Arabic Spiced Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice
- 3 tablespoons corn oil or ghee
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1 kg chicken
- 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
- 2 small cinnamon sticks
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 6 black cardamom pods
- 10 black peppercorns
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron
- 1 chili pepper, sliced
- 1 tablespoon mixed spices
- 2 dried limes
- 10 cloves
Preparation
Wash the rice with water several times until the water is clear, then soak it in warm salted water for about 30 minutes.
In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the onion until golden brown, then remove half the onion and set it aside for garnish.
In the same pot, add the chicken, tomato, cinnamon, bay leaves, green and black cardamom, black pepper, salt, saffron, and chili, cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked, and strain the broth.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, cut the chicken in half, place it in an oven dish, and roast for 10 to 15 minutes until golden, then set aside.
In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of broth to a boil, add the rice, mixed spices, dried limes, cloves, and a teaspoon of salt, let it boil with occasional stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until the rice absorbs most of the broth, and optionally place the roasted chicken on top in the last few minutes to absorb flavor.
Place the rice on a serving dish, put the chicken on top, and garnish with the fried onion.
