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Meat, European

Flygande Jacob with rice

Flygande Jacob is a Swedish chicken bake with bacon in a creamy sauce spiked with chili and ketchup, topped with banana slices and crushed peanuts, served with rice. It serves 4, takes 50 minutes, rates as easy, and costs about €3.50 per person. The key is adding the banana right before baking so it keeps its shape instead of turning mushy.

Tonight we're making a surprising Swedish dish, Flygande Jacob, a creamy chicken bake with a hint of chili, banana and peanuts, served with rice.

Flygande Jacob with rice
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.50
Calories per person
660 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Flygande Jacob tends to surprise people the first time it hits the table. The pink, creamy sauce is both mild and a little spicy thanks to chili sauce and ketchup, coating the chicken and smoky bacon. The banana softens in the oven and loses its usual sweetness, turning almost custardy, while crushed peanuts add a salty crunch that wakes up every bite. It's an unlikely combination that somehow just works, somewhere between comfort food and a Nordic curiosity.

This is the kind of dish to pull out on a weeknight when you want a change from the usual rotation, or on a Sunday when you feel like surprising your guests without spending hours in the kitchen. Kids often go for the soft banana and creamy texture without noticing the chili, which stays very mild. The rice simply carries the sauce so nothing gets left on the plate.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Cooked chicken breasts 500 g
  • Smoked bacon bits 150 g

Dairy

  • Heavy cream 30 cl

Pantry

  • Sweet chili sauce 4 tbsp
  • Ketchup 2 tbsp
  • Salted peanuts 60 g
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Sunflower oiloften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Bananas 2

Allergens Lactose, Peanuts

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the cooked chicken into chunks and brown the bacon bits in a dry skillet. 5 min

    Leave a little bacon fat in the pan, it flavors the sauce.

  2. Mix the cream, sweet chili sauce and ketchup together to make a mild, slightly spicy pink sauce.

    Taste the sauce, it should be mild with just a little kick.

  3. Place the chicken and bacon in a baking dish, cover with the sauce, then top with banana slices.

    Spread the banana in an even layer so it caramelizes evenly.

  4. Bake at 200°C until the sauce bubbles and turns golden. 20 min

    Place the dish on the middle rack so the cream browns without burning.

  5. Cook the rice in salted water while the bake is in the oven. 12 min

    Rinse the rice first, the grains stay nicely separate.

  6. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts and serve with the rice.

    Crush the peanuts at the last minute so they stay crunchy.

Our tips to get it right

  • Use chicken breasts cooked the day before or quickly poached, that skips an extra cooking step and speeds up assembly.
  • If you don't have sweet chili sauce on hand, mix ketchup with a touch of sambal or hot sauce, the sweet and spicy balance should stay clear.
  • Drain the bacon well after cooking if it looks greasy, otherwise the sauce can thin out and lose its clingy texture.

The variations

  • Swap the bacon for diced smoked ham for a slightly lighter version, the flavor stays just as good.
  • For a vegetarian version, use smoked tofu or soy chunks instead of chicken and bacon, the sauce works just as well with them.
  • For a faster, kid-friendly version, skip the oven step and simply serve the warm chicken, sauce and raw banana slices over the rice.

What to serve it with

  • Plain rice, as in the recipe
  • Fresh cucumber salad
  • Sparkling water with lemon

Storage

The bake keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It doesn't freeze particularly well because the banana and cream change texture once thawed. Reheat it gently in the oven or a skillet rather than the microwave, and add the peanuts right before serving to keep their crunch.

Questions about this dish

Can you make Flygande Jacob ahead of time?

You can cook the chicken, bacon and sauce the day before, then assemble and add the banana right before baking. That keeps the banana from going too soft while it waits.

Can you replace the sweet chili sauce with something else?

Yes, a mix of ketchup and a little harissa or mild hot sauce gives a similar result. The goal is keeping that balance between sweetness and a light kick.

Why does banana go into a savory dish like this?

That's the signature touch of Flygande Jacob, the baked banana loses its sweetness and adds softness to the creamy sauce. It contrasts nicely with the salty crunch of the peanuts.

Is it really kid friendly despite the chili?

The chili stays very mild, since the sweet chili sauce and ketchup tone it down a lot. Most kids mainly notice the creamy texture and the soft banana.

How long does it take to make a Flygande Jacob with rice?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Flygande Jacob with rice?

About 660 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Flygande Jacob with rice cost?

About €3.50 per serving, or €14.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains lactose, peanuts. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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