary → garlic, and grated ginger to the rice cooker.
~5 min
- 3
Pour in the chicken stock or water, and season with salt and black pepper.
~1 min
- 4
Drizzle with cooking oil.
~1 min
- 5
Stir everything gently to combine.
~1 min
- 6
Cook the rice according to your rice cooker's instructions.
~30 min
- 7
Once cooked, fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
~1 min
Smart swaps
Out of something? Try one of these.
- Chicken
- pork, prawns, or firm tofu — keep pieces thin so they cook fast.
- Garlic
- garlic powder (¼ tsp per clove) at a push.
- Ginger
- a pinch of ground ginger, or galangal if you have it.
Cook's notes
- Smash each clove with the flat of your knife first — the skin slips off and it minces in seconds. How to mince garlic →
- Dice the onion before anything heats up so it’s ready when the pan is — a even dice cooks evenly. How to dice an onion →
- Peel ginger with the edge of a spoon — it hugs the knobbly bits and wastes far less than a peeler. How to prep ginger →
- Slice chicken thinly across the grain — it cooks faster and stays tender. How to slice chicken thinly →
- Do your chopping first (mise en place). With everything prepped, the actual cooking here is only about 15 min.
Storage & leftovers
Cooked rice needs care: cool it quickly (within an hour), refrigerate in a covered container, and eat within a day — reheating it until piping hot all the way through. Don’t leave cooked rice at room temperature.
Frequently asked
How long does Chicken and Tomato Rice take to make? +
About 45 min from start to finish, but only roughly 15 min of that is hands-on — the rest is cooking or resting time.
How many people does this recipe serve? +
As written it serves 2. To cook for 4, roughly multiply the ingredients — but cook in batches if the pan gets crowded, so things sear instead of steaming.
What equipment do I need? +
You’ll want: rice cooker, knife, cutting board. OneToCook only suggests recipes that fit the equipment you tell it you have, so you can filter these out if your kitchen is more minimal.
What can I use if I'm missing an ingredient? +
Common swaps for this dish: Chicken → pork, prawns, or firm tofu — keep pieces thin so they cook fast; Garlic → garlic powder (¼ tsp per clove) at a push; Ginger → a pinch of ground ginger, or galangal if you have it. See the full list of smart swaps above.
Can I make Chicken and Tomato Rice ahead of time? +
Cooked rice needs care: cool it quickly (within an hour), refrigerate in a covered container, and eat within a day — reheating it until piping hot all the way through. Don’t leave cooked rice at room temperature.
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