Chicken and Rice Recipe
Aromatic Chicken and Rice Pilaf recipe
I am very fond of the easy one-pot, baked chicken and rice recipe idea and this Chicken and Rice Pilaf recipe is one of my favourites.
Besides the easiness of doing the whole dish in a single pot, the fragrance and taste is divine. It's a one-pot-bake that can easily be served for a dinner party because the spices give it an exotic taste that will impress.
Another nice factor is that if you have left-overs, the flavors develop more intensely over night and it tastes great warmed up the next day. I love the flavour that the cinnamon gives to this baked chicken and rice.
The ginger also hints of Asian cuisine but you can leave them out if you prefer. The sultanas give a sweet fruity flavour and the roasted pine nuts finish it off wonderfully.
History and Origins of Pilaf Rice
-courtesy of WikipediaPilaf, also known as poloپلو , polao, pilau, pilav, pilaff, plov or pulao is a dish in which a grain, such as rice or cracked wheat, is browned in oil, and then cooked in a seasoned broth or stock.
Depending on the local cuisine, it may also contain a variety of meat and vegetables as well as levels of spiciness. Pilaf and similar dishes are common to Middle Eastern, Central and South Asian, East African, Latin American, and Caribbean cuisines.
One note I found particularly interesting is that Gamopílafo ("wedding pilaf") is the prized pilaf served traditionally in weddings and major celebrations in Crete: rice is boiled in chicken broth, then finished with lemon juice and melted staka butter.
Chicken and Rice Pilaf Recipe Ingredients
- Serves: 4Time to prepare and cook: approximately 50 minutes
- 20ml (4 tsp) butter
- 45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
- 5ml (1tsp) crushed garlic
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2,5ml (1/2tsp) grated ginger
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground turmeric
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
- 8 boneless chicken breasts, halved
- 240g long-grain rice
- 45ml (3 tbsp) sultanas
- 800ml chicken stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 100g pine nuts, toasted
- fresh coriander, to serve
How To Cook Chicken and Rice Pilaf
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180C or 350F.
- Heat the butter and oil in a large, deep ovenproof dish and saute the onion together with the turmeric, crushed garlic and ginger for a few minutes. Add the cinnamon stick and saute for a further minute then add the carrot and green pepper. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, for about 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken breast pieces to the vegetable mix and let the pieces brown all over - about 7 minutes.
- Add the rice, sultanas and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
- Cover and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender - about 20 minutes. Check the pilaf after 15 minutes, adding more stock if necessary.
- Remove the cinnamon stick. Season to taste, stir in the pine nuts and serve chicken and rice pilaf sprinkled with fresh coriander.
Check out this Chicken and Rice Recipe - Delicious Chicken and Asparagus with Rice
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