Middle Eastern-Style Spiced Chicken Pilaf

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Meat Browned in the Rice Pot

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

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, 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 chicken and brown on all sides.

   Stove
4. 4
   Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and stir.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 5
   Add the rice and stir 2 minutes, until all the grains are coated in fat.

   💡Fry the rice in fat before adding the liquid: each grain gets coated, and the grains don't stick together.
2. 6
   Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
3. 7
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 20–25 minutes without opening the lid, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 8
   Turn off the heat and leave covered 5 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.
5. 9
   Gently fluff with a fork and serve.