Riz Ala Djaj/ Lebanese- Style Rice with Chicken
Description
Riz Ala Djaj aka Lebanese-Style rice with chicken makes an easy, festive main, surprisingly full of flavor, ideal for get together with friends, dinner parties and holidays, it manages to provide warmth and brightness in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1.3 kg / 3.9 lb whole chicken
- 500 g/ 1 lb 2 oz. ground beef or lamb
- 2 ¾ cups rice/ 600 g./ 1 lb. 5oz. I use Jasmine rice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons 7 spice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup blanched almond halves
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
Aromatics to be added to the chicken while simmering
- 1 onion
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 whole cloves
Instructions
- Remove the giblets and kidneys from the cavity of the chicken and trim the excess fat around the neck with a knife.
- Wash the chicken under running cold water and drain, I know this is a debate, some people don't wash the chicken, I do, and I also scrub it with lemon wedges. Cut the chicken in half and transfer to a stockpot large enough to accommodate the two pieces, cover with water to fully submerge the chicken.
- Cook over medium to high heat. Spoon the scum out as it appears. Once it reaches a boiling point, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and bay leaves.
- Reduce heat to low, cover the stockpot and simmer for 3 hours or until the cuts of the chicken fall off the bone.
- Strain the broth and save, transfer the chicken onto a dish to cool down.
- Rinse the rice under cold running and drain. Heat oil and butter in a skillet, add the pine nuts, reduce heat to low and cook stirring constantly to a golden color. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel.
- Repeat with the almonds.
- Transfer the fats you cooked the nuts with to a large stockpot, add the ground meat and cook until all the moisture has evaporated, and the meat begins to brown, Add the drained rice and stir for 1 minute. Add 4 ¼ cups of the prepared chicken broth, salt, cinnamon powder, black pepper and seven spice. Once the mixture starts boiling, cover the stockpot, reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, it is important not to mess with the steam.
- Transfer the cooked chicken onto a plate, debone and pull apart the chicken with your fingers to large chunks.
- Fluff the rice with a fork to make sure that the grains do not stick together. Transfer onto a large serving platter, arrange the chicken pieces atop of the rice and garnish with almonds and pine nuts.
Notes
- I used a calibrated cup to measure the rice: 1 cup is 250 ml.
- If the chicken broth in your stockpot is less than the amount specified to make the rice due to evaporating while simmering the chicken, you should add water to make up for the difference.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!