Golden Saffron and Cardamom Spiced Chicken & Rice Pilau
"Richly fragrant golden saffron rice pilaf (pilau) that's delicately scented with rose water & studded with pistachios, almonds, and sultanas, combined with moist, tender chunks of chicken infused with lemon, yogurt and musky spices: this is a FABULOUS one-dish meal! Inspired by a Nigella Lawson recipe, from one of her cookbooks. Wonderful served warm, or at room temperature. Enjoy!"
photo by Baby Kato
- Ready In:
- 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 18
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 1⁄4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup whole milk yogurt
- juice of half a lemon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 small pinch garam masala
- 1⁄2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1⁄2 teaspoon saffron thread
- 1 quart organic chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 -3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 1⁄4 cups basmati rice
- 1⁄4 cup sultana (golden raisins)
- 3 -4 cardamom pods, bruised
- 2 tablespoons rose water
- 1 fresh lemon, juice and zest
- 1⁄4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1⁄4 cup shelled pistachio nut
- 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
directions
- Marinate the chicken in the yogurt, lemon, cinnamon, small pinch of garam masala, and grated ginger for about 1 hour. Soak the saffron threads in the chicken stock.
- Shake the excess marinade off the chicken. In a large Dutch oven or Le Creuset over medium-high heat, fry the meat with a spoonful or so of oil (do this in batches so that the chicken becomes nicely golden in color). Remove chicken and browned bits to a plate, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the rice, stirring to coat until glossy. Pour in the saffron and chicken stock, add the sultanas, cardamom pods, rose water, lemon juice and zest and bring the pan to the boil, then clamp on the lid and turn the heat down to very low. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, by which time the rice should have absorbed the liquid and be cooked through.
- Add the chicken and the browned bits to the rice, stirring gently to combine.
- Toast the almonds by shaking them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until they color and begin to give off their fragrance, then add to the pilaf along with the chopped parsley. Pile everything onto a plate and add a fabulously green sprinkling of slivered or roughly chopped pistachios.
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Reviews
-
This was a very tasty, and very different Indian dish. There are so many different flavors here, but they all combine perfectly. I loved the marinade on the chicken especially. The list of ingredients is long, but does not take long to prepare (although my brown rice took far longer to cook). -
What a lovely recipe BecR. It has the best flavors and textures. Yummm, so good, tasty and filling. Really easy to make with terrific results, well worth the extra effort. Made exactly as written and wouldn't change a thing. Kudos on a recipe that I will make again, I have put this into my best of Cookbook for 2013. -
WOW, so good! this is a wonderful blending of of flavors. Nothing stole the show by it's self but all of the seasonings worked together to make both the chicken and the rice a true pleasure. Not a lot of work either, something that I always love. I wish I could give this recipe more than 5 stars. Made for Na/Me forum's visit to Morocco Dec 2012
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Married to my sweetheart for almost forty years and we have two wonderful children who are grown and have flown the coop. Also, we have been blessed with a wonderful son-in-law and beautiful daughter-in-law, plus FIVE grandchildren: two beautiful granddaughters ages five and eight, and three sweet adorable little grandsons ages 2 months, 2 years and 3 years. My husband and I share a combination of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Dutch, Swiss, Polish, Austrian, German and French heritage, and our son-in-law and daughter-in-law are both Hispanic. We've traveled extensively to many countries abroad (we lived in Germany), and have traveled and lived in several states here in the U.S.A. Many of the recipes I post here are influenced by our combined heritage or from our travels, or they are old family favorites that I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy! Have been to culinary school with many years of cooking (mostly for my family) under my belt, so know my way around a kitchen. And I'm very lucky to have the best sous chef in the world, dddddh! One of my favorite chefs of all time is Jacques Pepin! I have several of his cookbooks, and enjoy watching his television cooking show Fast Food My Way. Another top favorite is Julia Child (of course!). A few other chefs I read/enjoy watching on t.v. are: Giada At Home, Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa, Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites, and Patti's Mexican Kitchen, and many more. On my bucket list is dining at Thomas Keller's establishment The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California... as well as Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and the James Beard award winning Tartine Bakery and Cafe in San Francisco. One day!! Hobbies/Interests: Decorating with fresh flowers and herbs from the garden is my passion, and brings me deep joy! It's really hard to beat!! I love connecting with others who enjoy the same. Gardening, decorating, sewing, music, dancing, film, and reading are also up there. Spending quality time with my grandchildren, family, and friends (and cooking holiday meals!). Currently, a newfound passion has been so richly rewarding for me: genealogical research. I heart ancestry dot com. And last but certainly not least, I absolutely LOVE cats--we have two half-Siamese fur babies (cats) that allow us to live here!! A Note of Thanks~ I try to personally thank everyone who kindly makes and reviews my recipes, but sometimes I am busy, late, or may forget. Please know that I am always humbled that you would try one of my recipes, and I enjoy reading the reviews and seeing all the pretty photographs. Thanks so much! </p>
