Riz ala Djaj (also written as Riz ala Djej) is the ultimate Lebanese-style rice and chicken comfort food. This traditional Middle Eastern chicken and rice dish features aromatic Lebanese spiced rice (Hashweh rice) tossed with seasoned minced meat, shredded tender chicken, and a golden crown of toasted pine nuts and almonds.
Whether you are hosting a festive holiday dinner party or looking for a warming family meal, this classic recipe brings authentic Mediterranean flavors straight to your table.
🥣 Why You’ll Love This Authentic Lebanese Chicken and Rice
One of the reasons Riz Ala Djaj is such a beloved staple of Lebanese cuisine is its incredible depth of flavor.
Instead of cooking everything in plain water, the chicken is gently simmered with a classic aromatic spice mixture. This creates a deeply flavorful, nutrient-rich homemade chicken broth that is later used to cook the rice. While the tender shredded chicken is the star of the show, the spiced minced meat mixed into the grains gives this dish its distinct, signature taste.
🛒 Ingredients Needed for Lebanese Spiced Rice with Chicken
For the Aromatic Chicken Broth:
-
- Whole chicken: A 1.3 kg / 3 lb chicken provides the perfect balance of juicy meat and rich bone broth.
- Fresh Onion & Aromatics: Yellow onion, whole cardamom pods, bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, and whole cloves.
For the Hashweh Rice Base:
- Rice: High-quality Long-grain Jasmine rice or Basmati rice works best.
- Minced meat: Ground beef or lamb to add rich flavor to the rice grains.
- Warm Spices: Ground cinnamon, authentic Lebanese Seven-Spice, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Healthy Fats: Ghee, butter, or sunflower oil for perfectly toasted nuts and browned meat.
- The Garnish: Fresh pine nuts and blanched sliced almonds.
Cooking Tips & Variations
Why Do You Simmer the Chicken So Long?
Simmering the whole chicken on the stovetop for 2 to 3 hours over low heat breaks down the collagen and untangles the proteins. This slow-cooking method results in chicken that literally falls off the bone while creating an intensely flavorful broth for your rice.
Can I Use a Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot?
Absolutely! If you want to cut down on prep time, an Instant Pot or pressure cooker is an excellent alternative to speed up the chicken cooking process.
How to Make This Recipe Ahead of Time
To turn this into a quick 30-minute weeknight dinner, cook the chicken one day in advance. Store both the shredded chicken and the strained broth in the refrigerator. The next day, simply reheat the broth, brown your meat, and cook the rice as normal!
🍽️ Serving Suggestions & Storage
- What to serve with Riz Ala Djaj: This festive main dish pairs beautifully with crisp Middle Eastern salads. Serve it alongside authentic tabbouleh, fattoush, or a simple cucumber-yogurt sauce.
- How to store leftovers: Keep leftover rice and chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of leftover broth or water to keep the rice fluffy.
Looking for more festive Lebanese rice recipes? Try our comforting Sayadieh (Lebanese Fish and Rice) or traditional Riz Bil Lahme (Lebanese Rice with Meat).
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Riz Ala Djaj / Lebanese-Style Rice with Chicken
Description
Riz Ala Djaj, aka Lebanese-style rice with chicken, makes an easy, festive main dish that is surprisingly full of flavor. Ideal for get-togethers with friends, dinner parties, and holidays, it manages to bring warmth and brightness to every bite.
Ingredients
- 1.3 kg / 3 lb whole chicken
- 500 g / 1 lb 2 oz ground beef or lamb
- 2¾ cups / 600 g / 1 lb 5 oz rice I use Jasmine rice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons 7-spice
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ⅓ cup blanched almond halves
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
Aromatics to add 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 chicken cavity, then use a knife to trim the excess fat around the neck.
- Wash the chicken under cold running water and drain. I know this is a matter of debate—some people don’t wash their chicken, but I do, and I also scrub it with lemon wedges. Cut the chicken in half and transfer it to a stockpot large enough to accommodate both pieces. Cover with enough water to fully submerge the chicken.
- Cook over medium-high heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Once it reaches a boil, add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and bay leaves.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the stockpot, and simmer for 3 hours, or until the chicken falls off the bone.
- Strain the broth and set it aside. Transfer the chicken to a dish and let it cool.
- Rinse the rice under cold running water and drain. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Add the pine nuts, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel.
- Repeat with the almonds.
- Transfer the fat you used to cook the nuts 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 4¼ cups of the prepared chicken broth, salt, cinnamon powder, black pepper, and seven spice. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover the stockpot, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer for 25–30 minutes. It is important not to disturb the pot or release the steam while the rice is cooking.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, debone it, and pull it apart with your fingers into large chunks.
- Fluff the rice with a fork to ensure that the grains do not stick together. Transfer the rice to a large serving platter, arrange the chicken pieces on top, and garnish with almonds and pine nuts.
Notes
I used a calibrated measuring cup to measure the rice: 1 cup = 250 ml.
If the amount of chicken broth in your stockpot is less than specified because some of it evaporated while the chicken was simmering, add enough water to make up the difference.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
5 Comments
nice recipe, you are doing yakka.
Thank you!🇱🇧🥰🙏🇱🇧
My pleasure.
Taita use to make a white sauce that went with this. What would that be? She was from Bourj Hamoud, originally but we lived in Bsalim, Lebanon.
I bet it could be a supreme sauce, similar to bechamel, but instead of water chicken broth is used.