Baghdadi Tbit – Stuffed Chicken over Rice

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried meat

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry, stirring, until the onion turns golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 4
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
5. 5
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
6. 6
   Add the baharat, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir well.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 7
   Add the rice and the turmeric and stir 2 minutes, until all the grains are coated in fat.
2. 8
   Fill the cavity of the chicken with about half the mixture and close the opening with toothpicks.

   Toothpick
3. 9
   Spread the rest of the mixture in the bottom of a heavy pot and set the chicken on top.

   Cast-iron pot
4. 10
   Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 11
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 1.5-2 hours without opening the lid, until the chicken is completely tender.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 12
   Turn off the heat and leave covered 5–10 minutes.

   💡Don't open the lid during cooking: the steam is what cooks the top layer. A towel between the pot and the lid absorbs the drips, so the rice doesn't get soggy.
7. 13
   Gently fluff with a fork, transfer to a serving plate and arrange the chicken on top, sprinkle the almonds and pine nuts on top and serve.